Consultants

Connie Erbert

Connie Erbert is the director of CARE and autism outreach at Heartspring. Connie has more than 20 years of experience in special education from classroom teacher and foster parent and more than 10 years experience in supervision of special education staff and students throughout the Wichita public school system as an autism behavioral consultant. From individual, family, school and community consultations to opening new programs for students with autism and Asperger syndrome, Connie has presented on various topics related to autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities throughout Kansas, the United States and internationally. Her training and certifications in various areas of autism research include extensive work with the Structured Teaching Model through the University of North Carolina, Division TEACCH, training in the functional behavior assessment and behavior intervention plan process covering all aspects of developmental disabilities through the University of Florida. Additionally she has trained with the Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-based Approach floor time model under Stanley Greenspan. Connie has participated in over 100 conferences, workshops, and symposiums nationally and internationally. This ongoing participation has provided an enduring energy, which translates into a passionate collaboration with professionals, parents and individuals, which culminates into innovative and appropriate services for all children. As a member of the Kansas Governor’s Commission on Autism, Connie strives to be a responsible advocate for parents and families across the state of Kansas.

Lindsay Dutton

Lindsay is the director of school therapy and applied technology at Heartspring. After graduating with a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Kansas in May 2002, Lindsay began working with preschool (ages 3-5) children with autism and a variety of other disabilities at the Northeast Kansas Education Service Center in Lecompton, Kansas. Lindsay also worked for the Douglas County Infant Toddler Coordinating Council in Lawrence, Kansas. During that time, Lindsay worked closely with a multi-disciplinary team to provide services to children and their families in both the home and preschool settings.

Additionally, she has worked with children and adults with autism spectrum disorder in a variety of settings that include the home, classroom and community. Lindsay’s passion for working with children with autism began when she worked as a respite care worker for a family during her undergraduate studies. Her enthusiasm for this population grew as she participated in the Communication and Autism Grant at the University of Kansas during her Graduate Studies.

Her dedication to finding appropriate means of communication for all of the students she served, as well as her belief in the connection between effective communication and behavior lead her to obtain a Certificate in Advanced Professional Development for Assistive Technology Applications from California State University at Northridge and a Certificate in Behavioral Interventions and Autism from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Since joining Heartspring, Lindsay has had the pleasure of working with a variety of children with varying disabilities. She continues to work closely with the children, staff, parents and school districts to ensure that each child receives the most appropriate services, therapy and programming.

Lindsay continues to share her passion for augmentative and alternative communication, functional communication, the use of visual supports and the importance of looking at the function of behavior with parents, professionals and administrators through a variety of conferences and presentations.

Kimberly Becker

Kimberly Becker is director of pediatric services at Heartspring and has worked with children with autism and other developmental disabilities and their families in both school and non-profit settings. Her classroom teaching experience began in 1996 working with children with autism or severe communication disorders. With ardent interest and a passion for the children she serves, Kimberly has devoted countless hours of study and research specifically targeting developmental disabilities such as autism as well as other neurological and behavioral disorders. From 2000 to 2007, Kimberly worked to coordinate programs specifically for children with autism and other developmental disabilities at Rainbows United. Advancing opportunities for the community, her work at Heartspring has been to provide comprehensive services for families. These services address the deficits experienced by children who desperately need early intervention services in developmental areas including functional communication skills, fine and gross motor skills, social skills, as well as educational and behavioral programming. Her participation and presentations in various courses, workshops and symposiums across the United States including training with Stanley Greenspan at the University of Kansas and work with the Kansas Autism Waiver Committee meetings has enabled her to both share her expertise, and continue to expand her knowledge base all with the ultimate goal of creating the best opportunities for success for the families she serves.

Dr. Wayne Piersel

Wayne C. Piersel, Ph.D. has been providing his professional expertise at Heartspring since 1999 as director of psychology. Before joining the staff at Heartspring, he was a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln associated with one of the programs that trained doctoral level psychologists. His background includes working as a school psychologist prior to joining the faculty at the University of Nebraska. During his tenure in at the University of Nebraska, Dr. Piersel served as a consultant at the state’s developmental disability center as well as serving as a consultant for area school districts. Dr. Piersel received his BA in Psychology at the University of Colorado, MS in Psychology at New Mexico Highlands University, and his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona. He has published over 40 articles in scientific journals, written six book chapters, and presented over 100 papers at scientific and professional meetings. He is retired from the U.S. Army Reserve following 32 years of dedicated service. He has affiliations with the American Psychological Association, the Association for Behavior Analysis, the Autism Society of America, and Children and Adults with Attention Deficit.

Christina Hourani

Christina Hourani received her Master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Christina is passionate about working with children with autism, always keeping in mind her foremost goal of helping them reach their highest level of independence through empirically validated and data-driven behavioral therapy. She has worked in several different schools for children with autism in the Chicago area, and has designed and implemented behavioral programming in home, classroom and outpatient settings. As a BCBA at Helping Hand School for Autism in Countryside, Illinois she created and oversaw both problem behavior reduction and skill acquisition programs for a classroom of children ages 6-9, and guided classroom setup, student selection and program creation for the opening of the first preschool/kindergarten classroom.

Christina has significant experience in training parents, teachers and aides on behavioral principles and implementing behavioral programs. She has served as a consultant in the public school setting - giving presentations on functions of behavior, taking data, and training and providing feedback to staff working in behaviorally challenging classrooms.

Christina has participated in various conferences across the country, and is certified as an Autism Specialist through the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training. She remains dedicated to training others in her field, having served as a practicum supervisor for numerous individuals pursuing their BCBA license. Prior to moving back to her home state of Kansas, Christina completed year of a doctoral coursework in Applied Behavior Analysis.