Kayla Bagnato is the Regional Clinical Director at SPARKS and oversees services provided in Virginia. She has been working with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for over eight years, specializing in early intervention services for young children. Kayla is passionate about providing ABA services to early learners and teaching caregivers how to incorporate ABA strategies into their everyday routines. She received her Masters of Education in Early Intervention from the University of Pittsburgh and is currently pursuing her Doctoral of Psychology in Applied Behavior Analysis at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Kayla believes the principles of ABA can be used to create positive environments for children and families to succeed.   

“My passion is to help disseminate applied behavior analysis to members of the community and assist neurodivergent families in feeling supported on their individual journeys. My goal is for all families and children with autism to gain the knowledge and skills to be successful.”

Suzanne Heid holds a master’s degree in school counseling psychology from Western Maryland College and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Suzanne began her career at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and has more than 15 years of professional experience designing and implementing highly successful treatment programs that meet the academic and behavioral needs of children with autism. Suzanne is a board certified behavior analyst and is trained in the implementation of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), an assessment used in diagnosing children with autism.

“As both a parent and a leader at SPARKS, I’m proud of our team’s ability to tap into and cultivate what makes each child unique, as we work with families to make life more manageable and give their kids the best path forward. I’m passionate about our work here and humbled every day by the insight and success stories of the SPARKS team.”   

Dr. Daneshvar oversees the Clinical Services and Operational Functions for members of the LEARN Behavioral Provider Network across the country, including Sparks. Dr. Daneshvar received her Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology from Claremont Graduate University with a concentration in the behavioral treatment of developmental disabilities. Dr. Daneshvar is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral. She has presented at numerous state and national conferences and authored articles for peer-reviewed journals in addition to co-authoring a book chapter. Dr. Daneshvar is an active member in the autism community, having previously served on the Autism Society of America’s San Diego Chapter as a member of the Board of Directors and Director of the Research Committee. In addition, she has served as a Guest Grant Reviewer for Autism Speaks and a Guest Reviewer for the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions (2014, 2019). She also serves on the Professional Standards Committee for the California Association for Behavior Analysis. Dr. Daneshvar has taught graduate level courses at California State University, Fullerton and currently teaches and supervises master’s students at San Diego State University. Dr. Daneshvar is a licensed psychologist in California (PSY #28358).

“As a parent myself, I understand how challenging it is to be consistent and follow through, especially when you are in the moment. I see one of our most important roles as clinicians is to help families through these struggles and find positive outcome for the entire family.”