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Helping Special Needs Kids Break Through Barriers

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Nicky Altikulac.

Photos by Tracey Rice

As Halloween approaches, thoughts turn to costumes, trick-or-treating and festivals. For Nicky Altikulac, BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst), Halloween is a teaching opportunity.

The Peachtree Corners resident is the founder and executive director of All Kids First (AKF), a service offering Applied Behavior Analysis, speech therapy and occupational therapy at clinics in Berkeley Lake, Snellville, Roswell and Alpharetta and in clients’ homes.

Founded in 2005, AKF serves children with developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities. Today, the staff, which has 40 therapists, includes Altikulac’s two sons, Cem and Alp.

Alp Altikulac.

“They’ve been working with me since day one because they were my typical peers to work on social and play skills with my clients. So even when they were in elementary school, always I used to take them with me after school to work on social skills,” she said.

Cem Altikulac

For some AKF clients, Halloween prep can mean two months of work helping a child develop a tolerance for wearing a costume and learning to make the trick-or-treat transaction.

“We practice at home first because we can manipulate the environment to build the prerequisite skills. We teach him to take just one candy if candy is handed to him. Or, if he is verbal, we teach him what to say when waiting his turn to get candy,” Altikulac said.

AKF also offers trick-or-treating at its clinics, where kids can enjoy the experience of wearing costumes and receiving treats.

Halloween becomes a teaching opportunity (Photo courtesy of All Kids First)

“It’s for the parents as much as for the kids,” Altikulac said. “Each parent would like to enjoy the holidays with their kids and see their kids have fun times, like their peers and siblings.”

Individualized treatment plans for AKF clients target areas such as communication, social skills, self-care, play, motor development and academic skills.

One parent asked AKF to teach their autistic child to play video games with his brother. Others have sought help with potty training. Some have called saying they wish their child would respond to his or her name, give a hug or call them mom or dad.

“For others, we take that for granted,” Altikulac said. “And some of the kids don’t show affection the way we do.”

Building her practice

Altikulac says she doesn’t know what triggered her desire for working with special needs children but doing so has been her passion since she was 18 years old. Originally from Turkey, she earned a bachelor’s degree in guidance and psychological consultation from Marmara University and a master’s degree in special education from Istanbul University.

She opened her first clinic serving children with developmental disabilities in Istanbul at the age of 22, and within a few years opened a preschool. She also volunteered for 10 years as a coach for the Turkish Special Olympics Team and as a psychological consultant for an international humanitarian organization working with children living on the streets in Romania.

In 1999, Altikulac married and moved to the U.S., where she completed the Applied Behavioral Analysis certificate program at Penn State University and a 1,500-hour internship program at the Marcus Autism Center that made her eligible to take the exam to get her BCBA certification. She also earned a master’s degree in human behavior from Capella University.
She worked as a therapist in the Babies Can’t Wait Early Intervention Program in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties before opening All Kids First and continued offering the program’s services for a while through her business.

Eileen Kaiser, a project coordinator at the Marcus Autism Center, was Altikulac’s supervisor at Babies Can’t Wait.

“One of my goals was to increase the number of highly qualified providers who could offer services to families. I was pleasantly surprised to receive Nicky’s resume one day. She had an incredible amount of experience working with children with special needs,” Kaiser said. “She brought a lot of knowledge to our program and made it a point to hire only people who had good qualifications.”

Kaiser said All Kids First has helped provide much needed services to children with autism.

“According to CDC statistics, the rate of autism is now estimated to be 1 in 54 children. It is often difficult for parents to find services to address their children’s needs. Many programs have long waiting lists or may be too far for parents to travel. All Kids First offers a variety of services to help families in the north metro area. Applied Behavior Analysis is what most parents are seeking,” she said.

Kaiser said she is glad to count Altikulac as a friend, calling her “hard-working, kind and honest.”

“Nicky’s energy amazes me,” she said.

In addition to her AKF work, Altikulac travels internationally for private consultations and to present at events for families of children with special needs. She also supervises an Applied Behavior Analysis clinic in Istanbul and co-leads Spectrum, a local group for adults with autism needing low support.

‘The journey is long and every step is important’

Duluth resident Jyotica Sood says “Ms. Nicky” has had a major impact on her son’s development. The Peachtree High School student, who has autism, became a client at age two in AKF’s first year.

Her son is a visual learner, so Altikulac used toys, jigsaw puzzles and board games as teaching tools for him in home visits, Sood said. With her encouragement, Altikulac also occasionally brought her sons along.

Sood said her son really enjoyed the visits from Alp and Cem and said she learned a lot about teaching him while watching him play with the boys and their mother.

“So, okay, what she’s doing, how she is doing it, how I can use a simple picture card and teach him. It’s not just about the colors or the picture of a car, but how to look at that car,” she said.

Sood gratefully ticks off her son’s accomplishments, starting with his ability to communicate his needs to his parents. “He can read a paragraph. He can answer questions. He can use a calculator. He knows how to make a phone call now,” she said.

Altikulac’s sons and an AKF therapist helped her son learn to shop the aisles at Walmart, and she hopes that he can live independently one day.

“Today, what he is, a lot of it goes to ABA therapy,” Sood said. “The journey is long, and I understand that every step is very important. Every small thing he learns is important to us.”

Cem and Alp

Altikulac’s sons express great pride in their mother’s devotion to special needs children and say growing up along with her business inspired their career paths.

Cem, 20, oversees the AKF clinics as regional operations manager and is a junior at Georgia State University.

“I feel like watching my mom grow her company throughout these years has given me a sense of perspective about the community around me and pushed me towards wanting to become my own business owner in the future as well as pursuing a business degree at Georgia State,” he said.

Alp, 18, graduated from Norcross High School this year and is a registered behavior technician at AKF.

“The earliest memory I have is me begging my mom not to take me to preschool so I could come to work with her and be a typical peer to the kids in therapy,” he said. “I knew when I was 10 that I wanted to do this with my life. It’s such a joyful and rewarding job and experience.

Every day, people thank me for my services and all that I have done with their child, and my love to help people just continues to drive me further and further. My goal is to get my BCBA and contribute my life to helping special needs children and kids on the spectrum.”

For more information about All Kids First, visit allkidsfirst.com.

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City of Peachtree Corners

A Look at this Year’s Memorial Day Challenge and Ceremony

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Veterans and city officials in front of a veterans' monument on memorial day 2025

On Memorial Day last month, Peachtree Corners residents, officials, veterans and business leaders joined together on the Town Green to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.

The day started with a special 9 a.m. ceremony at the city’s Veterans Monument to recognize that sacrifice and honor the lives of those who died while serving. As in previous years, the ceremony was organized by the Peachtree Corners Veterans Association and included the raising of the flag, placing of the wreath, remarks from city officials and a moment of silence.

For this year’s event, three keynote speakers — each connected to the community and now at a different place in their journey of service to our nation — were also invited to address the gathered crowd.

The 2025 keynote speakers

Sean Balderas (Norcross High 2025) — Sean was accepted to the Naval Academy and begins his military career there this fall.

Kellen Grave de Peralta (Norcross High 2020) — Kellen graduated from the Naval Academy in May and will attend flight school as a 2nd LT in the Marines.

Justin White (Wesleyan School graduate) — Justin graduated from the USNA in 2014 and completed his service commitment a few years ago as a Marine Officer. He now works as a consultant for Bain & Company.

Each speaker talked about what Memorial Day means to them and also shared their thoughts on the importance of service.

Memorial Day Youth Challenge 2025

Following the ceremony, the city and the PCVA hosted the Memorial Day Youth Challenge.

Held at Town Green’s Fort Pain, the challenge is a thrilling obstacle course-themed physical competition for kids and teens ages 9 to 18 with the purpose of increasing the knowledge and appreciation of Memorial Day and those we honor.

Each participant was paired with a veteran who served as their judge, safety spotter and cheerleader as they worked their way through the course. Family members and spectators also added to the excitement of the challenge, cheering on the competitors as they gave their all to complete the course in the fastest time.

According to Alex Wright, former U.S. Naval officer, Peachtree Corners councilmember and a founder of the Memorial Day Challenge, the event had a full field of 45 on race day (with eight no-shows), and 37 racers completed the course.

Each competitor received a t-shirt, dog tags and refreshments for attempting the challenge, and first and second place finishers also received awards during a short ceremony following the race. 

Community contributions

Several local businesses also contributed to the success of this year’s Memorial Day Challenge with both material donations and volunteer support. King of Pops Peachtree Corners was on hand to give out popsicles for participants, and Vox-pop-uli provided the challenge t-shirts and signs.

Photos courtesy of Jim Stone, TYTAN Pictures.

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Community

Peachtree Corners Festival Awards Debbie Mason Drama Scholarship for 2025

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A young woman wearing a long, floor-length dress receiving a $1000 scholarship for drama. She's standing on stage with two men, holding a large version of the check. The background is a dark blue curtain.

On May 9, the Peachtree Corners Festival awarded the Debbie Mason Memorial Scholarship for Drama to an outstanding Norcross High School drama senior. The recipient was Elizabeth “Ella” Armes, a student who has been involved in the Norcross High School drama department for four years and was most recently the primary stage manager directing the high school’s performances.  

According to Terry Gabbard, director of theater at Norcross High School, Ella “was vital to the success of our program. She is an incredible young lady who will be continuing her studies in media and the arts in college.”

In fact, Ella plans to continue her education and work in theater and communications at Kennesaw State University starting this fall.

This marks the third year that the Peachtree Corners Festival has awarded the drama scholarship in the name of the late Peachtree Corners Festival co-founder, Debbie Mason.

In addition to being the first “First Lady” of the city of Peachtree Corners, Debbie and her family were long-time supporters of the drama program at Norcross High School. After her passing in 2023, the Peachtree Corners Festival established the Debbie Mason Memorial Scholarship for Drama as an appropriate way to honor her legacy.

About the Peachtree Corners Festival

The Peachtree Corners Festival is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) volunteer organization dedicated to bringing a safe, wholesome and family-friendly festival to the city of Peachtree Corners each year.

The organization’s goal is to foster community pride and civic involvement, not just through the weekend-long festival, but by giving back and supporting education and beautification initiatives within the city and recognizing deserving members of the community.

This year’s Peachtree Corners Festival will take place on the Town Green, September 20–21.

For more information, visit peachtreecornersfestival.com.

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Community

The PCBA Awards $500 to Light Up The Corners at After-Hours Event

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A group of people standing together at a business event, holding a large check made out for $500 to Light Up the Corners

The Peachtree Corners Business Association (PCBA) awarded a check for $500 to Light Up the Corners at their May 2025 Business After Hours event.

Light Up the Corners, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, organizes the annual Glow Run and Twilight Trot — a nighttime, community celebration that’s equal parts race, fun run, party and fundraiser.

This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, August 16 at The Forum in Peachtree Corners. The 1K Twilight Trot will start at 8 p.m., and the four-mile Glow Run will begin at 8:30 p.m. After the runners have crossed the finish line, a fun, post-race party will follow.

All proceeds from the Light Up the Corners event go to benefit less fortunate children and families in the community by giving them the chance to participate in life-enhancing programs and activities at the Fowler YMCA

A history of charitable donations

PCBA’s donation to Light Up the Corners will help the organization meet its goal of assisting struggling families through their Why It Matters campaign. It’s the latest in a series of donations that PCBA has made over the years through their community outreach program.

“We are so proud that the PCBA has awarded 20 scholarships to outstanding future business leaders and donated in excess of $173,500 into our metro Atlanta community over the last 13 years,” said Lisa Proctor, PCBA board president.

Funds for PCBA’s community outreach program are raised throughout the year from PCBA membership, sponsorships and Tailgates and Touchdowns, an annual charity event they hold each August. Donations and scholarships are awarded at their Business After Hours events so that their members have the opportunity to learn more about the community organizations.

About Peachtree Corners Business Association

The Peachtree Corners Business Association is a business membership organization that focuses on innovative approaches, programs, shared resources, community outreach and opportunities for member businesses and professionals to connect, develop, grow and prosper.  

The PCBA is made up of businesses of all sizes and types that want to expand their reach and grow their business within Peachtree Corners and the greater metro Atlanta area. 

For more information call 678-969-3385, email membership@peachtreecornersba.com or visit peachtreecornersba.com.

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