ABOUT US
Alondra
Alondra is the director and founder of Solutions to the Puzzle. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has been active in the field for 8+ years. She specializes in providing services to individuals with severe and challenging behaviors. She has worked with individuals ranging from 2.5 to 20 years old. Alondra has worked in a variety of settings including centers, schools, homes and in the community. Prior to starting Solutions to the Puzzle, she worked at a private agency as a clinical director. She is passionate about helping children and parents reach their fullest potential and working with other service providers to provide the best care. She advocates for ABA services to be provided to all individuals and is a bilingual BCBA (Spanish and English).
Alondra received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Spanish from Caldwell University and her Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis, specializing in Generalization from Caldwell University. She completed her thesis “Comparing matrix sizes when teaching direction following to preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder”. She has presented her own research at Applied Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). In her free time, you can find Alondra gardening, reading a good book, restoring furniture, and spending time with her family, friends, and two fur babies (Holland and Oakley).
Publication
Comparing matrix sizes when teaching direction following to preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulties with multiple-component direction following, which is likely due to the complexity of the auditory-visual discrimination skills required to perform the instruction. In the present study, matrix training was used to establish multicomponent direction following in preschoolers with ASD. We also compared the acquisition of this skill across two different-sized matrices (i.e., 3 × 3 and 5 × 5) to identify any possible advantages for using one size matrix over the other. Given the evidence of the efficacy of matrix training to promote recombinative generalization, we also attempted to extend this literature by assessing novel matrix generalization with a 5 × 5 matrix of verb–noun combinations when an extra verb was added (i.e., verb–noun–verb). A multiple-probe across-participants design was used to compare the acquisition of both trained and untrained target emergence. Results showed that the 5 × 5 matrix produced a more efficient acquisition rate for recombinative generalization targets across participants as compared to the 3 × 3 matrix. Recommendations for future research along with possible limitations are discussed.
Interest in ABA
Alondra’s research interests include behavior skills training, verbal behavior, generalization, and occupational behavior management. Currently, Alondra is pursuing additional certifications in occupational behavior management, sleep and feeding.
Bilingual BCBA
Alondra is a bilingual BCBA (Spanish and English). Alondra believes that therapy should be conducted in the family’s primary language. Alondra works with individuals in Spanish speaking countries that are developing ABA therapy regulations.
