About Us
NFAR Walk 2015
Our Mission
To be a model of excellence in early intervention service delivery.
Our Goal
To empower children and families to reach their fullest potential.
Teaching Philosophy
Our teaching techniques are based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). We use a “best practice” approach to intervention in which the most current scientifically-supported ABA methods are implemented. Some of the teaching techniques routinely utilized in our program include discrete-trial teaching (DTT), natural environment teaching (NET), errorless teaching, shaping, and differential reinforcement.
Our efforts are aimed at individually tailoring each intervention program to address a child’s specific needs. We teach with an emphasis on maximizing every learner’s independence and producing meaningful outcomes that generalize to a variety of family members and settings. We partner with parents in the design and implementation of each child’s treatment plan. Our focus on parent training ensures that children have maximum opportunities to practice and refine emerging skills.
Our Directors
Len Levin, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Chief Executive Officer
Read Bio
Len Levin, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Chief Executive Officer
Len has been working with children with autism, using ABA-based teaching and treatment strategies since 1983. At that time, Len worked as a tutor and research assistant at a University-affiliated, after-school ABA clinic. Len received his doctorate in clinical psychology in 1996 from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Since then, Len has worked as a Director of ABA-based programs in New Jersey, Toronto, and since 2004, at Coyne & Associates. Len has published empirical articles in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, the Journal of Positive Behavior Intervention, Behavior Modification, and the Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities in the areas of social skills, treatment of problem behavior, food selectivity, and video modeling, respectively. Len has also co-authored several book chapters, as well as a treatment manual for severe problem behavior, Communication-Based Intervention for Problem Behavior: A User’s Guide for Producing Positive Change.
Tiffany M. Bauer, M.A., BCBA
Chief Operating Officer
Read Bio
Tiffany M. Bauer, M.A., BCBA
Chief Operating Officer
Tiffany graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development, completed a Master’s degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University, and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Tiffany has been in the field of Early Childhood Education for over 20 years and was involved with organizations such as California’s First Five Initiative and Head Start before joining the Coyne team. Tiffany is currently an adjunct professor at Endicott College in the Graduate Program for ABA in the School of Education. Tiffany served as the Early Start Chair for the Vendor Advisory Committee at the Regional Center of Orange County (RCOC) for many years and just completed a 5 year term as the vendor representative on the RCOC Board of Directors.
April Worsdell, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Chief Clinical Officer
Read Bio
April Worsdell, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Chief Clinical Officer
April joined Coyne & Associates as a Clinical Director in 2009. April is a doctoral level board certified behavior analyst who obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Florida under the direction of Dr. Brian Iwata. She has co-authored 20 publications from peer reviewed journals such as: The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavioral Interventions, and Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. In addition, she has over 50 paper presentations at various meetings of the Association for Behavior Analysis International. From 2012-2015, April served on the Board of Directors of CalABA as the Southern California Liaison. Before joining Coyne & Associates, she was the Director of Clinical Services and Applied Research for the May Institute in Atlanta, Georgia. From 2004-2007, she was an Assistant Professor in the Behavior Analysis and Therapy program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. April’s early work in the field behavior analysis began in 1996 at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Celia Newkirk, M.A.
Regional Director for Orange County & Los Angeles
Read Bio
Celia Newkirk, M.A.
Regional Director for Orange County & Los Angeles
cnewkirk@coynemail.com
760-815-5815
Celia received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Biola University in 2005. After graduation, she worked in the field of early intervention as an Early Childhood Instructor with Coyne & Associates until returning to school to pursue her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology. During her graduate studies at Pepperdine University, Celia completed her Master’s thesis on working with families impacted by autism while working as a Program Supervisor at Coyne & Associates. In 2008, she graduated with honors, earning a Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy. After taking a brief career hiatus, Celia returned to Coyne & Associates in 2014 to continue her rewarding work in the field of early intervention and behavior analysis.
Anbir Bobolts
Regional Director for Riverside & San Bernardino Counties
Read Bio
Anbir Bobolts
Regional Director for Riverside & San Bernardino Counties
abobolts@coynemail.com
760-815-7772
Anbir received her Bachelor’s degree in Child & Adolescent Development from California State University, Fullerton in 2014. Since then, she has dedicated her time to serving children and their families. Prior to working with Coyne & Associates, Anbir was a lead teacher at a private school where she mentored other teachers and supported curriculum development. A self-declared “book worm,” Anbir also enjoyed working directly with ESL readers and participated in programs that that provided resources to low-income communities and promoted a lifelong love of books. At Coyne, Anbir continues to grow as she supports families navigating early start and ABA services, promotes inclusion and connectivity within her region, and whole-heartedly subscribes to Coyne’s mission for excellence in service delivery.
Molly Fay
Regional Director for San Diego County
Read Bio
Molly Fay
Regional Director for San Diego County
mfay@coynemail.com
760-815-9536
Molly received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from California State University San Marcos in 2004. After graduation, she worked for a San Diego -based nonprofit organization providing support for adults impacted by intellectual and developmental disabilities. Molly’s passion for helping families led her to Coyne & Associates in 2007 where she has grown professionally and is now serving as the Regional Director. Molly plays an integral role in supporting the families in our program and staff members on the team. She’s grateful to be a part of the Coyne team and to make a difference in the lives of so many families.
Tina Pappas. M.Ed., BCBA
Regional Clinical Director for Orange County
Read Bio
Tina Pappas. M.Ed., BCBA
Regional Clinical Director for Orange County
tpappas@coynemail.com
760-846-1576
Tina received her BA degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and her MA degree in Education from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada. Tina has been in the education field since 2001; she is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and is passionate about applying the science of behavior to improve the lives of at-risk toddlers and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Tina enjoys collaborating with colleagues and mentoring direct staff to implement programming that is individualized to the unique needs of each learner. Tina has presented at professional meetings including the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Program (NACCTEP) and the National Organization for Disorders of the Corpus Collosum (NODCC). Tina also teaches special education courses at the College of Southern Nevada. Tina’s particular program development interests for young children include parent education and support, cultivating new ways to increase self-direction skills via functional and expanded play skills, increasing toileting independence, and expanding feeding repertoires.
Karlene Contreras, M.A., BCBA
Regional Clinical Director for Riverside & San Bernardino Counties
Read Bio
Karlene Contreras, M.A., BCBA
Regional Clinical Director for Riverside & San Bernardino Counties
kcontreras@coynemail.com
760-815-0768
Karlene has delivered ABA-based services to children with developmental disabilities since 2011. Karlene received her BA degree from University of California, Santa Barbara in 2010, received her MA Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis with an emphasis in Autism from Ball State University in 2016, and obtained her Certification in Behavior Analysis (BCBA) in 2017. Karlene’s genuine love for helping people and passion for teaching led her to Coyne & Associates where she has grown professionally, moving up in the company from Early Childhood Instructor, to Trainer, to Team Leader, to Program Supervisor, to Inland Infant Administrator and RCD. Karlene loves the work and feels so lucky to be part of the “priceless moments” she experiences every day. Outside of work, Karlene enjoys traveling with her husband, spending time with her family and friends, and doing crafty activities.
Nancy Thepkulchon, M.A., BCBA
Regional Clinical Director for San Diego County
Read Bio
Nancy Thepkulchon, M.A., BCBA
Regional Clinical Director for San Diego County
nthepkulchon@coynemail.com
619-302-3004
Nancy is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who received her BA degree in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego, and her MA degree in Human Behavior from National University. She started her career in early child development as a preschool teacher where she gained extensive knowledge on the development of young children. Nancy made the transition to behavioral intervention with at-risk toddlers and young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2008. Nancy enjoys mentoring new professionals and regularly conducts staff training on topics related to Applied Behavior Analysis. Nancy regularly attends professional conferences, locally and internationally (e.g., Japan, France). She recently presented at the professional meeting for the National Organization for Disorders of the Corpus Collosum (NODCC).