Christina DiGrande, B.A. received her Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of the Pacific. She presented her Masters research study, which focused on the development and evaluation of a training program to help parents of children with autism promote spontaneous language during play with their children, at the 2008 Annual Conference of the California Association for Behavior Analysis.

As part of her practicum training, Ms. DiGrande also provided behavior intervention services to children and adults receiving services through the regional center. In this capacity, she worked directly with individuals and their families to help promote independence, adaptive functioning, and successful integration into the community. While a student at CSU Stanislaus, Ms. DiGrande also served as the Northern California Student Representative to the California Association for Behavior Analysis.

Prior to her work with Therapeutic Pathways, Ms. DiGrande delivered services to children with autism through agencies centered in Stockton and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Ms. DiGrande has more than 15,000 hours of experience providing behavioral intervention and case management to young children with autism and related disorders across the Modesto, Tracy, Sacramento and Elk Grove sites.

Carrie Ellsworth, M.A. BCBA received her Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology from University of the Pacific and her Masters of Arts in Psychology from the University of Nevada at Reno. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. While an undergraduate she began working as an Instructional Assistant for children diagnosed with autism who were receiving home-based, applied behavior analytic intervention. This experience helped guide Ms. Ellsworth’s decision regarding her pursuit of graduate training in applied behavior analysis. While at the University of Nevada, she gained clinical experience working in the Early Childhood Autism Program directed by Pat Ghezzi, Ph.D. During her graduate training, she also provided behavior intervention services to children and adults through the Nevada Center for Severe Behavior Problems. In addition, she worked at the City of Reno Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department, as a Behavior Specialist facilitating inclusion of children diagnosed with disabilities into city recreational and after-school programs. She presented at the California Association for Behavior Analysis and the Association for Behavior Analysis.

Cathy Eschete, B.A. received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana College where she double majored in Elementary and Special Education. She holds elementary and special education credentials from both Louisiana and California. Ms. Eschete has more than 9 years experience working with children with disabilities.

While pursuing her teaching credentials, Mrs. Eschete was a Lead Therapist for an in-home Applied Behavior Analysis program for children with autism, where she gained over 3 years of experience providing direct service, staff training and case management.

Ms. Eschete authored curriculum for Louisiana’s Heart of Spain Art Exhibit and piloted the program throughout Rapides Parish in regular and special education classroom settings. She also served as a special education teacher for a school district in Louisiana, where she was chosen as a model inclusion teacher for the parish in parallel teaching, co-teaching, and shared instruction. Ms. Eschete also has specialized training in integrating technology into the classroom to promote higher order thinking skills and active student engagement.

Maureen Hurley, M.S., M.Ed., BCBA received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro and her Masters of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University. In addition, she completed her Masters in Education, with a specialization in Early Childhood Education, from Cambridge College. Ms. Hurley is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

From 1997-2001 she served as the Coordinator and Case Manager for the New England Center for Children (NECC) and worked in their Home-based Early Intervention Program. Ms. Hurley then served as the Applied Behavior Analysis Program Coordinator for the Acton Public Schools Preschool Program in Acton, Massachusetts, where she directed preschool programs for children with autism spectrum disorders. Ms. Hurley has been a presenter at both the Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and the International Association for Behavior Analysis.

Cynthia Owens, M.S., BCBA received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Psychology (Behavior Analysis Concentration) at California State University, Stanislaus. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Ms. Owens completed her practica at the Stanislaus County Infant Referral Program and the CSU, Stanislaus Center for Direct Instruction. Her thesis research analyzed the long-term effects of academic delays, especially difficulties in reading. Prior to joining our staff, Ms. Owens provided behavior intervention services to children and adults with developmental disabilities through Valley Mountain Regional Center. Ms. Owens has more than 12,000 hours of experience directing programming 20+ children with autism spectrum disorders. Ms. Owens, along with her colleagues, Brittany Sheets, and Devon Homme has conducted research on differences in attending to environmental stimuli among children diagnosed with autism vs. typically developing peers. A portion of this research was presented at the Conferences for the California Association for Behavior Analysis and the Association for Behavior Analysis Intervention in 2007.

Marie Polk, M.A., BCBA, received her Bachelor and Master of Arts degree in Psychology (with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis) from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Prior to joining the agency, Mrs. Polk provided both in-home and on-site behavior intervention services to adults diagnosed with a mental illness through the Community Re-entry Program/UOP. She has more than six years of experience in the use of behavior analytic techniques commonly used in the treatment of autism.

Brittany Sheets, M.A. BCBA received her Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology and her Masters of Arts in Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University. Her Masters program included an emphasis in behavior analytic treatment for Autism Intervention as well as Organizational Behavior Management. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

During her undergraduate and graduate practicum training, Ms. Sheets worked in various positions in a University-affiliated intervention program for children diagnosed with autism between the ages of 2-6 years at the Croyden School in Kalamazoo Michigan. As the Practicum Coordinator at Croyden, Ms. Sheets was responsible for the training and monitoring of all behavioral technicians and teaching assistants. Ms. Sheets has made professional presentations at the International Association for Behavior Analysis (ABA), the California Association for Behavior Analysis (CalABA), the Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan (BAAM) and Midwest Association of Behavior Analysis (MABA). Ms. Sheets has more than 4000 hours directing treatment programs for children with autism spectrum disorders.