Yev Veverka, PhD, BCBA-D, is a graduate of the University of Washington’s doctoral program in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Yev has been working with children with autism in the field of ABA since 2007. A parent of three herself, she is especially passionate about empowering parents and caregivers by equipping them with tools and strategies.

Yev’s area of expertise is in the support of mealtime and feeding challenges. With an interdisciplinary team of coauthors, she has published a book on this topic, Meaningful Mealtimes: Practical Strategies for All Young Eaters.

Email: yevev@uw.edu

Katryna Ahloo is the Training Program Support Supervisor. She attended Seattle University where she received her undergraduate degree in Biology.

In 2021, Katryna joined the field of ABA as a CBT and later when on to become an RBT. She desired to learn more and, in her pursuit to expand her horizons, she made her way to UWAC where she’s held various roles that support and uplift families, staff, and community.

Chelsea Deaconson, BCBA, LBA is a Lead BCBA in the ABA LAUNCH program and a member of the Training and Consultation Services team. Chelsea began as a behavior technician in 2009. In 2015, she became a BCaBA. In 2017, she received her MEd from Washington State University and earned her BCBA credential in 2018.

Chelsea has worked with autistic children, teens, and adults in center, home, and community settings. She also has experience in staff training, parent training and center management. Chelsea is passionate about partnering with autistic individuals and their families to find practical strategies to teach important skills. She loves to train others and disseminate compassionate, evidence-based solutions.

Outside of the office, Chelsea loves baking, hiking, snowshoeing, and exploring the PNW.

Lucas Harrington, PsyD is a psychologist at the UW Autism Center.

Dr. Harrington received his PsyD from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, and trained as a postdoctoral fellow at UW’s LEND program as well as the UW Autism Center.

Dr. Harrington is autistic himself and brings the personal and community perspective to his work. He provides neurodiversity-oriented meetings and presentations for autistic people, families, UWAC staff, and the community, as well as conducting diagnostic evaluations and parent coaching.

John Ketchum, BCBA, LBA is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst for the UW Autism Center ABA LAUNCH program in Seattle.

John originally joined the UW Autism Center in 2014 as a research assistant and behavior technician. In 2020, he earned a master’s in special education with a focus on applied behavior analysis.

John highly values addressing individual client needs with a flexible approach. He also strives to incorporate principles of neurodiversity into his practice.

Molly Rauschl, BCBA, LBA is a behavior and education consultant at the UW Autism Center.

Molly received her M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis at Central Washington University and her BA in Psychology with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education at San Diego State University. She began working with individuals with autism spectrum and related disorders in 2014 and became a BCBA in 2020.

Molly is passionate about teaching children life skills and functional language through a play based and naturalistic approach. She believes that learning new skills in a fun, nurturing environment creates therapeutic relationships that foster positive growth.

Dr. Tanya St. John is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Research Scientist at the University of Washington Autism Center.

She completed her doctoral work at Seattle Pacific University, predoctoral internship at City of Hope National Medical Center, and post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Washington Autism Center.

Dr. St. John has devoted her career to understanding autism across the lifespan, with a particular emphasis on toddlers and young children.

Dr. St. John has served as project manager and diagnostic clinician on various NIH-funded studies including the Infant Brain Imaging Study and is an independent ADOS trainer.

Sara Woods, PhD (née O’Neil) is a clinical psychologist at the UW Autism Center in Tacoma. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the APA-accredited University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. She also completed an APA-accredited predoctoral internship at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. She completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington Center for Human Development and Disability Child Development Clinic in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program.

At the UW Autism Center, Sara provides neurodiversity-affirming comprehensive assessments to people of all ages (toddlerhood through adulthood), as well as providing therapy, consultation, and education. Sara has published research on autism, reading, and emotion socialization. Sara’s research interests include autistic strengths, intersectionality, the meaning of autism from multiple perspectives, effective communication of diagnoses, and social development.

Sara brings a strong lifespan approach having worked with infants through elderly in a variety of settings, including schools, clinics, and inpatient settings. Sara has experience with multiple presenting issues including ADHD, anxiety, mood disorders, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, and trauma-related struggles. Sara is interested in exploring ways to make psychology more accessible. She is passionate about collaborating with autistic people and their families to gain a greater understanding of themselves and helping them discover the strengths that they already have.