 Alta Vista Center for Autism2695 S. Jersey Street |
Staff DirectoryPlease click on the names below for contact information and a short bio for each staff member.
Phone: (303) 759-1192
Phone: (303) 759-1192 ext 20 Nancy Cason is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist specializing in work with children, adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disorders. She received her BA in psychology from the University of South Carolina in 1990, and then received her MA and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology the California School of Professional Psychology (1994; 1998). Her professional experience includes work at residential therapeutic facilities, consultation to group homes and a day treatment program for adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities. She helped to develop a the first school for children with autism in Maui, Hawaii. Dr. Cason provided supervision of home and school based intensive ABA programs and was the Director of Family Services at the Center For Autism, Research, Evaluation and Service (CARES) in San Diego, California until 2004. She was also member of the multi-disciplinary assessment team at Creative Perspectives, Inc., in Englewood, Colorado from 2005 through 2009. Dr. Cason has provided clinical supervision to Masters and Doctoral Level therapists. She is currently maintains a private practice in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Cason has extensive experience in diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of developmental disabilities. Her professional accomplishments include publications as well a public speaking on topics related to Autism Spectrum Disorders. At AVCA, Dr. Cason is a member of our multidisciplinary assessment team and also provides clinical consultation.
Dr. Dumke received her BS in psychology from Colorado State University and holds both a masters and a doctorate in clinical psychology with a focus on child and family studies from Alliant International University in Southern California. Throughout her training and career, Dr. Dumke has also worked with children and adolescents in residential treatment facilities and therapeutic group homes, as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) with children involved in dependency and neglect cases, as a psychotherapist at a mental health hospital in southern California and a counselor at a school for children and adolescents with mood disorders, learning disabilities, behavior problems, and autism spectrum disorders. More information can be found about Dr. Claire Dumke by visiting her website at www.autismdiagnostic.com
Phone: (303) 759-1192 ext 10 Nicole Foster is the program coordinator of the Early Childhood Program. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Colorado at Boulder and a master’s degree in education from Simmons College in Boston. Nicole has over five years experience of working with a variety of students on the autism spectrum using the principles of applied behavior analysis, which include working for the New England Center for Children in Massachusetts, in a residential program and as an educational coordinator of a preschool classroom. Her professional accomplishments include presentations at the Council for Exceptional Children Conference in Boston 2008 and at Annual Applied Behavior Analysis Conference in Chicago 2008. Phone: (303) 759-1192
Phone: (303) 759-1192 ext 19 Nancy is the Development Director of the Alta Vista Center and part of the founding group of the organization. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, a master’s degree in English from the University of Texas, and a master’s degree in Education from Western Washington University. For several years she lived abroad in Russia and Japan and enjoyed teaching English for international organizations. She became a board certified behavior analyst in 2003 as part of her efforts to fully understand the benefits of behavioral analysis in treating autism. Her vision for the Center is that it be a beacon of hope for families across Colorado, offering intelligent, creative, and individualized treatment options. Nancy is also a parent of a son with autism. Phone: (303) 759-1192
Joan is an Occupational Therapist specializing in the treatment of children with motor and sensory processing disorders. She graduated with High Honors from Colorado State University. Her professional experience includes working in the community, hospital, long term care and school settings. She has had experience as a staff therapist, department head, school therapist and consultant. Joan has had experience with the assessment and treatment of a variety of diagnoses including autism, genetic disorders, cerebral palsy, and developmental delays. Joan currently has a private practice focusing on early intervention, working with families and schools regarding sensory issues, handwriting skills and visual motor delays. At our center, Joan is a member of our multidisciplinary assessment team.
In 1997 Helen, her husband, and their three children moved to Boulder. Helen began to build a private practice specializing in the treatment of autism. In Colorado Helen was introduced to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and participated in home programs that used ABA techniques. Helen has attended Verbal Behavior introductory and advanced workshops, completed master’s level coursework in behavior analysis, completed Relationship Development Intervention, Social Stories, and SCERTS model training, and is a Hanen Programs certified instructor. Helen is excited by the possibilities that the Alta Vista Center brings to children, families and professionals in the autism community and to be working with such a knowledgeable and committed staff. Phone: (303) 759-1192
Phone: (303) 709-3146
Phone: (303) 759-1192 ext 17 Maura Stack-Oden is the program coordinator of the Foundations of Learning Program. She has a bachelor’s of arts in English from Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio and a master’s of arts in educational psychology from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Maura has over two years experience of working with a variety of students on the autism spectrum using the principles of applied behavior analysis and applied verbal behavior, including work as a consultant and the clinical trainer at STEPS Center for Autism in Strongsville, Ohio and the Academy of St. Adalbert’s in Berea, Ohio. She has published in the Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology. Maura is an avid reader and runner. She is currently applying to PhD programs in cognitive psychology, speech language pathology and social work. In her spare time, she volunteers at Zuma’s Rescue Ranch helping with horses and mentoring foster children. |
|
Francine Alberts is a speech/language pathologist with over fifteen years’ experience providing speech therapy services to children with autism and related disorders. Prior to moving to Colorado in 2004, she lived in Austin, TX where she ran a private pediatric therapy clinic. Her range of professional experiences included six years in the Austin school district working with preschoolers to adolescents, six years in community residences working with adults and adolescents, as well as work at a special needs school and a community clinic. She is a certified instructor for Hanen and Fast ForWord programs. She has extensive experience and training in PECS, Floor Time, and Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) programs. Francine conducts assessments and evaluations for individual clients and is also part of our multidisciplinary assessment team. 
Abigail Campbell is an outreach consultant with the Center, working with children and their familes in homes and community settings. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Drake Univeristy, is a board certified associate behavior analyst, and is currently pursuing a related Masters degree and BCBA. Abbie has over ten years of experience working with a variety of students along the autism spectrum and their families, including four years as a program manager at a treatment center in central Iowa. 
Dr. Claire Dumke is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and the owner of Insights, PC. She has over 9 years of experience working with children, adolescents and adults on the autism spectrum. Dr. Dumke has a private practice in Denver, CO and specializes in treating children, adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders, mood disorders, ADHD, trauma, behavioral issues and family issues. She also conducts diagnostic assessments for autism spectrum disorders and leads social skills and coping skills groups for children and adolescents on the spectrum. 
Shawnie Girtler is the program coordinator of the Intensive Treatment Program. She has a B.A. in psychology and sociology/anthropology from Gustavus Adolphus College, is a board certified assistant behavior analyst (BCABA), and is currently pursuing certification as a BCBA and a master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis with an emphasis in autism. Shawnie has over 10 years of experience working with children and adults with special needs in both school and residential settings in Minnesota and in Colorado.
As a Denver native, Shannon has been committed to education and local non-profit organizations for the past twelve years as an administrator, teacher, vocational liaison, and counselor/therapist. Her path originated through work with Denver Public Schools as a Kindergarten Lead Teacher and eventually evolved into becoming a GED Instructor/Program Coordinator for a local Community Corrections program serving men and women ages 18-70! Shannon received her B.A. in Behavioral Science from Metropolitan State College of Denver with an emphasis on History and Psychology. During her time at Metro, she focused on Attachment Theory and Child Development. 
Kathryn Giesler is the Financial Director of our Center. She earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Dallas and an MBA from the University of Texas in Austin. She earned her CPA degree in 1984. Her areas of expertise include accounting, finance, technical writing, and teaching. She has worked in multiple roles in the oil and gas, real estate, software development, and mortgage banking industries. With her family she has lived abroad in Europe and Japan. When not overseeing the finances at the Center, she enjoys lending support and a friendly presence to children, staff, and families throughout the building.
Theresa MacFarland is the Program Coordinator of the Early Childhood Program. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Denison University and her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education from Vanderbilt University. She is also a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA). Theresa has over eight years of experience teaching children with autism, working with children from ages 18 months to 11 years old in a variety of contexts. During her undergraduate years, she volunteered and founded an organization called HOPE for Autism to place volunteer student tutors in families’ homes. She has also worked in home, schools, and the community as a senior behavioral aide at the Columbus Children’s Hospital Autism center and a Behavioral Autism consultant with Strategies for Autism and Individualized Learning (SAIL, Inc. ) in Nashville, TN. Her research experience includes working as a child and parent trainer for a naturalistic language project at Vanderbilt University with Dr. Ann Kaiser. She has presented her research at the Tennessee Applied Behavior Analysis Conference in 2008 and the Applied Behavior Analysis Conference in Phoenix, AZ in 2009. Her clinical interests include naturalistic language teaching, parent training, generalization, and expanding socials skills with peers.
Helen Nychka has been a speech and language pathologist since 1979. She worked in northern Wisconsin at the Menominee Indian Reservation School District for two years prior to returning to graduate school in Wisconsin. Her first job out of graduate school (1983) in Raleigh, North Carolina, was at a state-run residential school that served many children with autism. It was here that Helen first learned about the unique learning characteristics of children with autism. The job was an initiation by fire into the world of working with children with learning challenges; a caseload of 64 children, all with multiple diagnoses. Division TEACCH, from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, provided monthly consultation to the school and ongoing training for the staff. After two and a half years, the caseload at the school blossomed from 64 to 82 children and she moved on to a job at the University of North Carolina’s Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center. The Center ran an on-sight model daycare program that integrated children with special needs and typically developing children. Helen was the speech-language pathologist for the daycare program and a research assistant to Don Bailey, Ph.D. and Joanne Roberts, Ph. D. She stayed with Frank Porter Graham for five years before starting a family and going into private practice with Rita Thurman, M.S., in Raleigh. Helen’s practice in Raleigh covered the gamut of pediatric and adult speech and language disorders; she worked a great deal with pre-school and school-aged language and learning disabilities, stuttering, and autism. Her favorite population remained children with autism. 
Diane Osaki is the founder and former director of the Alta Vista Center for Autism. She is a pediatric occupational therapist and has been working with developmental disabilities for nearly twenty years, specializing in treatment for children with autism and their families. Prior to opening The Alta Vista Center, Diane was with JFK Partners at the University of Colorado Health Services, where she is one of the co-authors of the Denver Model, an internationally renowned program for preschool children with autism. Diane is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis, the Autism Society of America, and the American Occupational Therapy Association. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Chapter of the Autism Society of America. Diane provides educational and behavior consultation to families and schools in Colorado and around the world. Her intervention focuses on relationship building and the science of instruction to improve learning in all areas of development. 
Carrie Scott is the Clinical Director of our Center. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Mary Washington College and a Master of Special Education with specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis degree from George Mason University. In addition, she is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with over ten years’ experience working with students with autism. Her areas of expertise include staff training, curriculum development, inappropriate behavior reduction, and systems development for center-based autism programming. She has worked as a home program therapist and consultant, and in center-based autism treatment as an instructor, teacher, and administrator. Professionally, her areas of interest include staff training, organizational management, communication systems, and functional assessment. She has presented at the annual Conference for the Association for Behavior Analysis, at Conferences in Virginia and Maryland, and served as an invited speaker at the Organization for Autism Research conference.