Autism Knows No Borders
Read about one of our supervisor’s experience in Kenya with the Global Autism Project.
Meet our Staff
Presenting one of our lead skills trainers, Grace.
Meet Our Staff
Meet Danny, one of our Lead Skills Trainers.
Meet our Staff
Get to know one of our awesome Lead Skills Trainers!
Meet Our Staff
Meet Chris A.
ABI Skills Trainer
Chris, a Los Angeles native, graduated from UCLA in 2012. There he studied psychology and began to think about his future. His brother, who worked in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) briefly, suggested that Chris look into working in ABA, as well. After some research, Chris’ interest was sparked and he applied for a skills trainer position here at ABI.
As one of our substitute skills trainers, Chris enjoys being able to interact with all of our clients. And for him, the best part is being able to play and teach play skills. Chris notes, “I genuinely enjoy having fun with the kids.”
His best advice to future skills trainers is to balance out rapport-building, or what we call, pairing ourselves with reinforcement, with teaching. His reason being, “I used to come in all business, but I realized that if you don’t make your sessions fun for the client, they are hesitant to learn.” Chris’ clients also know how to make the sessions fun for him. “One of my clients has the best imagination. He makes me laugh with all of his impersonations of random people like the pizza man.”
Outside of work, Chris enjoys hanging out with his friends, going to the gym and watching Game of Thrones.
Thanks for doing a super job Chris!
Meet Our Staff
Meet Carla A.
ABI Skills Trainer
Carla grew up in Los Angeles, also living in Mexico for four years before starting the first grade. She was inspired to work with children after volunteering in a youth after-school program while in college. Her favorite part of working at ABI is getting to see a child master a skill after working on a program with them.
When asked about one of her favorite memories with one of her clients, Carla shared, “One of my clients is non-verbal. He really enjoys being tickled so we play like that often. Then one day when I was tickling him he suddenly screamed, “NO!” I was so shocked that he had spoken and within the correct context! I was so proud because it showed lots of improvement.”
Her advice to new skills trainers is, “not to give up. Sometimes it gets difficult having to deal with challenging behaviors, but you just have to be patient, and it ends up being very rewarding.”
When she’s not at work, you can find her at the gym or spending time with her family. And if she was ever to find herself on a deserted island with only three things, they’d be here mom, her boyfriend, and a good board game.
Thanks for all your hard work Carla!
Employees of the Quarter
Chris A. – As ABI’s substitute skills trainer, Chris has had the 
opportunity to work with so many of our kids. He has thrived in this position, familiarizing himself and building a rapport with all of our clients very quickly. Chris does an excellent job of ensuring he is running programs properly and bringing any questions or concerns to the Program Supervisor’s attention. We are thrilled to know that when our regular Skills Trainers are unable to work, we have an excellent team member to send in their places.
Mayra M. – Mayra has demonstrated great natural skills 
working with our kids! Her clients take to her quickly, seeing her as both a friend and teacher at the same time. She does a great job of following her clients behavior intervention plans and implementing skill building interventions. Her great work with our kids, plus her positive attitude is what makes her a star employee at ABI! Thanks for your outstanding work, Mayra!
Carla A. – Since starting her work at ABI as a skills trainer, Carla has shown parents, teachers and colleagues that she has a genuine passion to improve the lives of the clients with whom she works. Carla always comes to work with a positive attitude and her dedication to her work is evident in every session. Carla’s supervisors appreciate her active participation in team meetings and consistency with implementing all of their feedback. We are thrilled to have Carla as part of TeamABI!
Star L. – Star has proven herself to be a strong and dedicated skills trainer since starting at ABI. She excels in behavior management and moving her clients’ programs forward. She is always enthusiastic, fun, and shows dedication to her clients’ progress. Star is professional during team meetings and takes the time to ask her supervisors thoughtful questions about programs and interventions. Star, thank you for all of your hard work!
Building a Strong Team and Employment Opportunities
Here at ABI we find that one of the things that differentiate us from many other ABA treatment providers is the fact that we keep it personal. That means that we concentrate on and have an individual touch with every one of our clients. Our number one priority is to maintain skilled and knowledgeable teams for our kids and ensure that every child we serve is receiving the best treatment possible.
One way in which we work to achieve our mission is by creating community partnerships with local universities. We’re about to complete our first year of providing internships to undergraduate students studying child development at California State University, Northridge. During their internships, our undergraduate interns learn about applied behavior analysis (ABA) and how to apply ABA-based procedures to the treatment of children and adolescents with autism. Interns also have the opportunity to observe therapy sessions and team meetings in action. One of our first interns has already joined our team as a skills trainer and what she learned through her internship has shown through in her work with our clients. By being an internship site, we hope to educate a whole new generation about the important work we do and the life-changing effects that quality ABA treatment can have.
In addition to partnering with universities, we also look to build a strong team of skills trainers by recruiting soon-to-be and recent graduates in psychology, child development, and other related fields at local university career fairs. If you or someone you know might be interested in working with children and adolescents with autism or other developmental disorders, check out our page here to find out more about how to become part of this exciting and rewarding field.