Sophia Catania, M.ADS, BCBA
Clinical Director and Clinical Supervisor

Sophia has worked with children and young adults of all ages, with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other exceptionalities. Her experiences have spanned across a variety of settings, including home and centre-based programs, school consultations, community and vocational support, and adult day programs. She is a certified PEERS and Proloquo2Go Trainer, and has completed Level 2 Training in PECS and Level 2 Training in PEAK. Sophia started Best Behaviour Inc. in 2016, with the goal of providing the best service she could, with a team of dedicated independent contractors and employees who had the same goal in mind. She has always known that her future career would involve helping and working with children. ABA has proven to be the perfect avenue. Sophia completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, her Master of Applied Disability Studies with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis, and is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst. She is also an approved OAP Clinical Supervisor.
Sophia oversees all operations and services at Best Behaviour. She provides clinical supervision for our home and centre-based services in the Waterloo region and Hamilton area. She also provides BCBA supervision, and coordinates RBT supervision.

Natasha Walji, M.Sc, BCBA
Assistant Clinical Supervisor

Natasha has experience working with clients ranging from ages 2 to 25 in home, school, and community settings. Natasha's advocacy for client and family needs make her an asset to any team. Her attention to detail allows her to closely monitor client progress and ensure maximum gains are being made. She is especially interested in using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to increase the effectiveness of programming and training. Natasha completed her Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences, Master of Science in Family Relations and Human Development, a post-graduate course sequence in Applied Behaviour Analysis, and is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst.
Natasha provides clinical supervision for our home and centre-based services in the Waterloo region. She also assists with BCBA and RBT supervision.

Shannon Haynes, M.ADS, BCBA
Assistant Clinical Supervisor

Shannon has experience working with children and young adults of all ages with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other disabilities across a variety of settings including home, school, community, and sport. She has provided and supervised 1:1 therapy in home and community settings. Shannon is passionate about providing compassionate child and family centered care that celebrates the individual, fosters a positive and fun learning environment, and supports autonomy and meaningful goals. Shannon completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Master of Applied Disability Studies with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis, and is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst.
Shannon provides clinical supervision for our home-based services in the Hamilton area. She also assists with BCBA supervision.

Brooke Leppington, BAS, M.ADS
Senior Therapist

Brooke has experience working with children and youth with varying abilities, both within community and centre-based settings. She was introduced to the field of ABA during her undergraduate practicum, and and knew this was the field of work she wanted to be in. Brooke loves how ABA can be individualized for each client, to address specific goals meaningful to them. Brooke completed her Bachelor of Applied Science in Family and Community Social Services, Master of Applied Disability Studies with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis, and plans to pursue national certification.
Brooke provides senior supervision for our home-based services in the Waterloo region.

Laura Rutty, M.Ed, BCBA
Senior Therapist, Operations and Development Coordinator

While completing her undergraduate studies, Laura found herself drawn to behavioural and organizational psychology, eventually finding ABA. She has experience working with children and adolescents with varying diagnoses in residential settings, as well as in-centre and in-home therapy settings. Laura loves how ABA breaks complex skills into small, manageable behaviours, making it easier for people to achieve their goals. She is passionate about delivering high quality ABA services and focuses on truly attending to the needs of her clients. Laura completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Master of Education in Applied Behaviour Analysis, and is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst.
Laura provides senior supervision for our home-based services in the Waterloo region. She is also responsible for creating and overseeing many of our organizational procedures and training/development plans.

Ruxy Dobrescu, BA, M.ADS-candidate
Senior Therapist

Growing up with first-hand experience of caring for loved ones with developmental disabilities is what inspired Ruxy to want to help other families overcome the challenges associated with it. While completing her undergraduate studies, she was drawn to ABA as a way to achieve this. Since then, Ruxy has worked with a wide variety of clients, from infants to young adults in centre, home, and community settings. Her favourite thing when meeting a new client is to see what improvements can be made to better their quality of life and expand their scope of learning. Ruxy completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and is currently completing her Master of Applied Disability Studies with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis. She plans to pursue national certification.
Ruxy provides senior supervision for our home-based services in the Hamilton area.

Sierra Anderson, BCH, M.ADS
Senior Therapist

Sierra has experience working with children from infancy through teenage years in different roles within the classroom, recreational programming, and one to one centre-based settings. She has worked with children with a variety of developmental and neurological exceptionalities. Sierra became interested to the field of ABA while completing her undergraduate degree. She enjoys seeking out new professional development opportunities to further develop her skills and add to her toolbox. Sierra has completed her Bachelor of Child Health, Master of Applied Disability Studies with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis, and plans to pursue national certification.
Sierra provides senior supervision for our centre-based services in the Waterloo region.

Stephanie Scarlett, M.ADS, BCBA
Senior Therapist

Stephanie has experience providing ABA services in home, daycare, and school settings. She has worked with children, youth, and adults with and without exceptionalities. Stephanie enjoys pulling from various treatment approaches to provide engaging therapy that is truly individualized to meet the strengths and needs of her clients. She is especially passionate about creatively embedding goals into play, client interests, and activities in the natural environment. Stephanie completed her Bachelor of Applied Science in Child, Youth and Family, Master of Applied Disability Studies with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis, and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Stephanie provides senior supervision for our home-based services in the Waterloo region.

Taylor Sharp, M.ADS, BCBA
Senior Therapist

Taylor was drawn to the field of ABA following the completion of her undergraduate studies. She has since gained experience working with children across many therapeutic, educational, and recreational settings. She has provided 1:1 and group ABA therapy services in home and centre-based environments. Taylor enjoys the individualized nature of ABA and seeing each of her clients achieve goals that are the most meaningful to them. She is eager to learn more about the field so she can apply new and creative strategies to her work with her clients. Taylor completed her Bachelor of Applied Science in Child, Youth, and Family, Master of Applied Disability Studies with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis, and is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst.
Taylor provides senior supervision for our centre-based services in the Waterloo region.

Ashley Durnford, BA, RBT
ABA Therapist

Ashley has been working with children with complex needs for over 10 years. She has experience working in various therapeutic and educational roles, including child and youth worker, educational assistant, and early childhood educator. She has also provided ABA therapy in home and centre-based environments. Ashley enjoys watching her clients reach there full potential by setting new goals that are meaningful to themselves and their families. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and is a Registered Behaviour Technician.

Cyndi Peacock-Publuske, RECE
ABA Therapist

Cyndi has spent many years working with children of all ages and abilities, across a a wide variety of childcare and early learning settings. She has worked as a Personal Support Worker, Educational Assistant, and Registered Early Childhood Education. She is also the mother of 2 adults, one of whom was diagnosed with autism as a child. Cyndi is passionate about supporting children and their families, and enjoys watching them gain the confidence they need to set and reach their goals. She is currently completing her Bachelors of Science in Early Childhood Studies and is working on her Registered Behaviour Technician training to pursuing certification.

Erin Lucas, BA
ABA Therapist

Erin has been drawn to roles that include assisting children with disabilities, which is what brought her to enter the field of ABA. Erin is passionate about meeting the needs of children and families, and addressing the associated challenges they face. She strives to take a multidisciplinary approach, by applying ABA strategies through the lens of other branches of psychology. Erin completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and is currently completing her Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology. She is also working on her Registered Behaviour Technician training to pursue certification.

Kaitlyn Woods, BA
ABA Therapist

Kaitlyn has worked with children and young adults in various support roles across residential, school, and community settings. She became interested in ABA after completing a training course as part of a community support role. Kaitlyn enjoys working towards purposeful objectives with the children and families she supports, and recognizes the importance of identifying meaningful goals. She enjoys a challenge and loves finding new and creative ways to help her clients succeed. Kaitlyn completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and is currently completing her Registered Behaviour Technician training to pursue certification.

Steffi Silveira, BA, ABS, RBT
ABA Therapist

Steffi has worked in therapeutic and education settings, with children with various levels of skills and abilities. She completed multiple undergraduate and graduate programs within the field of psychology, which led her to pursue education and training in ABA. Steffi very much enjoys her time working with children with autism, and is passionate about creating enriching learning environments for each of the children she supports. Steffi completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, her Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, and her post-graduate diploma in Autism and Behavioural Sciences. She is also a Registered Behaviour Technician.

Taylor Ritchie, BA
ABA Therapist

Taylor has worked with children and adults with a wide range of mental health concerns, in congregated and community settings. She has been interested in ABA since a young age, as she has personal experience with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Everyday, Taylor strives to teach the children she works with many different skills, with a smile on her face. She enjoys seeing her clients learn and accomplish their goals, and is honoured to be part of the process. Taylor completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and a Children's Mental Health certificate. She is currently working on her Registered Behaviour Technician training to pursuing certification.