About Our Staff

AST employs highly educated and skilled professionals with extensive experience in working with children with autism. We are dedicated to an intensive and ongoing model of training and supervision of our staff.

The Directors

Autism Spectrum Therapies is directed by Dr. William Frea and Dr. Ronit Molko. Both are clinical psychologists who have maintained a strong presence in the Southern California autism community.

William D. Frea, Ph.D., BCBA
Dr. Frea is an autism specialist with a unique background in special education, clinical psychology, family therapy, and language development. A licensed psychologist, he also earned a master’s degree in speech pathology.

Dr. Frea completed a clinical internship at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, with a focus on developmental disabilities and family therapy. He then went on to complete a research fellowship at Vanderbilt’s esteemed Peabody College where he performed research at the Kennedy Center. He has published over 25 research articles, papers, and book chapters, and has presented more than 100 papers at national and local conferences, as well as workshops addressing autism issues. He is an associate editor for the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, and serves on the editorial boards of several other journals. He is a frequent guest reviewer and book reviewer as well.

Dr. Frea created the autism programs at California State University, Los Angeles. He was on faculty there for eight years in the department of Special Education. While directing those programs, he secured federal funding to grow them into the largest university-based training facility for autism professionals in the western United States.

Dr. Frea has served on many local, state, and national committees and advisory boards. At the federal level he serves as a conceptual reviewer for the National Standards Project, focusing on evidence-based treatment approaches for autism. He has authored the Early Intervention chapter of the project’s upcoming book. He also has served on grant review panels for the U.S. Department of Education. At the state level, Dr. Frea has served the Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism, on its Task Force on Early Identification and Intervention. He also serves on the Autism Spectrum Disorders Guidelines for Effective Interventions committee, a project of the California Department of Developmental Services.

Contact Dr. Frea: bfrea@autismtherapies.com

Ronit M. Molko, Ph.D., BCBA
Dr. Molko is a certified behavior analyst and clinical psychologist, specializing in the treatment of children with autism and related disorders. She holds a master’s degree in applied developmental psychology and a doctorate in human development and family life with a focus on children with developmental disabilities.

Dr. Molko completed a post-doctoral fellowship at UCLA where she specialized in behavioral assessment and intervention, treatment planning, and individual and group therapy for children and adults with autism and genetic disorders. She teaches graduate-level courses to teachers and administrators on classroom-based positive behavioral support and comprehensive programming. Dr. Molko has taught numerous workshops on treatment issues in autism, and has presented papers at national and local professional conferences.

Contact Dr. Molko: rmolko@autismtherapies.com

Director of Clinical Services

Erin McNerney, Ph.D., BCBA
Erin McNerney has worked extensively with individuals with Autism and related disorders, providing intervention, supervision, parent education, staff training, and consultation to schools. She holds a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has published articles in the areas of play-based intervention and positive behavior supports, and has presented papers at numerous national and regional conferences. She developed and implemented AST’s innovative ABA program designed specifically for parents with infants at-risk for autism.

Contact Dr. Erin McNerney: emcnerney@autismtherapies.com

Jocelyn Thompson, LCSW, BCBA
Jocelyn is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and a board certified behavior analyst who has worked with children and families with developmental disabilities for over six years. Jocelyn received her B.A. in Psychology from UCLA and her Masters in Social Work from Cal State Los Angeles. During her undergraduate education, Jocelyn received extensive training working with children with autism at the Lovaas Institute for Early Intervention. She has worked as a consultant for both home and school programs and developed a curriculum for and facilitated parent education classes in behavior management at Harbor and Westside Regional Centers. She has worked in a variety of social service/mental health settings and is trained in various ABA methodologies such as DTT, PRT, PBS and PECS. 

Contact Ms. Thompson: jthompson@autismtherapies.com

Coordinators

Sabrina Daneshvar, Ph.D., BCBA
Sabrina Daneshvar received her Ph.D in Applied Developmental Psychology from Claremont Graduate University with a concentration in developmental disabilities. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with over 10 years of experience working with children with autism. Her expertise includes early intervention, parent education ans support, clinical supervision, consultation, and staff development. Dr. Daneshvar’s research interests include approaches to teaching social skills, video modeling, the implementation of empirically validated treatment techniques, and program evaluation. Sabrina has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences. Her research has also been published in peer reviewed journals such as the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions.

Diana Daranyi, M.S., BCBA
Diana Daranyi received her Masters degree in Counseling with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis. Diana completed her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and has worked with children with developmental disabilities for over six years. She earned a certification as an autism specialist from California State University, Los Angeles. Her experience ranges from intensive early intervention behavioral programs providing PRT and DTT to school based consultation providing behavioral techniques including proactive strategies, teaching strategies, and reactive strategies.  

Mayu Fujiwara, M.S., BCBA
Mayu Fujiwara received her B.S in Psychology and Biology from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and M.S in Counseling with emphasis in Behavior Intervention Case Management from California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA). She has also completed the Autism Certification Program through the Special Education Department at CSULA and holds a Pupil Personnel Services credential (PPS). She has specialized training in a variety of approaches including; Pivotal Response Training (PRT), Discrete Trial Training (DTT), and Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), which has been used to design and execute individualized programs for her clients in a variety of contexts, including the home, the school, the community, aide training in the school and providing consultation services to teachers and parents. She is fluent in Japanese and has a unique appreciation for cultural diversity. 

Rob Haupt, M.S., BCBA
Rob has spent the last three years working with children and adolescents with autism and other developmental disabilities. Rob specializes in training parents and school staff to support children with autism using positive behavioral support strategies. He has also received extensive training in ABA methodologies including, discrete trials, PECS, social skills curriculum, functional communication training, self-management. Prior to coming to AST, Rob spent 5 years working with adults and children with disabilities. While at the New England Center for Children he specialized in treating children with severe behavioral disorders using ABA techniques. Rob is currently working towards his Master’s Degree in Counseling with a focus on Applied Behavioral Analysis.  

Jane Kim, M.S., BCBA
Jane Kim received her Bachelor's degree in Communication from the University of California, San Diego where her main focus of study was in the areas of social communication and children centered media. She has over 5 years of experience working with children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. She has extensive training in all areas of Applied Behavioral Analysis including Discrete Trial Training, Pivotal Response Training, and Positive Behavioral Support. She has developed and implemented successful ABA programs which include all three components. Jane is currently working towards her Master's Degree in Counseling with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis.  

Loc Le, Ph.D, BCBA
Dr. Le received his doctorate in developmental psychology from the Claremont Graduate University. He has over ten years of experience in the field of autism and applied behavior analysis, working in both clinical and school settings. He has served as Clinical Director for a non-public school for children with autism, and also as a behavior specialist for several schools. His background includes specialized training in the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), Discrete Trial Training (DTT), and various forms of naturalistic teaching strategies. He has presented many papers at national professional conferences and has published several articles in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Casandra Nguyen, M.S., BCBA
Casandra Nguyen has her Masters degree in Psycholgy, with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis. She has completed all of the ABA coursework and fieldwork required to be BCBA eligible. Casandra received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine. She has over 8 years of experience working with children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. She has extensive training in ABA approaches including Discrete Trial Training, Pivotal Response Training and Social Skills Training.Her background includes developing behavioral management support programs for individuals with autism and their families in homes, schools and community; coordinating home and school services; and consulting with teachers and parents to instruct in ABA principles. Casandra is completing her Master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis with a concentration on language acquisition in children with Autism.

Andrea Ridgway, Ph.D., BCBA
Andrea Ridgway received her Ph.D. in school psychology from Louisiana State University under the direction of John Northup, Ph.D. She completed a pre-doctoral internship at the Marcus Institute and Emory University under the supervision of Cathleen Piazza, Ph.D. and Wayne Fisher, Ph.D. with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis, developmental disabilities, and behavioral pediatrics. Dr. Ridgway is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a licensed psychologist in the states of California (#PSY 21533) and Louisiana (#995). Her professional experience includes the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with a variety of developmental disabilities and behavior disorders in school, home, community, and clinic settings. She has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has authored several articles for peer reviewed journals such as School Psychology Quarterly and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. In addition, Dr. Ridgway has also served as a guest reviewer for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Her current research interests include the differential and combined effects of behavioral interventions and pharmacotherapy.

Eve Rasmussen, M.S., BCBA
Eve Rasmussen has been working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis for over 15 years. She began working with children with autism in 1996. She holds a Masters Degree in ABA from St. Cloud University. She has extensive training and experience in specialized ABA techniques including DTT, PECS, Positive Behavior Support, and PRT. She has provided consultation in classrooms and for in-home programs. She has conducted numerous workshops for school district personnel. Eve has been providing parent education and consultation for 10 years.

Erica Roest, Ph.D, M. ED., BCBA
Erica earned Bachelor’s degrees in both Psychology and Communications. She also earned Master’s degrees in both Counseling Psychology and School Psychology. She holds a Specialist Certification in Infant and Early Childhood development from Rutgers. She is a Certified School Psychologist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Erica is currently a Ph.D. candidate in School Psychology. She has provided consultation to families and school districts and directed behavioral intervention programs in home and school settings for children with pervasive developmental disorders. Before joining AST, she served as the Principal and Educational Director for the Connecticut Center for Child Development, and the Clinical Director for a private agency providing educational and diagnostic testing of learning and behavioral disorders. Erica has given workshops and presentations at local, national and international conferences. Erica’s interests lie in the appropriate identification of educational needs and intervention planning for students, effective instructional strategies and inclusion practices, and parent training.

Consultants

Mariela Feldman, M.S., BCBA
Mariela Feldman is a board certified behavior analyst who specializes in the treatment of children with autism. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in applied behavior analysis. Mariela was born and raised in Argentina; she is fluent in Spanish and has a unique understanding of cultural diversity. She has manualized training procedures for behavioral interventions. In her role as a supervisor at AST, Mariela is responsible for designing and maintaining individualized educational programs for her clients. She has designed peer and sibling training programs, and also supervises the social skills group for young children with autism. Mariela has presented her research on social skills for children with autism at professional conferences.  

Contact Ms. Feldman: mfeldman@autismtherapies.com

Jennifer Symon, Ph.D., BCBA
Dr. Symon directs the autism programs at California State University, in the Department of Special Education and Counseling. In her clinical practice she specializes in parent education and play-based ABA methods. Dr. Symon serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. She is well respected in the field of autism interventions for her research in providing support to families in remote/rural area. Dr. Symon has worked closely with AST since 2002.  

Contact Dr. Symon: jsymon@calstatela.edu

Our Interventionists

AST aggressively hires staff that are in the process of completing their advanced professional development. The majority of AST employees have completed, or are completing, their master's degrees in either Applied Behavior Analysis or Autism. Advancement at AST requires staff to complete their master's degrees and to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.