ASD Faculty

Classes are taught by a team of experts and professionals working in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders, and include:

Elsa Abele, CCC, SLP is a speech language pathologist with special interest in Pragmatic Language Disorders, particularly as they affect social interaction. She has recently retired her academic appointment at Boston University – Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in the Department of Communications Disorders. She has co-led groups for young adults with Dr. Barbara Rosenn, Clinical Psychologist, Wellesley, as well. She consults and lectures nationally.

Cathy Apfel, MEd, has spent the last 36 years as a teacher, administrator, and consultant in the field of special education. She currently works for the Institute on Disability/UCED at the University of New Hampshire providing training and technical assistance to schools to enhance their ability to provide successful experiences for children with disabilities. Specific areas of expertise include Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and strategies for supporting children with social,emotional and behavioral challenges.

Liz Etheridge, MS, OTR/L, received her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy from Boston University's Sargent College in 1989. She has subsequently worked for the Hampshire Educational Collaborative (HEC) in Northampton, Massachusetts. She has provided a range of occupational therapy services to adults and children, in schools and clinics. In 2000, she opened the Occupational Therapy Center at HEC where she is the Clinic Coordinator. Ms. Etheridge specializes in the evaluation, consultation and treatment of individuals with sensory processing disorders. She has a particular interest in working with individuals with ASD.

Ellen Korin, MEd, Special education teacher for thirty-eight years; maintains a private consulting and coaching practice; provides professional development for schools, clinicians, parents and the AS community; author of Asperger Syndrome an Owners Manual: What You, Your Parents and Your Teachers Need to Know.

Dot Lucci, MEd, CAGS, Director of Consultation Services Dot is a national consultant and speaker who specializes in the inclusion of children on the Autism Spectrum. She is trained as a school psychologist with extensive background in neuropsychology while at the Boston Univ. Medical School. She holds teaching certificates in early childhood, elementary and special education. She has published in a variety of journals and is currently working as a consulting psychologist from pre-school through high school for the Wellesley Public Schools as well as maintaining a private practice. She is currently the Educational Consultant for Project Aware of the Shriver Center and the Univ. of MA Medical School and the DOE. She is on the Board of Directors of the Asperger's Association of New England.

Pamela Ely Martins, MS, CCC, SLP, is a speech and language pathologist and founder of the Ely Center, LLC in Newton, MA. Pamela has over 10 years experience in the public schools as well as within more clinical settings. She consults to public and private schools in Mass. and N.H.

Elizabeth McAnulty, MS, CAS, has been working as a pediatric occupational therapist for 10 years at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, a community hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts. Because of her certification in sensory integration, she often works with children on the autism spectrum and their families. She consults and trains staff about sensory integration in different schools in Western Massachusetts, lectures on sensory integration in the community for parents, teachers, and medical staff.

John Moran, EdD, is in private practice as an educational consultant with twenty years experience working with children with autism spectrum disorders. He provides consultation services to families, school districts and developmental disabilities agencies throughout New England. John holds a Masters in Special Education from Johnson State and a Doctorate in Education from Nova Southeastern University.

Celia Oliver, PhD, PsyD, is a psychologist with Monadnock Family Services in Keene and Peterborough, N.H. where she provides cognitive-behavioral therapy. Her clinical specializations are in anxiety disorders and autism spectrum disorders. She runs anxiety skills groups for women, social skills groups for boys with Asperger's Syndrome or Nonverbal Learning Disability and psychoeducational groups for parents of children with Asperger's.

Michaelene Pepera Cronin, JD, is a student advisor and associate professor at Landmark College. She is a former program director for the MEd Program in Conflict Resolution and Peaceable Schools at Lesley University and parent of a teenager with Asperger Syndrome

Kathryn S. Ransom, MA, is the lead teacher and founder of the Nashua school district program which is designed to help students access structure and support more typical in a private school setting while accessing the social and educational opportunities of the public. Her background includes applied behavioral analysis, developmental psychology, and differential instruction for children with learning needs.

Stephen Shore, PhD, consults internationally on disclosure, advocacy, employment, and education. He is author of Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome and editor of Ask and Tell: Self-advocacy and Disclosure for People on the Autism Spectrum and Understanding Autism for Dummies.

Shelley Viles, MS, is the Founder and Director of the Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate Program, Antioch University New England. She is the Director of the Asperger's Association of New England - New Hampshire Chaper and serves on the Board of Directors of the Asperger's Association of New England. She specializes in the area of advocacy and is the parent of a teen with Asperger's Syndrome.

Larry Welkowitz, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Keene State College and the co- producer of the video “Understanding Asperger's” and co-founder of the Keene State College Asperger's Resource Center. He is the co-author of two books: The Hidden Face of Shyness (Avon Books) and, with Dr. Linda Baker, Asperger's Syndrome: Intervening in Schools, Clinics and Communities.