Behavior Analysis Services in Orange County

At Autism Spectrum Consultants, Inc., we consider our employees a part of our extended family. We optimize their performance by training our ABA Clinical Directors, Behavior Therapists, and Case Supervisors on an ongoing basis in technologies and strategies to provide socially significant change to the individuals we treat. We follow the guidelines created by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) for both Behavior Therapists and Case Supervisors. At ASC we provide Treatment with Heart which means we carefully select and create our therapeutic teams to match our client’s needs.

Executive Directors

Executive Director: Orange County and Inland Empire

Jessica Postil, PsyD, (PSY 27251)

Dr. Jessica Postil, Licensed Clinical Psychologist with the California Board of Psychology, is a renowned Behaviorist who founded Autism Spectrum Consultants, Inc. (ASC) in June of 1998. Dr. Postil has been working with individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders for over 2 decades as a behavioral therapist, senior therapist, workshop supervisor, clinical supervisor and clinical director. Dr. Postil obtained her BA in Psychology from the University of Southern California where she worked with schizophrenic adults and adolescents. She received her Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University graduating with Psi Chi honors. In September 2008, Dr. Postil earned her Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Clinical Health Psychology from Loma Linda University. As a part of Dr. Postil’s dissertation, she wrote the first manualized therapy program for treating executive dysfunction in high functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Postil is certified to provide emergency behavioral interventions with children exhibiting severe behavior problems. Dr. Postil is a published author who has presented at national and international conferences as a key-note speaker. She has also presented workshops and in-services for both private and non-profit organizations around the world. Dr. Postil conducted research on the use of technology and communication and the effectiveness of social skills groups.

Executive Director: San Diego

Dawn Holman, PhD, BCBA-D

Dr. Holman is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, doctoral level. She received her BA in Psychology from UCLA, where she worked with Dr. Ivar Lovaas for the Young Autism Project from 1991-1993. Dr. Holman is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a Masters in Clinical Psychology. She received her Doctorate in Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology from USC in 2003 where her research in the area of reading comprehension and autism won her a dissertation of merit award: It also gave her the opportunity to give the key-note address at the graduation ceremony. Before joining ASC as the San Diego owner and Executive Clinical Director in 1999, Dr. Holman had worked in the field of behavioral therapy as a Senior therapist and Clinical Supervisor. Dr. Holman has presented both nationally and internationally for a variety of institutions such as the Autism Society of America, the California Association of Behavior Analysts and the International Association of Behavior Analysts at their annual conventions. She has presented workshops and in-services for both private and non-profit organizations around the world. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, she provides on-going supervision to BCBA students pursuing their certification while completing their practicum at ASC. Dr. Holman has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the San Diego chapter of the Autism Society of America from 2004-2008 and actively volunteers in a variety of community autism organizations.

Clinical Directors

Clinical Director: Orange County

Cindy Underwood, MA, BCBA

After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University in 1999, Cindy Underwood began her journey working with children on the Autism Spectrum. In 2000, she joined Autism Spectrum Consultants in the San Diego office as a behavior therapist providing school shadowing services, 1:1 in-home behavior therapy, parent consultation, and social skills group facilitation. Ms. Underwood obtained her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at National University before she relocated to Orange County in 2004. She continued her education by completing her post-graduate coursework in Behavior Analysis followed by her certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2006. As a Clinical Supervisor and Assistant Clinical Director, Ms. Underwood designed and implemented numerous programs for a diverse population of children and adults on the spectrum. In 2007, Ms. Underwood was promoted to the role of Clinical Director for the Orange County clinic where she is responsible for overseeing ABA program development and implementation in addition to mentoring BCBAs and trainees within the Orange County region. She has presented at conferences to parents and professionals on several autism related topics including, Social Skills, Executive Functioning, and Adolescent Development. With two decades of experience, Ms. Underwood has refined her skills in conducting Functional Behavior Assessments and enjoys creating unique and effective behavior programs for children with challenging behaviors.

Clinical Director: Inland Empire

Chelsea Henson, PsyD, BCBA-D

In2003, Dr. Chelsea Henson joined the Autism Spectrum Consultants Orange County team. She provided 1:1 in home ABA therapy, parent consultation, school shadowing, social skills group facilitation, parent group facilitation, and program supervision. Dr. Henson became the Assistant Clinical Director at ASC, Orange County in 2008 and helped establish the ASC Inland Empire office as Clinical Director in April 2016. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2002, graduating with Psi Chi honors. As an undergraduate, she was trained in Pivotal Response Treatment at the Koegel Autism Center. In 2009, Dr. Henson received her Doctorate of Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis in Child and Adolescent Development. As part of her training, Dr. Henson worked with various community centers treating a range of diagnoses including anxiety, depression, ADHD, and ASD in children and adolescents. Her clinical research entitled, “Early Intervention for the Underserved Autism Spectrum Disorder Population,” focused on methods to better identify and treat those children who may be falling through the cracks. Dr. Henson is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst- Doctoral level.

Clinical Director: San Diego

Tara Ordway, MA, BCBA

Tara Ordway is a psychology graduate of Ramapo College of New Jersey. She began her career in ABA working with adults with developmental disabilities on the east coast. She moved to California in 2005 and joined the ASC team. She has served as a lead behavior therapist, case supervisor and staff training development coordinator. She has conducted group parent training sessions, organized and created curriculum and collaborated with school site personnel. Tara received her Masters in Counseling Psychology from National University in 2008, and has completed her internship requirements in Marriage and Family Therapy. In her current role as Assistant Clinical Director, Tara provides ongoing training for staff in Discrete Trial, School Shadowing, Theory of Mind, and Functional Communication. Tara is an integral part of the ASC San Diego team, coordinating training for all levels of staff and developing cutting edge programming for a diverse range of clients.

Behavior Management Team

Case Supervisors

ASC supervisors have a minimum of a Master’s in Psychology, Education, Behavior Analysis or related field (or be close to completion of their Master’s Program). In addition, all ASC Supervisory staff receive on-going training and supervision from ASC Directors, and participate in yearly Supervision retreats, as well as attend conferences throughout the year for continuing education. Most ASC Supervisors are in post-graduate courses in Behavior Analysis or Clinical Psychology, and are eligible to sit for, or have taken, licensing and certification exams, such as the BCBA, MFT or Clinical Psychology exams.

ABA Therapists

ASC staff are given extensive theory and practical training before being assigned to work with clients, and receive a minimum of 40 hours of training in intensive Applied Behavior Analysis following guidelines established by the Behavior Analysts Certification Board for Registered Behavior Technicians. The staff meet quarterly to receive on-going staff development, and are supervised monthly out in the field on each client they work with. Each team typically consists of several behavior therapists, experienced ASC staff members who are responsible for providing direct therapy, collecting data, managing and updating the materials within the ABA program and communicating with the Case Supervisor and parents.