Cas Breaux has a Doctorate of Education in educational leadership and policy analysis (expected Summer 2024), a Master of Arts degree in psychology, a Master of Science degree in special education, and is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and a licensed behavior therapist in both NY and Louisiana. Cas is an assistant professor at the Center for Behavior Analysis at the University of West Florida and is the primary content creator for ABA Knowledge Builder, the assent-based and neurodiversity-informed test prep and competency solution offered by CentralReach. Cas has been working in the behavior field for more than 15 years, most notably in the NYC public schools, in private clinics, and as a private practice owner.

Since 2013, Cas has taught more than 60 semesters of graduate-level ABA content. Cas’s goal is to help the field of applied behavior analysis become more assent-based and neurodiversity-informed.

Alycia oversees the scientific activities, grants, and initiatives of ASF. She also produces a weekly podcast aimed specifically at explaining scientific information to the public. Prior to joining ASF in 2014, she served as the Senior Director of Clinical and Environmental Sciences at Autism Speaks. She has authored over two dozen peer reviewed papers in science journals. Alycia also serves on the Board of Directors for the Phelan McDermid Syndrome Foundation and on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. She received a Ph.D. in biopsychology from Rutgers in 2001 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ in 2004 and is on the editorial board of Neurotoxicology and Frontiers in Pediatrics.  She still holds a faculty appointment at Rutgers. She also has 15 year old twin daughters, one of whom has ASD.

coming soon!

Dr. Kelvin Smith is an autism self-advocate who received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University and a PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Georgia Tech. As an autistic adult, Kelvin offers a combination of academic, lived experience, and specialized insight rarely found together. He enjoys providing academic coaching to first year college students on the autism spectrum and he likes to live a simple life reading almanacs, textbooks, video games, bridge, trivia, and game shows. Kelvin is currently a Senior Data Scientist at an ad tech company.

LaRita Smith is the proud mom of Dr. Kelvin Howard Smith, who was diagnosed at age 10 with Asperger's Syndrome. As a parent autism advocate, she empowers, educates and inspires individuals and families on the autism spectrum. She is the founder of KLSpeaks offering Spectrum Voices-a mother and son team presenting inspirational talks by sharing authentic perspectives and lived experiences. Her son Kelvin offers academic coaching- dedicated to helping first-year college students on the autism spectrum build academic and executive functioning skills. LaRita attended Jacksonville State University and graduated with a B.S. Degree in Corrections and served as a licensed social worker for over 20 years.

Dr. Roma Vasa is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and a professor of psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Vasa holds several positions at Kennedy Krieger Institute. She is the director of psychiatric services at the Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation (CASSI™, formerly known as the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, or CARD). She is also the director of the Developmental Neuropsychiatry Scholars Program, and the director of faculty development in Child Psychiatry. Dr. Vasa is the co-chair of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Autism and Intellectual Disability Committee. Dr. Vasa completed her undergraduate training at Colby College and received her medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 1991. She completed an internal medicine fellowship at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and her adult and child psychiatry training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Vasa is board-certified in general and child and adolescent psychiatry.