On-Demand Workshop: BASC-3

Dr. Kristen L. Padilla, PhD, NCSP, LSSP, BCBA, LBA is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology Department and serves as the Director of the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities (BCDD). Dr. Padilla is a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Her primary scholarly interests are in the areas of the validity and reliability of assessments based in applied behavior analysis, behavior analytic practices in school settings, and autism spectrum disorder.

As Director of the BCDD, Dr. Padilla supervises graduate students specializing in school psychology and applied behavior analysis that provide intervention and assessment services. She also serves as the parent and community liaison, coordinates programming efforts, and works with local agencies to provide trainings in working with children with autism spectrum disorder and behavioral difficulties. She also collaborates with faculty from the Diana Garland School of Social Work to supervise social work interns at the BCDD to provide family support services. She teaches graduate courses in ethics for behavior analysis, practicum in school psychology and applied behavior analysis, and teaching children with autism and developmental disabilities.

Prior to working at Baylor University, Dr. Padilla spent several years working with children in classroom and clinic settings. She worked as an LSSP conducting intellectual, academic, and social-emotional assessments; counseling students; and providing behavior consultation.

Dr. Padilla has received several awards for her outstanding service to the field. In 2015, she received the Early Career Spotlight Award from the National Association of School Psychologists, the Outstanding School Psychologist award from the Texas Association of School Psychologists, and was named Task Supervisor of the Year by Baylor’s Diana Garland School of Social Work.

Jana Sarno (she/her/hers) is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with extensive educational, clinical, and professional development experience in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Western Michigan University (WMU). Following graduation from WMU, Jana attended The University of Southern Mississippi and earned her Master of Arts degree in Psychology. During her time at USM, she worked with children enrolled in Head Start, provided consultation to a multi-disciplinary setting for children with communication and developmental disorders, and performed assessment, treatment and consultation services at the USM School Psychology Clinic. Her thesis titled, “Escape-to-Attention as a Potential Variable in Maintaining Problem Behavior in the School Setting,” was published in School Psychology Review and served as an early empirical study on synthesized reinforcers in maintaining challenging behavior in schools.

Jana completed a year-long internship at the Marcus Autism Center, a NIH Autism Center of Excellence in Atlanta, GA. While at Marcus, Jana received intensive clinical experience in the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior, verbal behavior, and pediatric feeding disorders. Since leaving Marcus, Jana has held clinical leadership positions at several in-home, school, and clinic-based service organizations. Currently, she serves as the Chief Clinical Officer for Autism in Motion Clinics. AIM Clinics is a multi-state, mission-driven organization that provides ABA-based services to historically under resourced communities. Along with her work at AIM Clinics, she holds a Clinical Adjunct Instructor position at Ouachita Baptist University. Finally, Jana is finishing her doctoral work at The University of Southern Mississippi. Her dissertation will investigate the effectiveness of computer-based instruction to teach soft skills (specifically active listening) to early career behavior analysts.