ASPIRE CHILD & FAMILY SERVICES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- IBHS Assistant Clinical Director
Amanda is a BCBA/LBS with over a decade of ABA industry experience which includes residential facilities, in-home, school, and clinic-based programs, and clinical training. Amanda has been published and has presented research at numerous national ABA conferences.
Amanda earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development & Family Services at Penn State University. After getting her bachelor's degree, Amanda obtained her master's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) from Temple University. Her thesis evaluated teaching methods used to help individuals with Autism learn to accept being told "no." Practicing as a BCBA/LBS, Amanda has over a decade of industry experience servicing clients in-home, at-school and with clinic-based programs. She also has a background in clinical training.
Since beginning her professional career in ABA, Amanda has remained an advocate for the evaluation and implementation of best practice treatment methods for individuals with Autism. She has been a member of the Pennsylvania Association for Behavior Analysis since 2018, and Amanda has presented on several ABA topics, including the treatment of aggressive behaviors with access to physical play, identification of effective communication systems and use of psychotropic medication in conjunction with ABA services. She has also been published for her research on Increasing the Wearing of Multiple Prescription Prosthetic Devices.
Through her experiences at conferences and symposiums across the country, Amanda has been able to both learn and share information about ABA practices in an effort to grow professionally and make a positive impact in the Autism community. She is passionate about helping clients find the best intervention strategies that work for each individual and their families. Amanda's wealth of experience in the field only reinforces the notion that every individual deserves individualized care.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Founder
- Our Director
, is a Certified School Psychologist, PA Licensed Psychologist, and PA Licensed Behavior Specialist who started Aspire as a traditional counseling & psychoeducational testing company. Shortly after her child was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Dr. Friedman added the Autism Department as a response to the ineffective and generally unsatisfactory services provided to her own son. Dr. Friedman is determined to improve upon the ASD services experience by easing the process for families.
For decades, Dr. Friedman has tirelessly practiced as a certified school psychologist and consulted with numerous agencies providing psycho-educational testing and other psychological services. Dr. Friedman started her own private practice and expanded it to offer Clinical Assessments and Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) for children with autism spectrum disorder.
Dr. Friedman began her career as a certified school psychologist working at an urban district where she provided extensive psycho-educational testing and counseling services to youth ages 5-21. In order to pursue a doctoral degree, she moved to Pennsylvania in 2008 and started attending the Psy.D. School Psychology program at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). While enrolled at PCOM, she had the opportunity to practice her clinical skills and gain further knowledge in psychological testing and neuropsychology. As part of her pre- and post-doctoral training, she provided psycho-educational testing, neuro-psychological testing, and clinical counseling. Dr. Friedman has worked as a licensed psychologist completing bio-psycho-social assessments to determine medical necessity for Behavioral Health Services (e.g., behavior analysts, mobile therapists, and therapeutic support staff).
Throughout the years, Dr. Friedman practiced as a certified school psychologist and consulted with several agencies providing psycho-educational testing and other psychological services to various districts, charter schools, and cyber schools. After completing the licensure process in 2013, she decided to return to work full time as a school psychologist. From August 2012 until November 2013, she worked for Chester Upland School District (CUSD). In November 2013, she decided to use her specialized training in special education and began working for the Bucks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU). At the BCIU, she worked with students with low incidence disabilities that met special education criteria. She also worked with students with Autism, Specific Learning Disability, and Hearing Impairment, including Deafness, Other Health Impairment, Multiple Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injury, and many other disabilities. Additionally, she gained experience working with students ages 18-21 in a vocational/transition setting and in classrooms, which focused on re-integrating students with brain injuries back into public schools. As a trained school psychologist, Dr. Friedman believes that to help students succeed, assessments should be individualized. Additionally, different cognitive processes that shed light on learning styles should be explored. She has had the experience with conducting comprehensive assessments, performing Functional Behavior Assessments, and creating effective Behavior Intervention Plans. She has participated in school based committees to enhance student learning and social/emotional functioning, while providing consultative services to staff and parents. Results of testing will serve as a guideline for recommendations, accommodations, and enhance strengths and needs that are outlined in assessment reports.
Dr. Friedman stayed with the IU until she decided to open up her own private practice in 2016. The practice started with Dr. Friedman as the sole practitioner performing psycho-educational assessments and counseling. It has since expanded and now Dr. Friedman serves as the Executive Director of Aspire Child &Family Services, LLC. The practice now offers Clinical Assessments and Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. In addition, Aspire Educational Services was started in 2018 by Dr. Friedman to provide school professionals to public, private, and charter schools. Services include but are not limited to general and special education teachers, school psychologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, and one to one staff.
Dr. Sebastian specializes in psychological assessment and testing primarily for autism spectrum disorders. The ideal client for Dr. Sebastian is a child who is struggling in their academic, social, or personal life and needs some answers. She is an excellent diagnostician and can help clients figure out what is going on through interviews, rating scales, and direct assessments. Dr. Sebastian has helped hundreds of people by diagnosing them correctly and connecting them with the appropriate resources.
Dr. Sebastian specializes in assessments using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2), which is considered the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of autism. Her training and practice are unique because of her focus on psychological assessments, and she is passionate about providing an answer to struggling families through a focused evaluation.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Certified Behavior Analyst
Jennie has been a practicing BCBA/LBS for over a decade and has worked at the renowned May Institute and Kennedy Krieger Institute. Her specialties include Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Severe Problem Behavior, Feeding Disorders and more. Jennie's work has been published several times, on topics ranging from Functional Analysis to Parent Training.
Monica has worked across multiple in-home, school, and residential facilities, expanding her repertoire from problem behavior to include skill acquisition programming. Monica completed a practicum at the prestigious Kennedy Krieger Institute on the Neurobehavioral Inpatient Unit. She has presented at numerous ABA conferences on topics including caregiver functional assessments, token systems, OBM, and more.
Monica attended West Virginia University (WVU) where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree, Summa Cum Laude, in Psychology. Following her first course in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), she discovered her passion: using ABA to improve the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), such as Autism, and their families. During her time at WVU, she became a research assistant in the ABA lab, under the supervision of Dr. Clair St. Peter, where she worked in an alternative education classroom for students with chronic or severe challenging behavior.
Upon graduation, Monica relocated to Baltimore, Maryland to work at the Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI; an affiliate of Johns Hopkins) on the Neurobehavioral Inpatient Unit. While in Baltimore, Monica obtained her Master's degree in ABA at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, while simultaneously completing her practicum at KKI. During her time at KKI, Monica obtained rigorous clinical training in the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior as well as research and supervisory experience working alongside some of the world's top Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs). Monica also served the role of Supervisor of Patient Services where, she gained experience in Organizational Behavior Management (the use of ABA principles in the workplace to improve employee performance). Monica received her BCBA in November, 2017.
Since graduating from UMBC, Monica worked across multiple in-home, school, and residential facilities, expanding her repertoire from problem behavior to include skill acquisition programming driven by assessments such as the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) and the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS).
Monica is devoted to developing effective, empirically-based, behavior intervention strategies that work for the client and with families. She respects the struggles that come with implementing complex treatment strategies and understands the importance of client satisfaction as it relates to implementing effective strategies with integrity. Monica focuses on developing plans that families can integrate into their daily routines resulting in successful outcomes.