CALIFORNIA SPECIAL NEEDS LAW GROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Language Pathologist and Clinical Director of Stepping Stones Therapy
Brock Tropea is a speech and language pathologist and clinical director of Stepping Stones Therapy and Learning Academy. He is also an outside consultant to various school districts within Orange County.
He founded Stepping Stones Therapy and Learning Academy with the vision of giving families a better way of helping children succeed. Stepping Stones Therapy and Learning Academy is a pediatric speech language, occupational and physical therapy practice that has served central Orange County for more than 10 years. Brock uses his expertise to help provide comprehensive evaluations and treatment to children of all ages. Brock is committed to ensuring that Stepping Stones Therapy continues to deliver its vision and embrace the needs of more families.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director for CBI
Dr. Denise Eckman, PsyD, BCBA-D is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and the founder and President of Creative Behavior Interventions, Inc. (CBI). She has provided Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy and supervision for nearly two decades to families throughout Los Angeles County, Orange County, Colorado, and other countries outside of the U.S. She earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of California-Irvine in 1997 and her master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University in 1999.
In 2005, Dr. Eckman earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver, where she specialized in Behavior Analysis and Assessments. While completing her doctorate, Dr. Eckman gained extensive training and experience in supervising and developing programs for children with Autism - utilizing the principles and methodologies of ABA, in particular, "Verbal Behavior".
As part of her doctoral training, Dr. Eckman focused on psychological services, including assessment for children and families with chronic mental disorders of various ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Dr. Eckman is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral Level (BCBA-D), and oversees program development and implementation to all clients at CBI.
In addition to serving as the Executive Director for CBI, Dr. Eckman performs functional behavior assessments (FBA) across the country and conducts presentations on in-services and workshops for various organizations throughout southern California. Throughout her graduate education and beyond, Dr. Eckman continues to develop her passion and commitment to providing quality, innovative and creative individualized services for children diagnosed with Autism or related disorders.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Variations Psychology
Dr. Marta M. Shinn, Ph.D., is the founder of Variations Psychology, a private practice mental health clinic in Orange County, California that offers independent diagnostic testing and counseling services to children, adolescents, college students and their families.
Dr. Perry Passaro is Licensed Educational Psychologist, a Licensed Psychologist and a credentialed school psychologist.
He earned his doctorate in Educational Psychology, with an emphasis in Measurement, Evaluation and Statistical Analysis from the University of Kentucky, in Lexington. His dissertation studied the effects of perceptual errors on complex problem solving. He currently practices privately, in the areas of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (serving children, adolescents, families and adults) as well as in the area of psycho-educational assessment, in Newport Beach.
Dr. Susanne Roley is an occupational therapist who specializes in child development, sensory integration, learning difficulties, visual impairment, and autism. With over 40 years of experience in pediatrics, she works in private practice in Orange County, California, where she helps children and families through evaluation and consultation services. She is the co-founder and president of the nonprofit organization, Collaborative for Leadership in Sensory Integration (CLASI), which provides education programs for sensory integration certificates.
She obtained her BS in occupational therapy at Indiana University, her MS in Allied Health Sciences at Boston University, and her doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) at the University of Southern California. She studied directly under Dr. A. Jean Ayres, a renowned psychologist, therapist, and advocate for children with special needs.
Dr. Roley also co-founded and directed the University of Southern California's USC/WPS sensory integration certificate program for 14 years. Working closely with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), she is a former chair of the Commission on Practice and the Sensory Integration Special Interest Section for AOTA, as a contributing author of AOTA's "Occupational Therapy Practice Framework Domain and Process". She is also an internationally recognized lecturer and author, being a co-editor of the books, "Understanding the Nature of Sensory Integration with Diverse Populations" and "Sensory Integration: Applying Clinical Reasoning to Diverse Populations". She is a recipient of the AOTF Virginia Scardina Award of Excellence and AOTF Jean Ayres Award.
Dr. Gunn is a licensed psychologist and owner of Gunn Psychological Services, Inc. His experience has included work in a pediatric hospital, teaching or supervising at various Southern California Universities and providing therapy and assessment services to children and adults.
Gina Ramshaw is the Founder of Building Foundations Behavioral Consulting .
For the past 20 years, she has worked in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis and Public Education in different capacities. She began her tenure in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) working for an in-home ABA agency for children with Autism. She began her teaching career in a Nonpublic school for students with Moderate to Severe disabilities. Gina continued down the path of teaching multiple grade levels in classrooms embedded with ABA strategies until she became a Behavior Specialist for a public school district.
Gina is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She has a Masters of Science in Special Education, a Master of Arts in Teaching, a Level II Education Specialist credential, and is a School-Based Certified PEERS trainer for teaching students Social Skills in schools.
Gina believes that acknowledgement of different perspectives can only foster collaboration and ultimately benefit students. Her experience within the Public School setting is an essential component in assisting families in navigating the IEP process. Her perspective as a Behavior Analyst as well as classroom teacher can assist ALL IEP team members in working collaboratively to ensure that a student is able to access their education within the classroom and that they are able to acquire and maintain socially-important skills that will ensure meaningful success throughout their life.
Job Titles:
- Reading Specialist
- Education and Reading Specialist
Lynne is a reading specialist and treats children with decoding, comprehension, spelling, and written expression problems through worldwide acclaimed programs in literacy.
Tia began working as an educator more than fifteen years ago. Having completed an undergraduate degree in English, she began her career with Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes®, treating weaknesses in reading and language comprehension. As an Executive Director and Workshop Presenter, she oversaw the program implementation in multiple sites, led coaching efforts for current and new staff, and taught school administrators, therapists, and parents how to implement the programs in their homes or schools.
Tia also spent time in the classroom, allowing her to take her keen knowledge of the reading and writing process and apply it to curriculum daily.
She now offers in-home (or school) one to one academic help for reading, writing, homework, organization, and study skills, as well as coaching and support for schools in and around Orange County, CA. Additionally, she founded the WRITE WITH ME! Skills Development Courses to develop writing skills for students at all levels.
She has learned that her love for coaching and educating extends beyond just the students she has taught, but to their entire team. It is this love that ignites her passion for working with students, parents, and those who share the desire to see each student through their journey toward thriving!