Elizabeth Heaton is a special education teacher certified in Kindergarten through 6th grade. Elizabeth earned her Masters degree in Collaborative Special Education from the University of Alabama in 2012 after completing a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 2010. Elizabeth began teaching in a city-wide autism unit for Tuscaloosa City Schools in August 2012, where she gained experience working with students in 3rd through 6th grades with a wide range of needs and backgrounds. In 2013, Elizabeth moved to Birmingham and accepted a teaching position at Cherokee Bend School in Mountain Brook, Alabama, serving students with low incidence disabilities, including autism, anxiety disorder, AD/HD, cerebral palsy, genetic and chromosomal disorders, hearing impairment, intellectual disabilities, specific learning disabilities, and mood disorders. Elizabeth gained valuable knowledge as an educator utilizing Applied Behavior Analysis and Picture Exchange Communication System in the classroom. Elizabeth is certified in Orton-Gillingham instruction for reading & math and is also certified in the SPIRE reading program. Elizabeth has experience teaching students who are working towards the Alabama Alternate Assessment and served on the AAA task force. Elizabeth also has experience and training in the areas of executive functioning, crisis management, multisensory structured language education/sensory diets, and dyslexia.
After her second child was born, Elizabeth took time off from teaching to focus on her family. In 2019, Elizabeth began teaching in the preschool setting and currently teaches in the 4K program at Ascension Episcopal Kindergarten in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. She also assists with social skills groups at the Behavioral Pediatric Institute of Alabama. Elizabeth lives with her husband, Allen, and sons, Parker and Vincent, and daughter, Lucia in Homewood, Alabama.