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Dr. Barbara Vokatis | Therapy Dogs Speaker

@dr.barb.educator

13.6K

followers

2003

following

🌟Helping educators transform learning through revolutionary methods
Professor, Keynote, Bestselling Author, Autism Mom
🎙️Host @getinspiredwithdrbarb👇🏻

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💥Yes, I have written 5 books. Each book was inspired by my incredible therapy dog and her transformational work with children and by my neurodivergent child and their brilliance that I learn from every day.

💥Together, the overarching aim of this work is to help create communities, including classroom communities, in which neurodivergent children do not suffer but are celebrated and valued because they deserve it and we can all benefit from being friends with them!

💥Yes, it’s a movement, my dear supporters!

Links to the books on my website in my bio! by @dr.barb.educator

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a year ago

✨ COVER REVEAL ✨

LÉ VAUGHN proudly presents our latest cover star — Dr. Barbara Vokatis.

A visionary leader, keynote speaker, and bestselling author, she is also a proud autism mom whose personal journey fuels her passion and purpose. Through innovation, compassion, and groundbreaking work in therapy, Dr. Vokatis continues to inspire and transform lives around the world.

This issue celebrates strength, resilience, and the power of leading with heart.

Step inside the story of a woman making a meaningful impact — in both her profession and her personal journey.

Featuring: @dr.barb.educator

#DrBarbaraVokatis #WomenInLeadership #Innovator #TherapyDogs #levaughndeparismilannyla by @dr.barb.educator

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7 months ago

Thank you, @excellence.talks (# 1 Linkedin platform dedicated to recognizing leadership, innovation and excellence) and KAIZUNO, for recognizing me as one of the Top 300 Global Excellence Leaders of 2025 in the category of Social Impact & Purpose! I am truly honored and humbled! Over 12,000 nominations were received globally.

I treat this incredible award as a confirmation that my tireless work towards creating just environments for neurodivergent children and teens and promoting animal assisted education to create kind classroom communities where all children are valued is noticed and validated. I promise to continue my work.

Thank you so much to every LinkedIn supporter who nominated me. I am very grateful for your trust and kindness! Your support means so much to me!

Also, huge thank you to my two beautiful teachers who inspired me to engage in this work: my neurodivergent child @kalina.survivor.of.wrath and my therapy dog Carmel. You are amazing !

💥Special thank you to incredible Lucinda Ormiston @ormistonlucinda, my collaborating teacher, who welcomes Carmel and me in her classrooms - she is the kind of teacher every child should have!

————————————————————————

Dm message from Murat Aydin, co-founder of Excellence Talks:

Dear Barbara,

It is my great pleasure to inform you on behalf of Excellence Talks:
From over 12,000 nominations from our global community, you have been selected as one of the Top 300 Global Excellence Leaders of 2025 in the category of Social Impact & Purpose.

Excellence Talks, in partnership with KAIZUNO, recognizes your outstanding leadership with the Global Excellence Award.

Kindly find your personal recognition certificate attached.

We will officially announce the Top 300 Global Excellence Leaders of 2025 tomorrow on Thursday, January 8th, 2026. You are welcome to share your recognition with your followers from now on if you wish.

Best regards,
Murat Aydin
Co-Founder, Excellence Talks by @dr.barb.educator

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9 months ago

💥Do you know that many neurodivergent children and teens develop trauma? And what is the connection between trauma and neurodivergence? My incredible guest, Fialkora Myndru @fialkora, speaks about it!

🔥But this clip is only one of the highlights of our conversation! Please make sure to tune into the whole episode!

💥I had such a pleasure to speak with Fialkora. Fialkora is a clinical and rehabilitation psychologist. She works at the intersection of neurodiversity, trauma and crisis support. In addition, she speaks in international events and publishes articles on these topics. What an amazing expert!

👉Links to the episode in my bio and on @getinspiredwithdrbarb by @dr.barb.educator

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a day ago

Sharing some wonderful news! The Learning Vanguard Magazine @thelearningvanguard is officially launched today!

We believe there are many individuals doing remarkable work to transform education, yet their efforts and ideas often deserve a wider audience.

That is why two visionaries came together to create The Learning Vanguard, a platform/magazine to bring education leaders together, celebrate their contributions, amplify their work, and share their voices with the world.

Our mission is simple: Celebrate the people shaping the future of education.

On our launch day, we are proud to introduce our Co-Founders and Editors-in-Chief.

Dr. Barbara Vokatis @dr.barb.educator is a visionary educationist, award-winning author, keynote speaker, recognized as one of 300 Global Excellence Leaders of 2025, and professor at SUNY Oneonta, State University of New York. She has introduced innovative approaches to learning indpired by her neurodivergent child and their struggle in school, including animal assisted education. She is also the host of Get Inspired by Dr. Barb, a podcast exploring educational ideas that inspire positive change.

Ambreen Nadeem @theambreennadeem is a psychologist, marketing research consultant, and accredited Master Neuroplastician (M.NPN), currently pursuing a Doctorate in Applied Neuroscience in Leadership at Swiss Monarch Business School. She is the CEO and Founder of Rigel Mark LLC and Psychology Talks, an Amazon bestselling author, and a keynote speaker.
Recognized among the Top 100 Global Thought Leaders since 2024, Ambreen is passionate about meaningful leadership, mental wellness, and generational impact. She is also a proud mother supporting her son’s mission to transform education. He authored his first book at eight and published it at nine.

As we begin this journey, we look forward to connecting with educators, researchers, innovators, and leaders who are making a difference and helping their work reach a wider audience.

We invite you to be part of this journey as we celebrate the people and ideas moving education forward.

The Learning Vanguard: Where the voices changing education find their platform. by @dr.barb.educator

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2 days ago

It’s time to share some BIG news!

My journey towards bringing change to education began with my son, Zoraib. When he repeatedly shared why he didn’t enjoy school, I started looking at the education system differently. Today, he is on a mission to bring change, and I am helping him turn that mission into action.

Around the time of his book launch, I met Dr Barbara Vokatis, whose work in educational innovation truly impressed me.

Through our conversations, we discovered a shared vision: to recognise and celebrate people who are thinking beyond traditional systems and taking action to make learning better.

And so, we decided to turn this vision into something meaningful.

Introducing The Learning Vanguard Magazine!

To be launched on October 14, 2026

Co-created by @dr.barb.educator and me, the magazine will spotlight one education changemaker every quarter, celebrating those who are rethinking learning and creating meaningful impact.
We believe change begins with people who dare to think differently and take action.
We are excited to begin this journey!
Who do you know who is making a difference in education? We would love to hear about them.

#thelearningvanguard #educationinnovation #futureoflearning #educationalleadership by @dr.barb.educator

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6 days ago

If you need some inspiration for the weekend, I’ve got some for you!

This is the dialogue I had today with a child in the classroom I visited with Carmel.

Education should start with connection and relationship - always!

Child: I remember I met Carmel several years ago at a wellness fair in school.

Me: That’s amazing you remember her!

Child: I never remember much, so I am surprised that I remember your dog. by @dr.barb.educator

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7 days ago

💥Does play matter in education? Debby Klein @principals_official , incredible principal I have privilege to recently interview has no doubt. She understands the value of the simplest play! What’s a treasure she is!

💥This was such a fun moment we had in the chat, but the whole episode reveals even more ways of including various play aspects in teaching. Please make sure to tune in and share.

💥Debby Klein is an extraordinary principal, author, researcher, and mentor to other principals! We need principals like Debby! In fact, if we had more principals like Debby, education would change in the most astonishing ways for many children.

Links to the episode in my bio and on @getinspiredwithdrbarb ! by @dr.barb.educator

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10 days ago

‼️ Dear friends, followers, supporters of my advocacy in education!

🚨 I am running for Top Host

-to lead a podcast series produced by iHeartRadio and
-to appear on Ryan Seacrest podcast!

Can I be one? I do not know! But I know I will
run if it can help change education, so why not!

👉Please vote 🗳️because only supporters decide! It would mean a lot to me! You can vote for free daily,
The link to vote here and in my bio:
https://tophost.org/2026/barb-vokatis by @dr.barb.educator

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11 days ago

A thoughtful conversation on neurodivergence, trauma, displacement, and the environments children and adolescents are asked to adapt to.
One idea stayed at the center of our conversation:
Neurodivergence is not trauma.
But an environment that constantly demands masking, survival, and adaptation can become deeply distressing.
We also spoke about what support can look like when safety, predictability, regulation, and belonging are not guaranteed.
And about a question worth asking more often:
Instead of only asking “What is wrong with this child?”, can we also ask “What is this nervous system trying to manage, and what can we change around it?”
Thank you, @dr.barb.educator Dr. Barbara Vokatis, for such a warm and thoughtful conversation on Get Inspired with Dr. Barb.
Episode coming soon.

#Neurodivergence #Neurodiversity #TraumaInformedCare #ChildMentalHealth #Psychology Displacement Ukraine
@getinspiredwithdrbarb by @dr.barb.educator

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16 days ago

💥Why do neurodivergent children struggle tremendously when they get to high school? Nancy @nancygilettecoaching provides the answer to the question and it’s very revealing… Let me know what you think!

💥 If there is one person qualified to speak about it, it is Nancy Gilette. She is a certified RDI consultant who provides guidance and assistance not only to autistic individuals, but also to their families. She is just incredible - truly world class expert! I am honored to have her on my show for the second time!

💥Links to the podcast in my bio! by @dr.barb.educator

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17 days ago

This is the largest autism summit in the world organized by Autism Parenting Summit @apsummit. I am honored to present. The summit features the most known autism advocate Dr. Temple Grandin. And it is a free event. It’s for parents, educators and anyone who supports and works with autistic individuals.
Please help spread the news!

Registration link here and in my bio: https://autismparentingsummit.com/ by @dr.barb.educator

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20 days ago