Our Story

Even if you are just beginning your family’s journey with autism, you probably already know someone who has it. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in every 36 American children has an autism diagnosis.

Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST) was founded to help families just like yours. We’re celebrating more than 20 years of serving the autism community. It’s all because we wanted to give families the top-level care they deserve.

Dr. Ronit Molko and Dr. William Frea founded AST in 2001. They knew families needed focused treatment for children with autism, so they built a program centered around developing functional skills and independence in a child’s natural environment. 

Today, AST uses evidence-based applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy to help kids and young adults with autism find success. Our goal is to empower our clients to build the skills needed to live a happy and fulfilling life.

AST is part of LEARN Behavioral, a national organization dedicated to nurturing potential in children and young adults with autism — and supporting families from day one. We consider you, as parents and caregivers, your child’s first and most important teacher, and we partner with you to create an environment in which you and your child can thrive.

Our Team

Sabrina Daneshvar, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Senior Vice President, Clinical Services

Sabrina Daneshvar, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Senior Vice President, Clinical Services

Dr. Sabrina Daneshvar oversees service delivery and clinical operations across several states at LEARN. An active member of the autism community, Dr. Daneshvar has presented at many state and national conferences, authored articles for peer-reviewed journals, and served as a guest grant reviewer for Autism Speaks and a guest reviewer for the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. With a Ph.D. in developmental psychology, she teaches graduate-level courses and is a board certified behavior analyst and licensed psychologist. Recently, Dr. Daneshvar was selected for Chief, a membership network that connects and supports female leaders.

Jocelyn Thompson, LCSW, BCBA
Vice President, Clinical Services

Jocelyn Thompson, LCSW, BCBA

Vice President, Clinical Services

Jocelyn Thompson is a Vice President of Clinical Services for LEARN Behavioral based out of Sacramento, CA. Jocelyn currently manages services in Northern and Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, New Mexico and Louisiana. For the last 15 years, Jocelyn has worked with diverse populations in multiple settings as a behavior analyst and a social worker. Jocelyn received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA where she studied under the direction of Dr. Ivar Lovaas and completed an internship at the Lovaas Institute for Early Intervention. Jocelyn then received her master’s degree in social work from California State University, Los Angeles, where she also completed graduate coursework in Applied Behavior Analysis. Jocelyn has actively promoted the field of applied behavior analysis through her involvement and work with local, state and national organizations. In 2013, she was selected by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) to be part of the workgroup that developed and piloted the Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification. She currently serves as the marketing/outreach chair for Autism Speaks-Sacramento Walk, is a committee member of the Autism Intervention Network at the UC Davis MIND Institute and is on the ABA advisory panel for EQ Health Solutions. Jocelyn is also a member of the California Association for Behavior Analysis (CalABA) stakeholders advisory committee and was elected to the CalABA Board as their Professional Association Liaison. Jocelyn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).