Lisa Dworkin is Clinical Director at Autism Home Support Services.  Lisa Dworkin, MA, BCBA, has more than thirty years experience serving people with disabilities.  She is knowledgeable about all aspects of autism and developmental disabilities and has a passion for providing intervention to assist children in achieving their full potential.  She has worked both inside and collaboratively with organizations including Little City Foundation, Glenkirk, Center for Independent Futures, Countryside Association for People with Disabilities, CARF, and various local and regional mental and behavioral health agencies.  Lisa is an expert in linking individuals with a network of supports and has worked energetically on transition issues for teenagers and young adults.

Lisa graduated Magna Cum Laude from Macalester College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and holds a Masters in Behavior Analysis and Therapy from Southern Illinois University.

Samantha Baker, MA, BCBA, is Chief Technical BCBA at Autism Home Support Services.  Ms. Baker completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology along with an Associate of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Evansville, Indiana.  She holds a Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis from Spalding University (Louisville, KY) as well as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst certificate.

For the past ten years, Sami has been providing in-home and classroom ABA therapy to a broad range of children on the spectrum.  Most recently, she provided clinical behavioral oversight to ten clinicians at the Carriage House Preschool and Educational Services facility in Louisville, Kentucky.  Prior to working in the school environment, she served as the Lead Interventionist at a leading in home Applied Behavior Analysis provider in Louisville.   She has presented to parents and clinicians on Autism and Related Disorder topics including Verbal Behavior Training, Strategies and Supports for the Individual with Autism in the Early Childhood Classroom, Reducing Challenging Behavior by Increasing Communication and Toilet Training for Children with ASD.

Julie Higgins, MS, Ed., BCBA hails from New York state and has nearly a dozen years of experience working with children with special needs both here and in the Boston area, including working with the prestigious New England Center for Children as well as in other private and public school settings. She was recently a special education teacher and behaviorist for a local elementary school as well as providing leadership to Autism Home Support Services teams. Julie’s expertise includes behavior management, creative academic approaches for children on the spectrum, discrete trial training, American Sign Language, PECS, and a wide variety of Verbal Behavior Methodologies. She has also used Vineland Adaptive Behavioral Scale, WJ III Evaluations, VB-MAPP, Vocational Assessments, Ecological Assessments, and the MCAS Alternative Assessment.
Julie holds a BS in Psychobiology from Binghamton University, a MS in Special Education from Simmons College, and a Certificate in Behavioral Intervention in Autism from University of Massachussetts- Lowell.

Stephanie holds a BA in Psychology from The University of Massachusetts (Amherst) and an MS in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University. She has published and presented her research on behavioral interventions and staff trainings at regional and national conferences. During her five years in Boston, Stephanie worked for The May Institute as well as other regionally respected clinics, in-home ABA consultancies and adult day and residential programs.

With more than six years of clinical experience, Stephanie has worked with clients ranging from as young as 2 to as old as 40. Stephanie’s expertise includes behavioral assessments, functional behavioral analysis, intensive behavior and ABA program development, and training across a range of developmental methodologies. Her thesis on “Teaching Tolerance for Delay of Reinforcement to Reduce a Tangibly Motivated Behavior” helped feed her keen interest in motivation and reinforcement techniques that she loves training others in. She especially enjoys seeing the progress of her clients over time as they develop more positive behaviors.

Anna Branski, BCBA, has worked with families in pre-school, school and home settings in both the US and in her native Poland. With more than ten years of early childhood and autism experience, Anna has a passion for early intervention and assuring that children with an autism diagnosis are able to mainstream whenever possible. Anna’s strengths include customizing programs for children from ages three to eight and consulting with pre-school and school programs to assure maximum ease of transition. Anna is formally trained in PECS, Activity Schedules, Social Interaction, Lovaas method, working with children with Asperger’s Syndrome, Parenting methodologies, Social Skills Groups, and other methods to working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Anna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago as well as a Master of Arts in Psychology with an ABA Specialization from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Cheryl Heilicser, MA, CCC-SLP, BCBA, is a Certified Illinois Speech-Language Pathologist with an MA in Communicative Disorders from Northern Illinois University and a BS in Speech and Hearing Science from University of Illinois (Urbana). She holds a Certificate in Behavior Analysis from Southern Illinois University. Cheryl has been working with children on the autism spectrum for nearly a decade, including providing ABA therapy in home based settings as well as in classroom settings for much of that time. She has worked as a class-room based SLP, Behavioral Therapist, Lead Trainer, and Autism Specialist for several school districts in the Northwest and Western Chicago Suburbs and has extensive experience extending classroom success into the home. She has also worked on facilitated play programs, multicultural teams and social skills programs. She has a passion for Verbal Behavior programs and assisting children with autism to “find their voice” via all communication methodologies available including PECS, sign language, speech, or technology.

Bridget holds a BA in Psychology from Benedictine University and an MA in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is also certified in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention and is a member of both the Chicago Association for Behavior Analysis and the Association for Behavior Analysis International. Bridget has worked as a lead therapist providing therapy to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders for several years as well as at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology where she worked on a project to collaborate with teachers and principals to determine the direct needs in special education and develop a plan for teaching organizational skills and social skills to students in both special and general education.

Bridget has worked with children from ages 3 through 12 and has worked in the most challenging behavioral environments.  Her leadership skills as well as her level of energy distinguish her on our team.

Sunena Khowaja-Noorani holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology, Applied Behavior Analysis from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and a BS in Psychology from Texas A&M University.  She has worked with a range of people with disabilities from children as young as 4 to adults in residential and day programs.  She is trained in TAG teach methods and has worked in classroom environments as well as in home.  She is particularly skilled at performing functional analysis and writing and implementing behavior plans for challenging behaviors.  Our clients have complimented her on her energy and enthusiasm as well as her patience.

Sunena has worked at the Hope Institute as well as at Seguin Services and has demonstrated capacity to develop and implement behavior plans for people of all abilities.

Anna is pursuing her BCBA certification at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology under AHSS practicum supervision.  She has more than four years experience working with the autism population both in the US and in Spain.  She graduated with a BS in Biology and a Certificate in Neurology from The University of Wisconsin (Madison) and has worked as a special needs teacher’s aide in a clinical environment as well as in a public school in Bannockburn and Deerfield.  Anna is fluent in Spanish and is particularly sensitive to multiple points of view.  She is an outstanding example of the empathy and analytics required to excel in our field.

Ana M is bilingual in Spanish, hailing from Dominican Republic originally. She has more than 6 years experience working with kids with ASD, having been trained by an ABA school in southern Florida. Ana is experienced with complex behavioral plans and trained in prevention and physical intervention. Her clients continually compliment her on her deep reserve of patience.

Boris is one of the most intuitive people with our clients we have ever met. He is creative, kind, and firm in assisting them in achieving their full potential. He has worked both with verbal and non-verbal people with autism and assisted them with daily living skills, participating in community activities, and working on homework. He has been training in ABA and has worked with school aged clients on ABA programs as well as teenaged and adult clients. Boris has a Bachelors degree in Philosophy from UIC and is fluent in Russian.

Christine is a graduate of Northern Michigan University’s Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Bachelor of Sciences program. Her passion for volunteering includes experiences with Best Buddies and Special Olympics as well as Adopt-a-Family and Relay for Life. Her SLP experience includes writing IEP and language reports, assessments and clinical experience. She is especially committed to providing fun, engaging and energetic ABA therapy for her clients.

Jan has a Masters of Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and both a BS in Political Science and a BFA in Photography from St. Vincent College. He has more than a dozen years experience as a behavior therapist in the Pennsylvania state system creating and implementing behavior plans for people with developmental disabilities. Jan has also worked as a teacher in both Chicago and Pittsburgh and is skilled at implementing data-based approaches to achieving behavioral change. His depth of experience includes an uncommon breadth of emergency management, positive programming and non-aversive behavior management. We are fortunate to have him on our team.

Jessie has a Masters in Social Work from Aurora University and a Bachelors in Psychology from Northern Illinois University. She is also an Outreach Services Coordinator for the Fox Valley Special Recreation Assocation. Jessie has been working with children on the autism spectrum for more than three years. She is gifted in finding ways to motivate children to achieve their full potential. Jessie has distinguished herself by being proactive in leveraging resources for her clients.

Kelvin W has received his Paraprofessional Certificate and has also completed 240 hours of  security training from the Security Training Institute.  Kelvin  has been a paraprofesssional and teacher at Jewish Child & Family Services where he provides instuctional and behavioral support in a self-contained highschool classroom. Recently he was on the Family Support staff for the Little City Foundation and Clearbrook where he was responsible for taking clients into the community and assisting them with personal needs and monthly goals. Kelvin is trained in Crisis Prevention and Intervention and is a natural at behavior management and proves to be a great asset to our team.

Lauren holds a BS in Psychology from Duke University and a Specialist Degree in School Psychology from Illinois State University. She was a key contributor to the Illinois State University Autism Program prior to launching her career as a school psychologist. She has experience in a breadth of ABA methodologies including discrete trial training, skillstreaming, visual schedules, and PECS. She is experienced in working with parents and teachers in generalizing skills and continuing progress in classroom and home settings.

Lisa has a certification as an IL Early Childhood Type 04 teacher with endorsements in Special Education and Learning Behavior Specialist I.  She has more than 16 years experience in special education, inclusion, and mainstream classrooms as well as in the home environment.  Lisa has experience implementing ABA programs ranging from discrete trial methods to behavioral management programs using creative motivational techniques.  She has worked with multiple BCBA’s and with kids ranging in age from 18 mos. to middle school.  She has the skills energy and capability to make a difference for high functioning Aspies as well as kids all across the autism spectrum.

Lizz is pursuing her graduate degree in early childhood special education at Elmhurst College. She has worked in ABA therapy for more than ten children in three different agencies and has been trained in a variety of methods including Discrete Trial (SD-R-SR), Errorless Learning, Lovaas, TEACCH, NET, Floortime, and Verbal Behavior Approaches. Her interest in helping people with autism began from a young age as she has a sister on the autism spectrum. Lizz is one of our most dedicated and reliable team members with a deep sense of caring for her clients. She has a BA in Psychology from Northern Illinois University.

Molly B.  is a particularly compassionate and empathetic therapist with a demonstrated skills for pacing lessons to a child’s ability.
She is great at integrating the latest methods and technologies into her work in engaging interdisciplinary methods.  She has experience in the Milwaukee area as well as in the western suburbs of Chicago.  She studied early childhood education at the University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee) and and holds a Bachelor
of Science Degree in Education from University of Aurora where she earned the Ivy Leaf Honor Roll award all four semesters and graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Melissa earned her Associates Degree from ICC and has one more semester until her Bachelor’s degree is completed. She is experienced in Applied Behavior Analysis therapy and has worked as a Therapist and a Personal Assistant for the Department of Rehabilitation in Peoria, IL. She has also worked in a home setting with four families and one-on-one with children with autism of multiple ages. Most recently, she was an ABA Lead Therapist and created and implemented her own home-based program for a little boy whom she still works with today. Melissa is talented, motivated, and a positive addition to our team.

Michael P. received his Masters of Science in Educational Psychology from the University of Nevada and his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Illinois.  He has served as an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the Institute for Juvenile Research in Chicago where he observed interactions between students and their instructors and their peers. Recently, he worked as an Assistant Site Director for M-NASR where he helped supervise day-to-day activities at a summer camp for children ages 6-20 with special needs including autism, AD/HD, mental redardation, and cerebral palsy.  Michael is extremely thorough and conscientous and committed to his clients and has achieved significant improvements in their ability to complete their daily routines calmly and effectively.

Mike S graduated from the University of Coloroado at Colorado Springs with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He has worked as a Program Director for PlayDate Inc.,  in which he helped children develop social skills. He also worked as an Assistant Director for Springs Behaviorial Consultants where he was an ABA therapist in all settings for children with developmental disabilities.  Most recently, Michael was the CEO for Quality Cultivators Inc. and developed a solution to assist in managing insurance coverage for individuals.  Michael is especially talented in working with challenging behaviors and helping achieve improved focus and ability to improve academic skills for non-verbal children with autism.

Pam O. has a BS in Special Education from University of Illinois (Champaign) and a Type 10 Teaching Certificate.  She has experience working on intensive verbal behavior programs, visual programs, functional skills, life skills, discrete trial training, and word choice boards as well as with various social/emotional and communication programs.  She has worked in a variety of classroom and in-home settings and is fully committed to developing skills in children with autism across academic domains as well as social domains.  She has really enjoyed gaining the ability to retain focus and manage difficult behaviors and see children blossum with specialized therapy.

Stephanie G graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and a Minor in Business. She managed a caseload of nine severely disabled high school students including developing and implementing an Individualized Education Plan and Behavior Intervention Plan for each student.  Stephanie was a part of Autism Spectrum Therapies where she implemented behavioral intervention programs and worked in client homes training families on ABA techniques to use with their children. Recently, she was a Special Education Teacher’s Assistant in Plainfield, Illinois.  Stephanie has distinguished herself with her energy and level of enthusiasm in working with our younger clients.

Vicki is pursuing her Master of Arts in Teaching at National-Louis University and plans on working in special education. She has more than three years of ABA experience in therapeutic school and in home environments. Vicki has impressed us with her inquisitiveness and ability to creatively push boundaries with our clients in manding, touch-math, literacy, matching & sorting, and even potty-training. She is also fluent in Russian. Vicki’s Bachelor’s degree is from DePaul University in Child Psychology and Early Childhood Education.