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Get to know more about the healthcare provider in Tennessee, Advanced Behavior Consultants.

Our Mission Statement

It is our mission to provide our clients with the skills to enjoy an independent and fulfilling life imbued with meaningful relationships. We ensure that our interventions are as effective and relevant as possible by collaborating with the clients’ stakeholders, drawing from the latest research and applying the scientist-practitioner model. Additionally, the end-point of all interventions is a demonstration of the desired outcome with the relevant caregivers in the natural environment.

About Us

children with disabilities smilingABC, a developmental disability care in Tennessee, endeavors to help children and young adults alike overcome their daily challenges due to their health condition. We aim to provide individualized Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for children and young adults with autism across the spectrum by using the latest research to inform therapy procedures and providing high-quality, ongoing training to our behavior therapists.

High-Quality Supervision

Intensive initial and ongoing training is provided for our RBTs to refine and maintain their skills. Additionally, RBTs earn a bonus hourly pay rate calculated monthly based on the quality of their performance. Supervising BCBAs provide the RBTs with weekly feedback using an observation checklist to help them prepare for a monthly video submission of their performance which is reviewed by the leadership team. This high-expectation, high-pressure environment is attractive only to those RBTs with a strong drive to learn to be the best therapist possible. RBTs receive additional support during our weekly clinical review meetings where they can ask more in-depth questions of BCBAs in a distraction-free environment and where they can role-play scenarios to sharpen their skills.

Our Values

1. Collaboration is vital to our success! Your BA (Behavior Analyst) will work closely with parents, teachers and other caregivers to determine and prioritize behavior goals and effectiveness of your child’s behavior therapy. This will ensure that the Behavior Support Plan (BSP) takes into consideration:

  • Unique differences of your child
  • Parent values
  • Family culture
  • Practical constraints

2. Positive Reinforcement:
ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) Therapy sessions are designed to be fun, whether they are focused on skill acquisition (social language, or academic) or reducing problem behaviors. Play time with your BA and other positive reinforcers are used to keep your child motivated to work hard. For reducing problem behaviors, socially appropriate alternative behaviors will be taught that will allow your child to get their needs met or cope with difficult situations.

3. Whenever possible, natural reinforcement will be used to motivate behavior changes. When arbitrary reinforcement (e.g. candy) is used, a plan to systematically transition to natural reinforcement will be developed by your BA.

4. Evidence-Based. Advances in ABA Therapy are continually generated by ongoing research in autism and behavior. Your BA studies and evaluates newly published research to ensure that, if a new development would be therapeutically relevant to your child and his/her situation, it will be incorporated into your child’s BSP and therapy curriculum.

Meet The ABC Team

Committed to enhancing the lives of every individual we serve.

Our specialized team of healthcare professionals is dedicated to providing the intervention needed to better their patients’ condition. As such, we at Advanced Behavior Consultants make sure that the people we employ are qualified for the position. They have undergone extensive hiring process and they are carefully screened, trained and verified to ensure their individual capabilities.

Meet the members of our team.

Curtis J. Harris MS, BCBA, LBA | Director

Curtis J. Harris MS, BCBA, LBACurtis has served as the Director of Advanced Behavior Consultants since 2011. In his 20 years of clinical experience, he has managed a variety of caseloads including all ages of children, adolescents, and adults with many different developmental and dual diagnoses, including autism. Curtis is extraordinarily enthusiastic about pursuing and conducting ongoing research in the practical application of behavior analysis to better help families effected by developmental disabilities. He strongly believes that every program he develops needs to meet the unique needs and constraints of the individual family with whom he works. He is driven by his belief that treatment that is data-based will continue to expand all providers’ ability to improve the meaningfulness of relationships and successful accomplishments of individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Curtis is collaborating with Clarksville community leaders to launch a nonprofit support organization to aid in social support and peer mentoring for parents with children with special needs. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree from University of North Texas in behavior analysis. Curtis has been exclusively working in the Clarksville and Fort Campbell area since 2008 and values the strong military and community support in the area. (Click here to see his Curriculum Vitae)

Kayla Wynn, M.S., BCBA

Kayla Wynn, M.S., BCBAKayla, a native Tennessean, started her career working with children on the autism spectrum after graduating from APSU cum laude with a degree in Psychology and a minor in theatre arts. Her classes in developmental psychology and child development inspired her toward a career using science and research while working with children. Now, as a BCBA, she is passionate about helping children and young adults of all ages learn skills they can use throughout their entire lives to build meaningful and fulfilling relationships. Kayla loves her hometown of Dover, TN where she lives with her husband and stepdaughter and many close family members. In her free time, Kayla also enjoys reading and playing with her many cats and chickens.

Brittany Hicks, M.A., BCBA

Brittany Hicks, M.A., BCBABrittany joined the ABC team after learning about ABA Therapy in her Psychology studies at APSU. She is a mom of three rambunctious boys, and loves the opportunity to learn about how behavioral principles can be applied in everyday parenting roles and help improve the relationships of parents and families with children with developmental delays. She completed her BCBA after studying at Florida Institute of Technology (FIT)’s program for a Masters in Behavior Analysis.

Nicole Lanier, BCaBA, LABA

Nicole Lanier, BCaBA, LABANicole started as an RBT in 2018, conducting early intervention with preschool-age children up to 12 years old. She enjoys helping clients become more independent and works diligently to help improve the quality of life for both her clients and their families. Nicole’s work in the ABA Field began in 2018. ABA Therapy is a passion of Nicole’s- She strives to help make a holistic impact in every one of her client’s lives. Nicole earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from APSU in 2017. She has since then developed herself to become a BCaBA. Presently, Nicole is taking steps to become a BCBA. She continues to study and learn so she can provide the highest quality of support possible to those in need. She joined the ABC team in August 2023 and has proven to be a valuable member of the ABC Team.

Clairre Strickland, B.S., Senior RBT

Clairre StricklandClairre studied general psychology and industrial-organizational psychology in college. Since joining the ABC team of ABA therapists, she has been enthusiastically pursuing professional development and cannot wait to further her career journey as a dedicated, creative, and inspirational therapist. Clairre has one son, who she loves supporting to the fullest in everything he does. Her goal in life is to make an impact on children and adult’s lives in the Clarksville community.

Marivelle Ray, RBT, B.S.

Marivelle RayMari has been in Clarksville since 2017 where she is now raising her 2 young boys with her husband. She is currently on her final year at APSU studying for her B.S. in Psychology. Mari wants to use her degree to assist individuals with developmental disabilities to have equal opportunities and to lead fulfilling lives. Mari wants to use her degree to the best of her ability to help children and adolescents alike. Aside from spending time with her kids, she loves spending her free time around downtown Clarksville showing support to local businesses.

Precious Sanders, RBT

Precious SandersPrecious Sanders, originally from Clarksville, TN, has worked for years in the field of childcare. In which she has come across so many different forms of teaching. As well as having experience working with and teaching kids with different neurodivergent abilities. Working in this field has always been a goal of hers. Seeing the kids’ she works with develop and grow is her biggest reward! When she is not working, she enjoys being outdoors, when it is warm, with her daughter. Crafting is also another form of love that she has, whether it is painting or physically making something.

Sheryl Daubon, RBT

Sheryl DaubonSheryl graduated with her Bachelor’s in Psychology from American Public University in 2017. Sheryl loves having a positive impact in the lives of her clients- This line of work is extremely rewarding for Sheryl. Sheryl is a proud mother of two children- She values family first. Her hobbies are cooking, reading, researching, spending time with family adventuring and playing games and spending time with her dog.

Brian Peters, M.S., Masters Level Mental Health Clinician, PsyD Candidate

Brian PetersBrian initially began at ABC as an intern in 2018 and grew into the roles of Training Coordinator, Clinical Assistant Supervisor, and now Master’s Level Mental Health Clinician. Brian has his master’s degree in counseling with a concentration in clinical mental health counseling and is currently seeking his Doctor of Psychology in Counseling. Currently, Brian partners with APSU to provide counseling to some of our clients and promote a neurodiverse-friendly environment. In his spare time, Brian likes to spend time with family and his dogs, listen to live music, and watching Sci-fi movies.

Anne-Marie Harris, Practice Manager

Anne-Marie HarrisAnne-Marie works directly with parents who have recently received a diagnosis on the Autism Spectrum for their child to connect them to resources, both military and civilian, and determine if Advanced Behavior Consultants is a good resource for their family. Her goal is to facilitate a foundation of trust and candor between families in Clarksville and Fort Campbell and their ABA Therapy providers. As a mother, she strives to advocate for the services that can help support and empower each mother and father of a child with special needs. She has a degree in Management Information Systems and, prior to working at ABC in 2011, spent 12 years in a Fortune 1000 manufacturing company working with New Client Implementations as a Project Manager.

Practice Coordinator, Now Hiring

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Position Overview: Enhance clinic operations by streamlining scheduling, communication, and patient care coordination.

Job Functions: Foster an environment inspiring growth and progress, prioritize professional development, and fuel connections between families, staff, and professionals.

Apply

What is ABA?

Behavior Analysis is the scientific study of behavior. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the application of the principles of learning and motivation from Behavior Analysis and the procedures and technology derived from those principles, to the solution of problems of social significance. Many decades of research have validated treatments based on ABA.

The Report of the MADSEC Autism Task Force (2000) provides a succinct description, put together by an independent body of experts:

Over the past 40 years, several thousand published research studies have documented the effectiveness of ABA across a wide range of:

  • populations (children and adults with mental illness, developmental disabilities and learning disorders including, but not limited to Autism Spectrum Disorders)
  • interventionists (parents, teachers and staff)
  • settings (schools, homes, institutions, group homes, hospitals and business offices) and
  • behaviors (language; social, academic, leisure and functional life skills; aggression, selfinjury, oppositional and stereotyped behaviors)

Applied behavior analysis is the process of systematically applying interventions based upon the principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a meaningful degree and to demonstrate that the interventions employed are responsible for the improvement in behavior (Baer, Wolf & Risley, 1968; Sulzer-Azaroff & Mayer, 1991).

DEI Statement

Advanced Behavior Consultants Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Statement

Advanced Behavior Consultants is committed to ensuring we cultivate an environment that promotes cultural diversity, as well as neurodiversity. We believe our mission can only be fulfilled if our clients, families, and staff feel respected, included, and valued because of their differences—not despite. Below are some ways we ensure diversity is imbued within our company culture:

  1. We nurture an environment in which employees at all levels of our organization feel empowered and encouraged by their peers, supervisors, and the ABC Leadership team to attain higher education, professional development, and career opportunities in which to contribute to the field of ABA from the perspective of diverse life experiences. ABC provides employee tuition benefits with online in the field of Psychology, as well as a robust and high-quality BCBA internship program to provide required experiences toward Board Certification in the field of Behavior Analysis. We realize that an inclusive therapy team can provide a diverse perspective and voice to clients.
  2. We provide services to clients regardless of gender, cultural, linguistic, economic, religious, and racial background. ABC staff have access to and, when necessary, utilize translation services for oral and written communication. As providers working in our client’s homes, if we are to be successful, we must collaborate with parents and caregivers to align ABA interventions for each client with their family culture. During intake, our BCBAs will ask questions about communication preferences, including the need for translation services and other communication support services, house expectations, and rules of conduct respectful of the family religion, family structure, family dynamics, and family values.
  3. We value neurodiversity as a natural form of human diversity and a vital part of the inclusive human mosaic. We reject the medical view of autism that categorizes motivational, cognitive, and sensory differences as symptoms of a disorder. All neurotypes have their own strengths and challenges. We believe that to thrive as a human being, a person must be seen and appreciated, especially by those who are there to help them. We harness our clients’ strengths and interests to teach them adaptive skills that promote self-determination and autistic flourishing. We are mindful that our stance on neurodiversity is a journey, requiring continual self-evaluation as we listen and learn from the populations whom we serve.
  4. Clients of all socio-economic backgrounds have need to access quality ABA services. We accept multiple payment options to allow for equity of access to care for client families experiencing economic hardships and low-income circumstances, including private insurance, Tricare military insurance, and Tennessee Medicaid BlueCare coverage. Client caregivers experiencing economic hardship have access to extended payment plans for co-payments and cost-shares upon request. When no insurance coverage is available for needed services, administrative staff will provide community resources to caregivers for applying for economic support in the form of grants and other financial opportunities.