“Once he was diagnosed, I had to make my decision: Career or him,” Khaytman says. “And I picked him. I was a housewife for a long time, and then I started working a little bit in [education] and feeling it out, because I was always working with him. Now, he doesn’t need as much of my help, and I was able to pursue my dream at this point—to help other kids the way people helped me, because I met so many great people in the journey to help my son.”

That’s when Khaytman, despite the obstacle of being a single mom raising two boys, enrolled in the Graduate School of Education’s Education and Special Education program, which she’s since completed. Her next step is to earn behavioral-analysis certification from Hofstra University, in addition to likely pursuing continuing-ed options through Touro because, as she puts it, “When you’re a teacher, you always need to broaden your education.”

Khaytman’s experiences at home with her son and in the classroom as a student have already widened her understanding of the autism spectrum and how radically or subtly different diagnoses can vary. Her son, for example, suffers from tics but is considered high-functioning and—while shadowed by an instructor—adheres to mainstream curriculum.

“They don’t know how to explain themselves,” she says of high-functioning children with autism. “[Special education] is just a way they can communicate better and understand society a little bit better…figure out how they’re different and fit in.” Lower-functioning peers, she differentiates, simply “have a longer road to figure out how.”As an educator, the common thread is communication, and Khaytman feels like schools are beginning to better comprehend autism, which makes it easier to do her job.

“They’re definitely improving from what I had to deal with back when my son was diagnosed,” she says. “Right now, there are so many more people who know what they’re doing, even though classrooms still don’t have placement for a lot of people and parents have to make a lot of sacrifices.”

As a mother and teacher, Khaytman found encouragement through her time at GSE. She realized how many individuals are dedicated to providing support for autistic children, and picked up valuable insight into her own methodology as a teacher.

“I used to look at everything like a mother,” she offers. “That was the only point of view I had. Touro gave me this understanding of how it works in a classroom, how it’s all really happening, and it furthered my knowledge of all the different disabilities.”

While Khaytman may not work directly with students affected by the range of disorders, familiarity with them has only sharpened her effectiveness in working with autism and, in her mind, made her a more well-round and compassionate educator and advocate. Whatever the concentration, she surmises that, “It’s all about quality. If there’s quality in the approach, then it really works.”