Meet the Founder & CEO
Dr. Grace Cho is the Founder and CEO of Dr. Cho Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Inc. Dr. Cho received her Ph.D. from UCLA in Special Education with an emphasis on Autism. She founded ABT in April 2015, in order to help children with autism, develop independent lives, improving their social and functional communication skills, so that they can interact effectively with their peers and adults. Prior to this, she worked as BCBA-D for Alexandria City Public Schools. She supervised classroom teachers of children with autism, training them in ABA intervention techniques, to improve these children’s behavior and performance at their schools. Dr. Cho is also Adjunct Professor at GMU, George Mason University, where she teaches graduate students in ABA. In 2006, Dr. Cho established a board-approved ABA graduate program at NSU, Nam Seoul University in Korea, the first program of its kind in Asia. She served at NSU as Chief Professor of the graduate ABA department, teaching graduate students and supervising other professors. She was also the Director of the Behavioral Therapy Clinic at NSU.
Her Story In Her Own Words...
Dr. Grace Cho, Founder, and CEO of DBT has always set her sights on lofty goals. From her vision for DBT to her personal achievements, she has never accepted the idea of anything being “impossible”. In June 2019, she set for herself the goal of climbing to the summit of Kilimanjaro. She set out with a group of similar-minded climbing enthusiasts and professional hikers to realize this dream. It was a very difficult climb, both physically and psychologically. Many times, she felt as if she would never make it. However, each person on the team encouraged one another to keep climbing and keep the goal in mind.
There was one magical word that got her through to the summit, and that word was not in English, but in an African language. The word was “pole pole. ( polay polay)” It means “pace yourself, no rush.” Those words rang through her mind every time she felt so exhausted that she almost gave up. She remembered to pace herself, that there was no rush to get to the top. It helped her put one foot in front of the other, and she finally reached her goal! Uhuru, the highest summit of Africa, at 20,000 feet! Only 6 climbers out of the 12 professional hikers made the summit, and Grace was one of them! The guides were wonderful! They kept saying “pole pole” all the time, to inspire the team members.
In her 30+ years in this field, Dr. Grace Cho knows the value of staying in sight of the goal, putting one foot in front of the other, and pacing herself, to achieve optimal success. This phrase “pole pole” applies to all of us here at DBT… our professionals, our parents, and our clients. There is no rush. Enjoy yourselves along the way. Keep the ultimate goal in mind, and pace yourselves. Never give up. Remember “pole pole.” Slowly but surely, with a lot of love and understanding, ABA interventions have proven time and time again that every child can succeed and lead satisfying, independent lives within their community.
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