Mary Beth Franzen
B.S., Elementary Education, Special Ed Certified

Coach: St. Louis, Milwaukee

Mary Beth Franzen began her college education as a pre-med major, switched to physical therapy, and ultimately completed her degree from Western Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 1987. She taught elementary school for several years prior to the birth of her first daughter, Becca, who was born with Down syndrome. While Becca, and second daughter Jenna, were growing up, Mary Beth was an Educational Consultant and Manager with Discovery Toys, where she spent six years teaching other parents about child development and how to play with their children. She continued to look for the best way to help Becca reach her full potential, and was very active in the public school system and her daughter’s IEP team. Mary Beth was involved with the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis, where she led a local chapter for about five years, and later served on the board of directors. Her desire to help her daughter succeed led her to begin her Masters of Art in Teaching at Webster University in St. Louis. She studied in an intensive one year program to prepare educators to teach students with severe developmental disabilities, and also received a second certification in Mild/Moderate Cross-Categorical Disabilities. Mary Beth worked with a broad range of children and abilities in the public school setting as a special needs paraprofessional in a self-contained classroom, and teaching a 3rd grade class where a quarter of the students had IEP’s. In addition, she worked as a special needs tutor, working one-on-one with students.

Mary Beth discovered NACD during the summer of 2003, shortly after she decided to homeschool her three daughters. For the past several years, Mary Beth has helped to organize and connect families in the St. Louis Chapter of NACD. She has shared her story about helping Becca overcome debilitating sensory play at the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis Annual Conference with Ellen Doman. She has also spoken at the St. Louis Catholic Homeschool Association Annual Conference on special needs and homeschooling, discussing underlying causes and considerations for children with learning difficulties.

Since that first evaluation, she has watched Becca continue to improve globally: academics, language, motor skills, and most importantly, auditory sequential processing. Becca is currently finishing high school algebra, geometry, biology, economics, and American government. She works part-time as an office assistant, and enjoys cooking, playing piano, singing, and ballroom dancing. “Becca wouldn’t be at this point without NACD,” said Mary Beth. ““I love the way the program is completely targeted to my daughter’s needs, with very high expectations. I never thought I’d meet anyone that had higher expectations for my daughter than I did, but I did in Ellen Doman and NACD! She will be graduating in May 2010, and is talking about different college courses she would like to explore. Our family is thrilled with her progress, and I am excited and proud to be a part of the NACD family, first as a parent, and now as an NACD coach.”

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