Our Team

Leadership

Birdie Ganz, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Birdie Ganz, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Project Director

Birdie is the project director for C2C. They have been a professor of special education at Texas A&M University since 2008. Dr. Ganz has provided services for individuals with autism and their families since 1996, as a teacher, consultant, behavior analyst, and project director/principal investigator. Their research focuses on working with natural communication partners to improve communication in individuals with autism.

Language proficiency: English

Pronouns: They/them/their

Sanikan Wattanawongwan, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Sanikan Wattanawongwan, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Co-Principal Investigator & Project Coordinator

Sanikan Wattanawongwan, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is the project coordinator 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.

Parent Coaches

Amarachi Yoro, M.Ed.

Amarachi Yoro, M.Ed.

Parent Coach

Amarachi Yoro is a parent coach for the C2C project. She is a first year doctoral student in the department of Educational Psychology focusing on Special Education. Amarachi has provided support for children with autism and other learning disabilities in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her research focus has been on supporting children with neurodevelopmental disorders. She is particularly interested in children and adult counseling, teacher training, and parent coaching to help tackle and reduce behavioral challenges for children autism and other learning barriers in the classroom.

Language proficiency: English

 

Dalila Romero, M.S., LSSP

Dalila Romero, M.S., LSSP

Parent Coach

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

Anindita Banerjee

Parent Coach

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.

 

Research Staff

Kimberly Williams

Kimberly Williams

Research Specialist

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.

Wualú Altamira

Wualú Altamira

Assessment Coordinator

Sara Castro Olivo, Ph.D.

Sara Castro Olivo, Ph.D.

Co-Investigator

This work was supported in whole or part by grants from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) Autism Grant Program (Coach to Communicate (C2C): Partnering to Improve Communication for Individuals with Autism. Awards #17108, 20465). The opinions and conclusions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policy of the THECB.

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