List of contributors xiiiJaclyn Joseph, PhD, BCBA, is the research and development coordinator at the
Positive Early Learning Experiences (PELE) Center of the University of Colorado,
Denver. Jackie’s professional and research interests include evidence-based inter-
ventions for reducing the challenging behaviors and improving the social emo-
tional competence of young children in home settings and in early education and
care classrooms.
Sunny Kim received her PhD in Education with an emphasis in Autism Spectrum
Disorders (ASD) from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in 2014.
She is also a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA). Throughout graduate school,
Dr. Kim worked closely under Drs. Robert and Lynn Kern Koegel, where she
received extensive training in Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT). She currently
works at the Koegel Autism Center as a program supervisor and is also the head
of the School Professional Socialization Training Project at UCSB. Dr. Kim has
received several extramural grants and published several peer-reviewed journal arti-
cles on improving social skills in individuals with ASD. Her research primarily
focuses on social skills training for students with ASD, school staff training, improv-
ing social pragmatic skills for individuals with ASD, and developing effective social
intervention models that can be implemented in the school setting.
Brittany Koegel received her PhD in special education and developmental dis-
abilities risk studies. Her interests are socialization skills for young adults with
Asperger Syndrome, academic motivation for children with autism, and commu-
nication for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Brittany is a Trainer
and School Program Director wih Koegel Autism: PRT Training and Services.
She specializes in training teachers, parents, and professionals in Pivotal Response
Treatment.
Lynn Kern Koegel, PhD, is the Clinical Director of the Koegel Autism Center at
the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has been active in the develop-
ment of programs to improve communication in children with autism, including
the development of first words, development of grammatical structures, and prag-
matics. Dr. Koegel is co-author and co-editor of major textbooks on autism and
positive behavioral support and is co-author of the bestselling book Overcoming
Autism: Finding the Answers, Strategies, and Hope That Can Transform a Child’s Life
(Penguin, 2004). Dr. Koegel is actively involved in providing support and inter-
vention services in school districts, both locally in California and throughout the
United States. Dr. Koegel, and her husband Robert, were awarded the first annual
recipient of the Sesame Street Children’s Television Workshop Award for brighten-
ing the lives of children.
Janice K. Lee, M.Ed, BCBA, is a member of the research faculty at the University
of Nevada, Reno. Her experience and interests include early childhood/special