For Immediate Release

Easterseals Southern California Acquires Center for Behavioral Sciences

Acquisition Adds New Autism Services Staff, Participants

Irvine, Calif., February 19, 2020

Media Contact:
Greenleaf & Associates
vicki@greenleafandassociates.com
323.660.5800

Vicki Greenleaf
323.573.5111

A recognized innovator and leader in the area of comprehensive services for people with autism and other disabilities, Easterseals Southern California (ESSC) announces the expansion of its Autism Services with the acquisition of Center for Behavioral Sciences (CBS).

Both ESSC – which served over 9,000 individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) prior to the acquisition – and CBS are recognized leaders in providing services based on the science of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a gold-standard behavior therapy which improves social, communication and learning skills through environmental changes and positive reinforcement. More than 200 clients served by CBS now receive these services through ESSC. New clients also have access to the additional services ESSC provides, including speech/language therapy, occupational and physical therapies and ongoing social skills support. 

Commented Dr. Paula Pompa-Craven, Psy.D., Chief Clinical Officer and VP of Autism Therapy Services for ESSC, “In order to support more individuals and families with the exceptional behavioral and other therapy services for which Easterseals Southern California is known, we are proud to announce the acquisition of Center for Behavioral Sciences.  A leading and highly regarded provider of ABA services throughout the state of California since 2004, CBS’s mission and approach closely align with those of ESSC. We are excited to welcome the CBS team and look forward to their contributions, expertise and insights.”

As part of the acquisition, more than 100 CBS staff members will join the ESSC Autism Services team in roles as Behavior Interventionists (BI), Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), Program Managers and administrative support. The acquisition also brings new leadership and expertise to the ESSC team: Dr. Joyce C. Tu, Ed.D., BCBA-D, founder and Director of CBS, and Clinical Director Dr. Shaji Haq, Ph.d., BCBA-D, who will join ESSC’s Autism Services in executive roles.

Dr. Tu is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with a doctorate in educational psychology, specializing in applied behavior analysis. She has more than 20 years of experience providing one-on-one ABA services, training, workshops and supervision for professionals. She is a regular speaker at national and international professional organizations and her research has appeared in textbooks and respected peer-reviewed journals.

A Board Certified Behavior Analyst‒Doctoral (BCBA-D), Dr. Haq also holds a Ph.D. in School Psychology, a B.A. in Psychology and an Educational Specialist (Ed.S) degree. He has been a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) since 2012. He is a frequent contributor at ABA conferences and his research is published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. 

Service areas positively impacted by this growth include San Diego, San Bernardino and Orange counties and the San Gabriel Valley.

About Easterseals Southern California

For more than 100 years, Easterseals has been an indispensable resource for people and families living with developmental disabilities or other special needs. The services provided by Easterseals Southern California (ESSC)—in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Imperial, Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties—make profound and positive differences in people's lives every day, helping them address life’s challenges and achieve personal goals so that they can live, learn, work and play in our communities. With 3,000 employees, 60+ service sites and hundreds of community partnership locations, each year ESSC assists more than 13,000 people, providing adult/senior day services; autism therapy; child development/early education; employment services; veteran employment support; independent living options; and more. At Easterseals, 88% of our income is spent on services.