Amanda Parker, M.Ed, BCBA

Founder / CEO

I formed C.A.B.S. in 2008 after seeing so many “cookie cutter programs” that were failing children with autism.

I’ve made it my mission to create a dynamic treatment program that takes your child’s unique strengths and challenges into account while working towards goals that are meaningful to them. Through compassionate and specialized care, with an emphasis on measurable progress, we focus on achievements that matter.

Amanda has worked with individuals with autism aged 2-65. While she doesn’t have a preference for age, she loves teaching communication skills to learners who may have been struggling for years, and researching alternatives to vocal speech.

In her free time Amanda loves to travel with her family, experience different cultures, and meet new people.

Our Individual Approach

As experts in ABA therapy, C.A.B.S. is committed to using proven methodologies that help young people with autism overcome the deficits that may prevent them from fully participating in their families, schools and communities. We center our treatment on each client’s unique needs, constantly measuring and adapting our approaches as their skills and abilities change.

While many providers focus their treatment on young children, we serve families with children ages 2 through 26—because we understand that the deficits of autism may impact children into adulthood, and that the potential for learning has no age cap. At every stage, we work closely with families to determine individualized treatment plans that provide a path to achieving meaningful outcomes for their children—including a plan to help clients transition out of our services when they’re ready.

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Meet Our Executive Team

Melinda Pieniazek BCBA

VP of Clinical Outcomes

Melinda obtained a degree in Clinical Psychology with a Specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and earned her BCBA in 2007.

Melinda began working with children with developmental disabilities in home programs in 2000.
She has worked in a variety of settings including public education, clinical center-based therapy, home-based therapy, and community settings.
Most notably, she was able to work with behavior analysts and special education teachers to serve students in one of the Midwest’s first Verbal Behavior-based schools.
She was able to design truly individualized educational opportunities to elementary and middle school students while providing clinical training opportunities to graduate students.

Steve Ward MA, BCBA

Program Consultant

Steve is the owner of Whole Child Consulting and author of several books including Teaching Good Learner Repertoires, What You Need To Know About Motivation and Games, and the assessment tool Inventory of Good Learner Repertoires.

Steve has been consulting for C.A.B.S since 2008 and has been working in the field of Behavior Analysis since 1995.
Steve has extensive experience in functional assessments and behavior plans addressing a wide range of behaviors.
He has also worked as a consultant for families and school districts nationwide, where he has designed programming for a variety of repertoires, including verbal behavior, daily living skills, and academics, among a host of others.
Steve specializes in teaching social behaviors, incorporating knowledge from a variety of perspectives, and remaining at all times behavioral in his own perspective.