Our Team

Sanikan Wattanawongwan, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is the project director for the C2C project. She is a Research Specialist of Special Education at Texas A&M University. Dr. Wattanawongwan has provided services for individuals with autism in Thailand and the United States in school, clinic, and home settings. She received her doctorate at Texas A&M University, and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Her current research interest focuses on coaching families and paraprofessionals of individuals with autism to use evidence-based behavioral strategies to enhance communication and social skills.

Wen-hsuan Chang, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Texas A&M University. Drawing on her experience providing services to individuals with disabilities in both Taiwan and the United States, Dr. Chang’s research endeavors to identify family-related factors that affect youth with disabilities. Additionally, she is committed to developing evidence-based practices that equip families with the tools they need to support their children, ultimately enhancing the children’s postschool outcomes.

Birdie is the founding project director for C2C, and continues to provide their expertise to the C2C program as a project consultant.  They were a professor of special education at Texas A&M University from 2008-2023, and joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2023. Their research focuses on working with natural communication partners to improve communication in individuals with autism.

Language proficiency: English

Pronouns: They/them/their

Amarachi Yoro is an experienced parent coach for the C2C project.  She is a 4th-year doctoral student in the department of Educational Psychology focusing on Special Education.  She is particularly interested in parent coaching and support to help improve and increase parent-child communication using naturalistic intervention strategies. Her current research is focused on providing culturally responsive practices for African American families of children with autism.

Language proficiency: English

Dalila Romero, M.S., LSSP, is a parent coach for the C2C project. She is a doctoral student in the Educational Psychology department with a specialization in School Psychology at Texas A&M University. Dalila has three years of experience in working with individuals with ASD and other disabilities. Dalila has served as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology conducting formal evaluations for students suspected of having a disability. Her research interest focuses on social-emotional, behavioral, and academic intervention for recently immigrated Latinx students and families.

Anindita Banerjee became a Parent Coach for C2C during Fall, 2022. She is a first year doctoral student in the Educational Psychology department with a specialization in Special Education at Texas A&M University. She is entrusted with the responsibility of coaching parents and sharing behavior strategies to help kids with autism and complex communication needs develop skills to improve and practice their social communication more lucidly. Anindita served as a teacher interventionist as well as Homeroom teacher to elementary and primary level students with various developmental and intellectual disabilities for five years after earning a masters degree of Sociology with specialization in child psychology. Her main research interest focuses on communication related behavioral interventions for minimally and/or nonverbal children with autism and complex communication needs.

Kimberly Williams has provided support to Special Education research and outreach projects at Texas A&M University since 2007, ensuring compliance with all participant protection expectations, and support for project staff.