Dr. Terri Chiara Johnston

Prior to retiring in 2005, Terri Chiara Johnston, PhD, was an educator for almost 40 years, serving as teacher, school psychologist, and program director/principal. She taught at the kindergarten and middle school level early in her career, but her passion became helping youngsters who experienced severe behavior and communication challenges. During her professional journey, she received extensive training in applied behavior analysis, structured teaching (TEACCH), and crisis management. A recognized expert in the area of autism and emotional disturbance, Terri founded a consulting company, Support 4 Teachers and Families (www.s4ts4f.com).

Now Terri is completely retired from education and enjoys life with her husband, Joe Czup, and her golden retriever therapy dog, Roux. She works as a freelance writer and stringer reporter for Northeast Ohio Media Group, writing community stories for the Cleveland Sun News and cleveland.com.