IN-PERSON IN STUDIO CITY & ONLINE across CALIFORNIANeuro-affirming therapy
for autistic kids, teens,
and adults.
Designed to honor the whole person and focus on what matters to you.
20+ years working with autistic students in schools
Trained at the University of Washington autism clinic
Neurodiversity-affirming approach
Experienced with twice-exceptional (gifted + autistic) profiles
Why families and adults reach out
Sometimes it's a fresh diagnosis and a mountain of information nobody has time to sort through. Sometimes it's a meltdown at drop-off that the school calls "behavior" and you call something else entirely.
Sometimes it's a teenager who's exhausted from getting through the school day looking "normal" and has nothing left by the time they get home. Sometimes it's an adult who got diagnosed at 30 and is only now understanding why every job interview felt like performing a part they never got the script for.
The common thread isn't a deficit that needs correcting.
It's a mismatch between how someone's brain works and the environment they're expected to work inside of.
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Communication
Differences in how language is used and interpreted, at any age. Many verbal autistic kids and adults understand the words but miss subtext, irony, or sarcasm. Some prefer detailed, focused conversation about specific topics. Others need more time to process and respond.
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Social
Differences in how social cues are read, how relationships form, and how comfortable group settings feel, whether that group is a friend group or a team at work.
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Behavior and routine
Repetitive movements (stimming), strong specific interests, comfort in routine. These aren't problems to be eliminated. They're often regulation strategies and sources of joy.
How I work with autistic kids and their families
Goals come from the family and the kid, not a checklist
Some families come in wanting their kid to make eye contact during conversations. Some want help managing big feelings when transitions happen. Some want school accommodations. Some want their teen to learn how to advocate for themselves at the dorm housing meeting. The goals shape the work — not a generic milestone list.
Co-occurring conditions are common, and addressed directly
Many autistic kids also have anxiety, ADHD, OCD, or sensory processing differences. These often need direct treatment alongside the autism work. Anxiety and OCD respond well to ERP. ADHD responds well to executive function coaching.
Twice-exceptional support
Some autistic kids are also gifted — and the school system frequently misses one of the two. I have particular experience with twice-exceptional profiles, where the strengths can mask the support needs and the support needs can mask the strengths.
Educational advocacy is part of the work
Most autistic kids in the Los Angeles area benefit from some level of school support: IEP, 504, or just teacher accommodations. With your consent, I work directly with the school to translate your child’s profile into supports that actually function.
What tends to change
Progress here doesn't look like becoming less autistic. It looks like a kid who has language for what they need instead of a meltdown that seems to come out of nowhere. It looks like a teenager who can name their own accommodations instead of just enduring the day.
For adults, it often looks like an interview that goes differently once there's a plan for the parts that used to derail it, or a family that finally has a shared vocabulary instead of a running argument about what's "wrong." The goal was never to make anyone perform normal. It's to make daily life, at school, at work, and at home, actually workable.
Answers to Your Questions
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I’m not ABA-trained, and I don’t do ABA. My approach is grounded in neurodiversity-affirming therapy, meaning the goal isn’t to suppress autistic behaviors but to support the autistic person’s goals. If a family is looking for ABA, I’ll refer to providers who specialize in it.
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Ages 3–22. The youngest clients are seen primarily through play and parent work; teens and young adults more through direct therapy and self-advocacy work.
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No, I refer to specialists who do formal autism evaluations. I work with the results of those evaluations, interpret them for families, and integrate them into therapy and educational planning.
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Many of my families come to me at exactly this point. The first sessions are often spent translating the evaluation into plain language, identifying which supports actually matter for your kid, and helping you decide what to share with the school. There’s no pressure to overhaul everything at once.
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Yes. Some families work with me primarily through parent coaching, particularly when the child is younger or doesn’t want to be in therapy themselves. SPACE-based work fits here when anxiety is co-occurring.
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I'll always be honest about where I stand: stimming is regulation, and my starting point is understanding what a specific behavior is doing for the person doing it before trying to change it. If a stim is causing harm or getting in the way of a goal your kid actually has, we look at that directly. If it isn't, the work usually focuses on building tolerance and support around it rather than reducing it. I'll walk you through my reasoning, and if a family wants a different approach after that conversation, I'm glad to point you toward a provider who's a better fit.
Looking for affirming autism support?
Free 20-minute consultation. We’ll figure out the right next step for your family, whether that’s working with me, working with someone else, or starting somewhere different entirely.