SUM OF LEARNING - Key Persons
Recognizing the high demand for ABA services but limited availability of quality direct service staff, Sum of Learning adopts the philosophy of grooming the next generation of ABA providers and employs qualified individuals who have a passion for serving the autism community. Our TAs generally hold a bachelor's degree in education, psychology, or other areas related to child development or education. Although many of the TAs we hire may not have extensive experiences in ABA, families can rest assure that all our TA staff receive intensive ABA training (40+ hours) and high dosage of quality supervision from our BCBAs. All of our staff are background checked and required to maintain the Certified Behavior Technician credential through Washington State Department of Health.
ABA Therapy Assistants (TAs) provide direct intervention as often as recommended by the clinical team and authorized by your insurance. The TA is responsible for implementing programs according to the treatment plan, recording data, and documenting session notes. A client may be assigned one or multiple TAs depending on the client's availability and intensity of the therapy schedule. TAs report directly to the case supervisor, and will receive supervision from the PS or aPS at least once a month.
Joined Sum of Learning in 2016 Specialization: Early intervention, school-aged children, challenging behaviors, naturalistic teaching, discrete trial teaching, feeding, social skills
Job Titles:
- Certified Behavior Analyst and the Founder
Dr. Ivy Chung is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and the founder of Sum of Learning. She specializes in parent coaching, staff training, and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder and other related developmental disabilities. She has practiced Applied Behavior Analysis for over 10 years, providing direct services and supporting families and school teachers in the use of evidence-based autism treatments.
Originally from Hong Kong, Dr. Chung moved to the U.S. in 2002 to continue her education after graduating from high school. She is a proud Husky, earning all three degrees from the University of Washington: a bachelor's degree in Psychology, master's and doctoral degrees in Special Education/Applied Behavior Analysis. During graduate school, Dr. Chung engaged in research that examined evidence-based parent coaching and staff training, and instructional techniques that improved efficiency of instruction for learners with autism spectrum disorders.
Dr. Chung has dedicated her career to the ABA and autism fields. Prior to founding Sum of Learning, Dr. Chung was part of a pioneer team to establish a behavioral health division for a national healthcare organization. She has written articles for healthcare blogs on topics such as improving home safety for children with autism, and use of ABA treatment for autism. She has presented and conducted workshops in professional conferences such as the APBA Convention by the Association of Professional Behavior Analyst. Her commitment goes beyond the United States, where she has also provided workshops and consultation to ABA agencies in Hong Kong and Canada. Dr. Chung is also proud to be part of the team at the Haring Center's Professional Development Unit of the University of Washington in offering workshops and webinars to ABA practitioners. Currently, she serves as the Secretary of the Washington Association for Behavior Analysis.
Joined Sum of Learning in 2017
Jo has decades of accounting experience and primarily provides accounting support to Sum of Learning since joining in 2017. Jo was born and raised in Hong Kong, and speaks fluent Cantonese. She enjoys working at Sum of Learning because it allows her to work with others. In her free time, Jo enjoys taking care of her grandson and traveling with her husband around the world.
Joined Sum of Learning in 2016 as a TA, promoted to Assistant Program Supervisor in 2019, promoted to Program Supervisor in 2020. Specialization: naturalistic teaching, early intervention
Joined Sum of Learning in 2018
Lauri works collaboratively with the Executive Director and Clinical HR Manager to ensure the daily operations of the office are running smoothly and in compliance with medical billing and service regulations. She manages the medical billing process and is happy to answer families any insurance and billing questions.
Lauri is originally from California, but has lived in many places including Canada, England and S. Africa. Lauri currently resides in Redmond with her Golden Retriever, Daisy, who also comes to work with her in the office. Lauri has her BA in Psychology and has always been interested in human behavior. She started doing medical billing and bookkeeping while she was working on her degree, and she discovered she really enjoyed this line of work. Lauri has been an Office Manager in a number of different settings including Physical Therapy, Acupuncture, and Counseling, and has joined Sum of Learning in 2018. During her free time, she enjoys walking/training her dog, reading and spending time with family & friends.
Susmita completed her Masters and M.Phil in Clinical Psychology from India. She began her career in a mental health set up for individuals with psychological conditions like anxiety, depression, substance use. Always eager to learn and explore new opportunities, she started working with an early intervention center for autism. To her happiness, she discovered that some of her loved interests like toys, stories, bubbles, jumping, and laughing could all be part of her work. She moved to Seattle in 2014, where she continued expanding her skills using the Early Start Denver Model. After completing her coursework in Applied Behavior Analysis, she became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in February 2017. Susmita is passionate about working with young children with autism and aspires to continually grow as a professional. She likes using naturalistic teaching, working on social and play skills, while making sure the child is having fun!
Joined Sum of Learning in 2015 as a TA, promoted to Assistant Program Supervisor in 2020 Specialization: Young adults, adolescents, school-aged children, challenging behaviors, discrete trial teaching, naturalistic teaching