Allison Bickelman,PhD., BCBA-D

Director of Quality Assurance

Dr. Allison Bickelman received her B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Northridge, in 2010, her M.S. in Psychology (emphasis in applied behavior analysis) with honors from California State University, Los Angeles, in 2014, and her PhD in Behavior Analysis from Endicott College in 2019. Dr. Bickelman’s masters’ thesis, under the supervision of Dr. Hank Schlinger, was titled “The Effects of Bonus Points on Homework Submission” and doctoral dissertation, under the supervision of Dr. Mary Jane Weiss, was titled “The Use of Discussion Forums in Asynchronous Behavior Analysis Masters Courses”.

Dr. Bickelman has presented her research at both the CaABA and ABAI annual conferences. Dr. Bickelman previously served on the CalABA board as the Southern California professional Liaison from June 2019-August 2021, and was a member of the 2023 CalABA conference committee. In addition, she works as an adjunct faculty member in the ABA Masters programs at Pepperdine University, primarily teaching practicum courses. She previously served as an adjunct faculty member at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and has guest lectured for CSUN and USC’s ABA masters programs. She has also served on APBA committees regarding accreditation of ABA masters programs. In April 2016, Dr. Bickelman traveled to Kenya with the Global Autism Project to assist and train staff at the only ABA center-based program for kids with autism in all East Africa. She also traveled to an ABA center in Romania in 2018 as part of the Global Autism Project’s Discovery Fellowship.

Dr. Bickelman began working with children with autism and other disabilities in 2009 while she was completing her bachelor’s degree. Dr. Bickelman fell in love with the science of behavior analysis and evidence-based treatment. She loves watching her clients learn new functional skills that improve their quality of life and reduce challenging and unsafe behaviors. Dr. Bickelman began to work at Autism Behavior Intervention in 2011, and moved up the ranks as a skills trainer, then lead skills trainer, and then program supervisor upon becoming a BCBA in 2014. Dr. Bickelman was subsequently promoted to the role of Quality Assurance Manager in fall 2016, during which time she began to train and mentor associate program supervisors and new BCBAs, support master’s students accruing hours towards their board certification, and train clinical interns. She also began to focus her work on ensuring a company-wide commitment to high quality, ethical, compassionate, assent-based, and neurodiversity affirming and culturally aware practice. Dr. Bickelman has created and modified client curriculum and clinical training and procedures for both direct staff and supervisory level staff. In her current role as the Director of Quality Assurance (which she was promoted to in summer 2019 upon completion of her doctorate), Dr. Bickelman continues all the above job duties, as well overseeing RBT training and certification, and higher-level development and dissemination of companywide clinical procedures.