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Full Partnership Approach

Great care starts with great therapy, but as full partners, our support goes even further. We work alongside families to navigate the often overwhelming insurance landscape and assist in coordinating care across providers. 

Evidence-Based Practices

Clinically proven evidence-based therapy practices that focus on outcomes to ensure our clients receive the most effective care possible.

Cross-Organization Coordination

We provide therapy for individuals with developmental delays from birth through adulthood. Clinical partnerships that span a wide breadth of age groups and diagnoses enable us to better understand and treat each individual’s unique needs.

OUR MISSION

Empowering families to reach their potential through early diagnosis and exceptional, innovative, interdisciplinary care.

OUR VISION

Transforming lives as a leader in innovative, integrated and person-centered care.
Our interdisciplinary team provides comprehensive care by incorporating applied behavior analysis (ABA), speech and occupational therapy, social work, and diagnostic evaluations to empower children and their families throughout all stages of development and growth.

OUR VALUES

Clinical Excellence

Our services are evidence based, outcomes driven, effective, and high quality.

Collaborative

Our interdisciplinary teams work together to provide the best care. We create a relationship-driven, inclusive community where everyone’s ideas are welcome.

Optimism and Hope

We maintain a positive attitude and bring our clients hope.

Inclusive

We value diversity and seek equity. We serve all communities, including many that are often underserved and under-resourced.

Ethical

We act with integrity and transparency.

OUR HISTORY

Autism Care Partners was launched to achieve a single goal: Unifying like-minded behavioral health organizations to collectively expand and improve the assessment, treatment, and therapy available to individuals with developmental delays.

As clinical research and resources aligned to extend care beyond toddler years, ACP launched a private insurance-reimbursed program designed to improve coordination, consistency, and availability of care for all individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

In 2018, we launched our first center-based program that further expanded our capabilities by allowing increased socialization opportunities and customization of treatment plans. Our center-based programs ensure that we meet our clients’ unique needs in the most appropriate treatment setting possible.

Through our comprehensive operating approach, we seek to be the best partner to families and individuals impacted by ASD. The ACP family has grown into an autism services industry leader by uniting with partner organizations and collaborating with local partners to improve care coordination while ensuring that each client, and their family, receives the support necessary to reach their goals.

ORGANIZATIONS

ACP Early Intervention

New York Early Intervention and Pre-School Special Education
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PARTNERING WITH THE COMMUNITY

We collaborate with providers and organizations in the community to ensure all clients receive the best services for them. By coordinating autism-related services, we connect key stakeholders and provide a unique, multidisciplinary spectrum of care.
  • Community Clinics
  • Developmental Pediatricians
  • Physical and Occupational Therapy Programs
  • Private and Medicaid Insurance Groups
  • Community Support and Interest Groups
  • Hospitals
  • Psychology and Evaluation Programs
  • Speech Language Pathology Programs
  • College Practicums
  • Local and National Autism Advocacy Groups

SERVICE DELIVERY SETTINGS

Autism Care Partners provides services in various environments designed to help each individual reach their behavioral goals. Please note, delivery setting options vary by program.

Home-Based Therapy

Home-based therapy allows clients, families, and providers to focus on individual behavioral milestones in a familiar learning environment.

Center-Based Programs

ACP operates multiple center-based programs which offer a unique, classroom-oriented approach to treatment. In addition to individual skill development, the centers enable our therapists to work on socialization goals as well.

Community-Based Programs

Clients may experience behavioral challenges in unique settings, such as libraries, markets, or restaurants. Our providers can work with your family to develop care plans specifically tailored to address concerns related to community locations.

MEET THE CEO

Jim Spink

Jim Spink

CEO

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Empowering families to reach their potential through early diagnosis and exceptional, innovative, interdisciplinary care.

CLINICAL LEADERSHIP

Andrea Lavigne

Andrea Lavigne

PhD, BCBA, LBA
Chief of Service Delivery

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Lauren Hanson

BCBA, LBA, M.Ed
Vice President of Service Delivery,
Autism Care Partners

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Rebeccah Costa

Psy.D.
Director of Psychology

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Rachael Alling

BCaBA, LABA
Assistant Vice President of Service Delivery

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Courtney Mullens

BCBA, LABA
Assistant Vice President of Service Delivery

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Cameron Shalkowski

BCBA, LABA
Assistant Vice President of Service Delivery

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Caitlan Freeman

BCBA, LABA
Assistant Vice President of Service Delivery

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Elizabeth Bland

Director of Training and Quality

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Kara Morrison-Smith

MS, CCC-SLP, ASDCS
Director of Partnerships and VIS

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Jillian D’Angelo

Director of Speech Language Pathology

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Emily Silwowski

Director of Occupational Therapy

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JoAnn Scanlon

Senior VP for NY Services

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Rachel Scott

Rachel Scott-Rosenbluth

MS, BCBA, LBA
Regional Clinical Director, Mid-Atlantic

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Jim Spink

Jim Spink

CEO

Jim serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Autism Care Partners and its affiliated organizations. With 20+ years of progressive executive healthcare leadership, Jim sets the operating and growth strategy of ACP. Inherent to his leadership is the core belief that all children with a behavioral need can live lives of fulfillment through evidence-based, individually tailored care. This philosophy guides Autism Care Partners on a daily basis. Throughout his career, Jim has focused on improving the delivery of, and access to, healthcare for individuals with intellectual and behavioral needs. Prior to joining ACP, Jim was President of Beacon Health Options, where he oversaw over $600M in revenue and led a national team of over 1,000 employees. Prior to his tenure at Beacon, Jim led the implementation of Medicaid’s Personal Care Attendant program in Massachusetts. Jim holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Sawyer School of Management at Suffolk University, Boston where he concentrated in Disability Services Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Jim serves as a Board Advisor to Behavioral Health Works, a national autism treatment organization, and has provided strategic and operating insight to numerous mental health, substance use and behavioral care organizations.
Andrea Lavigne

Andrea Lavigne, PhD, BCBA, LBA

Chief of Service Delivery

Andrea is a licensed clinical psychologist and board certified and licensed behavior analyst. Dr. Lavigne joined Autism Care Partners in January 2019 with a specialization in the early identification and treatment of autism spectrum disorder using Applied Behavior Analysis. Dr. Lavigne earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Rhode Island before going on to earn a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Boston College. She earned her certification in Applied Behavior Analysis at the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Lavigne earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Rhode Island under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Wood with a focus on neuropsychological assessment and research. Dr. Lavigne serves as the Chief of Service Delivery, overseeing the clinical service delivery across the entire organization. Dr. Lavigne also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Rhode Island where she teaches Applied Behavior Analysis.

Lauren Hanson, BCBA, LBA, M.Ed

Vice President of Service Delivery, Autism Care Partners

Lauren is a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst. She joined Autism Care Partners in February of 2019 as a BCBA in our Rhode Island centers becoming the Regional Clinical Director in January of 2021. She graduated from Rhode Island College with an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and Special Education, a Masters Degree in Special Education and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Applied Behavior Analysis from Salve Regina University. Lauren worked as a special education teacher in Providence Public Schools for 7 years before joining ACP.

Rebeccah Costa, Psy.D.​

Dr. Costa is a licensed clinical psychologist in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Dr. Costa joined Autism Care Partners as a post-doctoral trainee in 2019 specializing in assessment of autism spectrum disorders and ADHD. Upon completing her post-doctoral training, Dr. Costa joined Autism Care Partner as a full-time clinical psychologist and currently serves as the Director of Psychology. Dr. Costa developed an early passion for supervision and training and serves as the training coordinator for pre-doctoral interns and post-doctoral fellows. Dr. Costa earned her Psy.D. in clinical psychology with a focus in children and families and global mental health in 2019 from William James College.

Rachael Alling

BCaBA, LABA, Assistant Vice President of Service Delivery

Rachael is a licensed board assistant behavior analyst. She has been working with the company since 2009 in a variety of roles and is passionate about being part of the growth to assist more families. Rachael earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Vermont and her BCaBA graduate certificate through University of North Texas in 2012.

Courtney Mullens, BCBA, LABA

Assistant Vice President of Service Delivery

Courtney is a board certified and licensed behavior analyst. She has been working in the field since 2013 and is passionate about ABA and the growth of her clients. She worked as a Managing BCBA in the North region and later became the Assistant Vice President of Service Delivery. Courtney earned her bachelor’s degree from Lesley University and received her master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis from Simmons University.

Cameron Shalkowski

BCBA, LABA, Assistant Vice President of Service Delivery.

Cameron started at Autism Care Partners in 2020 as an Operations Manager. He is a licensed BCBA in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He has been working with people with developmental delays and/or ASD as a direct support professional and later as a behavior technician since 2011. He obtained his BCBA certification in 2018. He received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Fairfield University and his master’s degree in applied behavior analysis from Salve Regina University.

Caitlan Freeman

BCBA, LABA, Assistant Vice President of Service Delivery

Caitlan is a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst. She joined Autism Care Partners in September of 2021 as the Managing BCBA of our Worcester, MA center. She graduated from Arizona State University with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and went on to pursue her master’s Degree in Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from Capella University. Caitlan has worked in the field of ABA for over 15 years in a variety of settings and is passionate about early intervention and compassionate care. She is currently the AVP of Service Delivery for our Worcester, Holyoke, Amherst, Ludlow, MA, and Avon, CT centers.

Elizabeth Bland

Director of Training and Quality

Elizabeth joined Autism Care Partners as a BCBA in March of 2020. She is first and foremost a clinician committed to ethical practice with a history of serving families with diverse needs. Elizabeth now oversees the development, coordination, and implementation of enterprise-wide clinical training systems. Her contributions and special interests at ACP have resulted in partnerships with regional universities, a redesigned fieldwork supervision program, and emerging applied clinical research opportunities.

Kara Morrison-Smith

MS, CCC-SLP, ASDCS Director of Partnerships and VIS

Kara Morrison-Smith is a speech-language pathologist and autism spectrum disorder clinical specialist. In her role as Director of Partnerships and VIS, Kara works collaboratively with Dr. Howard Shane from Boston Children’s Hospital on the implementation and expansion of the Visual Immersion System™ (VIS). As a member of ACP leadership, she consults with clinical teams, collaborates with schools, and develops external partnerships related to the VIS. Decreasing the time it takes for evidence-based practice to be implemented is part of what has driven Kara in her career. In an effort to achieve this forward momentum, Kara emphasizes cross-discipline collaboration, and has presented at ASHA, OCALICON, Milestones, and other conferences on AAC and research-to-practice topics. In addition to the work she does at ACP, Kara serves as a reviewer for the journal TEACHING Exceptional Children.

Jillian D'Angelo

Director of Speech Language Pathology

Jill graduated from the accelerated bachelor’s to master’s program in Speech Language Pathology, at the University of Rhode Island in 2017. She joined the ACP team in 2020 as a Speech Language Pathologist in the Warwick, RI center, and is now Director of Speech Language Pathology across RI, MA, VT, NH and CT. Jill is licensed in RI and MA and provides direct care to clients in addition to leading the team of SLP providers. She is passionate about clients accessing high-quality care to support their development in all areas.

Emily Silwowski

Director of Occupational Therapy

Emily is a licensed and board-certified occupational therapist. She graduated from D’Youville College in Buffalo, NY with her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. Emily previously worked in early intervention/preschool setting before joining the Autism Care Partners team in September of 2020 at our Warwick, RI center. Emily brings clinical experience in supporting client independence in the areas of fine motor, visual motor, sensory regulation, social participation, and self- help skills through a client centered and play-based approach. She also specializes in feeding therapy working on supporting oral motor development and oral sensory processing delays.

JoAnn Scanlon

Senior VP for NY Services

JoAnn received her BS in Business Administration from SUNY Albany and her MS in Special Education from Adelphi University. She is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and a NYS Licensed Behavior Analyst. JoAnn is the Senior Vice President for New York Services of Autism Care Partners, the parent company of ACP Early Intervention. They provide services to children with autism and other developmental delays and their families. She has worked in this field for the last 25 years as a therapist, consultant, and administrator. JoAnn worked as an adjunct professor at Adelphi University’s Early Childhood Special Education Program. She has been an active member of both the Nassau County and the Suffolk County Early Intervention (LEICC) Committee on Autism for 20 years and chairs the Suffolk committee. She has presented numerous presentations and workshops for parents and professionals, school districts, and the Departments of Health. JoAnn serves on the Board of Directors of the ELIJA School. She volunteers her time to various organizations in support of children with special needs, and professional organizations striving to improve the quality of services provided to those children. She is also the parent of an adult son with Asperger’s Syndrome.
Rachel Scott

Rachel Scott-Rosenbluth, MS, BCBA, LBA

Regional Clinical Director, Mid-Atlantic Region

Rachel oversees the clinical delivery in our Mid-Atlantic region as a regional clinical director. She has 15 years of experience in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA); working in multiple settings but with a primary focus in home services. Her passion for behavior analysis is only superseded by her passion to teach others about the science of ABA. She oversees the region’s case supervisors, the after school program, master-level candidates in pursuit of their Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), limited permit BCBAs in pursuit of their license (LBA), is our ACE provider presenter for continuing education (CEs) and more. She aims to have ACP be a place where clients reach their goals, staff will grow, and to promote a happy, warm, nurturing environment for all.