Clinical Advisory Board

Dr. Allen is currently an Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and a full time Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician at Texas Children’s Hospital in the Woodlands, TX. She received her degree at Texas Tech School of Medicine in Texas in 2010 and completed her Developmental Behavior Pediatric Fellowship at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. She believes that every child should be provided with the care and support they need to achieve their highest potential and that this requires developmental and behavioral evaluations that consider the individual and collective impact of biological, genetic, environmental, and social factors.

Dr. Claudia Dozier received her Ph.D. from the University of Florida in Psychology (with an emphasis in Behavior Analysis) in 2006 and is currently an Associate Professor in Applied Behavioral Science at Kansas University. She has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2001 and has worked for over 20 years with children and adults with various intellectual and developmental disabilities (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, mental retardation, Down syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome). Her clinical expertise is in procedures for increasing appropriate skills (e.g., social skills, educational skills, language and communication skills, self-help skills) and the assessment and treatment of behavior disorders (e.g., self-injurious behavior, physical aggression, property destruction, feeding disorders, inappropriate sexual behavior, stereotypic behavior). Her goal in her clinical work has been to increase quality of life and independence in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities by increasing important skills and decreasing problem behavior.

Dr. Dozier conducts research on the assessment and treatment of behavior disorders including severe problem behavior (e.g., physical aggression, self-injury, property destruction) and feeding disorders (e.g., food refusal). She also conducts research on (a) variables that affect preferences and choices made by children, (b) the influence of attention (e.g., praise) as a reinforcer for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and typically developing children, (c) intensive toilet-training procedures, and (d) variables that affect skill acquisition in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Dr. Dozier has published over 40 book chapters and empirical articles in her areas of research. In addition, she has conducted over 80 presentations on her clinical and research work. Dr. Dozier serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and on several editorial boards of high impact journals in the field of behavior analysis.

Terry S. Falcomata is an Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his Master’s in Behavior Analysis and Therapy from Southern Illinois University, and his Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of Iowa. Dr. Falcomata and his students conduct translational and applied research that focuses primarily on the assessment and treatment of problem behavior. He and his students’ work includes the translation and application of basic learning principles pertaining to persistence, relapse, and operant variability both with individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities and within their human operant lab. Dr. Falcomata has published numerous articles in behavior analytic journals such as the Psychological Record, Behavior Modification, the Journal of Behavioral Education, Behavioral Interventions, Behavior Analysis in Practice, and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Behavioral Education, Associate Editor for the Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities and serves on several editorial boards including the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Modification, Behavioral Development Bulletin, Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Developmental Neurorehabilitation, and Learning Disabilities Quarterly.

As one of the leading practitioners in the child and adolescent psychiatry space, Dr. Cummings has impacted many roles and institutions in his storied 17+ year career. In that time, he has developed a keen focus and dedication to those affected by intellectual and developmental disabilities, solving incredible challenges faced by individuals on the autism spectrum, and their families. He is passionate about developing and integrating systems of care, especially for individuals who are at high risk of avoidable hospitalization or incarceration. Dr. Michael Cummings holds multiple esteemed roles in the mental health industry locally and across the state with institutions such as University at Buffalo, Erie County Medical Center (ECMC), OLV Human Services, and NYSTART.

Janell Van Cleve is the Clinical Director of the University run APIC Program (Access to Psychiatry through Intermediate Care), where she supports the Medical Director in providing care to developmentally disabled individuals with a specialty in the autistic spectrum. Through APIC she has helped to create an innovative and unique model of mobile care to treat a vulnerable and highly overlooked population, and has provided direct clinical care to 1,600+ patients across New York State. She supports further impact in the industry through national consultation and training of mental health professionals, delivering clinical oversight to multiple staff and interns, and has helped acquire sustainable funding for APIC.

Shahla Alai received her B.S. from Southern Illinois University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas. Shahla and her students collaborate with community partners to serve under resourced populations through caring and science-based interventions. Shahla is a member of an interdisciplinary social justice collective that includes faculty and students from Woman’s and Gender Studies, Applied Anthropology and Behavior Analysis. Shahla teaches technology transfer, ethics, autism intervention, parent training, behavioral systems, applied research methods, behavior change techniques, and assessment courses. Shahla served on the governing board of the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) and as a subject matter expert on supervision and ethics. She also served on the ABAI Practice Board, the ABAI Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Board and the Experience Standards Committee and is currently on the PBAAC and the OAR scientific council. She has published and presented research on social justice, ethics in early intervention, play and social skills, family harmony, and change agent training. She is co-author of two books, one on supervision and the other on love and science in the treatment of autism. Shahla has over four decades of experience working with families and has trained hundreds of master’s level behavior analysts who have gone on to serve families and communities with honor. She was awarded an Onassis Foundation Fellowship for her work with families, was the recipient of UNT’s prestigious “Fessor Graham” teaching award, received the 2019 Texas Association for Behavior Analysis Career Contributions Award, and the UNT 2020 Community Engagement award.

Dr. Valentino is the Chief Clinical Officer for Trumpet Behavioral Health (now Bluesprig Pediatrics) where she develops workplace culture initiatives, supports clinical services, leads all research activities, and builds clinical standards. Her research and clinical work span a variety of topics including verbal behavior, ways to connect the research to practice gap, professional ethics, and effective supervision. She has published several peer-reviewed research articles, invited book chapters, and she recently published a book in partnership with New Harbinger Publications titled: Applied Behavior Analysis Research Made Easy: A Handbook for Practitioners Conducting Research Post-Certification. Dr. Valentino has served as an Associate Editor for Behavior Analysis in Practice and for The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. She is on the editorial board for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) and serves as a frequent reviewer for several behavior analytic journals.

Jane Howard, Ph.D., BCBA, is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D®) and a licensed psychologist. She is the Co-Founder of Therapeutic Pathways and Senior Advisor to Blue Sprig Pediatrics and Trumpet Behavioral Health. Dr. Howard is the lead author of several widely cited outcome studies regarding treatment outcomes for individuals with autism. She serves on the Board of the Council of Autism Service Providers and is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Autism Law Center. In addition, Dr. Howard is the Past President of the Board of Directors for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Dr. Howard is also Professor Emeritus of Psychology at California State University, Stanislaus, where she spent decades training graduate students in behavior analysis and clinical psychology. In that capacity, she published multiple research papers examining various intervention strategies to support independence in individuals with developmental delays. Dr. Howard also established several university-affiliated community programs to improve access to services for individuals with learning disabilities and cognitive impairments. These various roles reflect Dr. Howard’s long-standing commitment and passion for developing the clinical infrastructures needed to support access to high-quality care by those who need services.