Dr. Darlene Bruzzi, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA NY
Owner/Director 

Darlene Nigro-Bruzzi received her Master's degree and Ph.D. from the Learning Processes and Behavior Analysis subprogram in Psychology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. She is a New York State licensed Special Education Teacher and a Doctorate level Board Certified Behavior Analysis. She has been working with children diagnosed with autism and related disorders utilizing methods of Applied Behavior Analysis for the past 22 years.  Dr. Bruzzi started in the field as a respite worker and has been an ABA coordinator, SETSS, SEIT provider, and counselor in the state of New York for Early Intervention and as an Independent Contractor for the Department of Education. Her experience incorporates designing and implementing ABA curriculums for students of all ages, staff, parent and teacher training, consultation, and supervision. Areas of expertise include training parents and staff to use Verbal Behavior methodology with children, designing and implementing behavior intervention plans, and school consultation, assessment in schools, and carryover. Dr. Bruzzi has published in The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis on training staff to teach children with autism to mand. Her research has been presented at the Association for Behavior Analysis International Convention and at the Queens College Behavior Analysis and Developmental Disabilities Conference. Dr. Bruzzi opened The Behavior Experts, LLC with her colleague, Dr. Bernstein when there was an unanswered need for quality services for students with autism on Staten Island. Through that company, she consulted and trained staff at many of the schools in Staten Island, wrote Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Plans for the students in the NYCDOE, and continued with a full caseload of students receiving ABA services through SETSS mandates. Over the past few years, Dr. Bruzzi has transformed the Behavior Experts into Perspective ABA, PLLC, which now serves approximately 40 students and contracts with 20 providers. She enjoys working 1:1 with students teaching social skills, functional living skills, and academics while teaching students to self-monitor their behavior and engage in replacement behavior. She is proud of the small community she has built. She lives in Holmdel, New Jersey with her husband and daughter Lila.

 

Administrative Staff:
Ethel Davis

Ethel Davis began her career as a college student working for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Environmental Measurements Laboratory. Her initial position involved the archiving and digitizing of their comprehensive environmental sample archive. After working as a pastime contractor for several years she was hired full-time in a clerical position both maintaining the sample archive and assisting in a program involving public dissemination of human subject studies funding by the DOE which mostly consisted of testing scientific equipment or procedures with human participants and health studies of the former workers to the Manhattan project sites that were exposed to hazardous substances. She eventually became a program assistant to the Human Subjects Protection Program whose charge is oversight and education of the staff of all of the research within the DOE. Aligned with her Management Information Systems degree from NYU in 2005 and the Laboratory’s shift to the new Department of Homeland Security in 2003, Ethel went on to play a technical role in the Counter Measures Testbed program in NYC. This program was designed to study radiation and explosives technology in the First Responder setting for interdiction of the same materials. She finished out her Federal career as program manager of the Lab’s program for test and evaluation of all radiation detectors purchased with Federal funds for use in the tristate area by first responders. In addition to her BS in MIS degree, she holds professional certifications as a project manager (PMI) and a medical assistant (CMA). She currently lives in Eltingville Staten Island with her husband and two daughters.


Christina M.
Invoices/Billing

 

Providers: 
Jennifer Covelli-Smith, MSEd, BCBA, LBA
Director of Assessments and Clinical Consultant 

Jennifer is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA), and New York State licensed special education teacher practicing in New York City. She is a proud alumna of the City University of New York, Hunter College where she currently serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Applied Behavior Analysis graduate program. Originally an aspiring creative writer from Florida, Jennifer first discovered her passion for working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Applied Behavior Analysis by pure accident (or possibly destiny). Her first role in the field was working as a paraprofessional for a child with ASD in a special education classroom in Brooklyn, New York where she watched them learn to communicate and interact with his peers and family members in a meaningful way through ABA. Since then, Jennifer has gone on to work with hundreds of children in New York City schools, private clinics, home-based services, and social skills groups, and provided international education and consulting for developing nations through small private projects over the past 13 years. In addition to teaching at Hunter College, she continues to provide consultation and training to teachers and other professionals in local schools and professional mentorship for aspiring behavior analysts. Jennifer is passionate about the collective pursuit of seeking a more just and equitable world for children with ASD and their families and expanding access to ethically driven, evidence-based treatment. Jennifer currently serves as the Director of Supervision and Assessments for Perspective ABA and is thrilled to continue to play a role in shaping the lives of children and their families in the greater New York City area.

 

Behavior Analysts: 

Amanda Clarkin, BCBA, LBA

Amanda Clarkin is a New York State Certified General and Special Education Teacher as well as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and New York Licensed Behavior Analyst. Ms. Clarkin is also trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading and has experience teaching reading using the SMiLE reading program.  Ms. Clarkin has experience working with students ages 18 months to 21 years old.  Ms. Clarkin has worked with students in their homes, in the office, and in their schools. Ms. Clarkin helps to support her students by providing training to their parents, teachers, and paraprofessionals. Ms. Clarkin has been working with The Behavior Experts and Perspective ABA since 2016. When not working, Ms. Clarkin is taking care of her two young children, Anthony and Nicholas.


Daniel Gelardi, MS.Ed., BCBA, LBA NY


Daniel Gelardi began his career as a Teacher's Assistant in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis 20 years ago. He has obtained a dual master’s degree in general education & special education, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, and an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts.  Since day 1 he has been dedicated to bettering the lives of those he serves, their families, and collaborating closely with the staff he is privileged to work alongside. Daniel has directly provided, supervised, & consulted special education and behavioral services for individuals ranging from 18 months to late adolescents with autism, developmental disabilities, and the at-risk BD/ED/OHI populations, and has also served as Board Chair for a NYC based agency that provides support services for people with disabilities across all 5 borrows. Daniel’s ABA background includes experience in Discrete Trial Training (DTT), parent/caregiver training, skill acquisition programs, verbal behavior, crisis intervention, conducting functional behavior assessments (FBA’s), and creation/utilization of individualized behavior intervention plans all which provide support to learners, families, and staff members in school, home, center, & community-based settings. Daniel strongly believes the very best behavioral services reliably put learners and their families first, maintain a safe work environment that supports and elevates staff, and utilizes evidence-based practices in every aspect of the company.  When he is not working, he enjoys spending time with his 2 young sons, exercising, and playing sports.