Greetings! I am Candace O’Sullivan, B.S., M.A., BCBA. A little about me. I received my Bachelor of Science Degree from Central Connecticut State University in Psychology with a specialization in Child Psychology in 2010. I went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Applied Behavioral Analysis and Autism from Sage Graduate School in 2013 and I then passed a rigors examination to become a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA).

I have worked in the field of Behavior Analysis for the past 14 years. My first four years were spent with Connecticut Behavioral Health in Cheshire, CT and with Creative Interventions (Birth to Three) in Windsor, CT. I then secured an appointment as a BCBA in the Southington, CT School System and within a year, I was promoted to lead BCBA for the entire school system. I held that position for ten years before leaving to open my own company, Behavioral Advocacy & Support. 

While at Connecticut Behavioral Health, I developed and ran social skills groups. During my time with Birth to Three, I worked with parents and children in their natural environment to address maladaptive behaviors and to teach skills to address skills deficits, such as deficits in daily living skills and deficits in social skills. In all areas of practice, I have continuously worked with parents to provide training and recommendations on how to best support their children.

While in the Southington school system, I performed functional behavioral assessments (FBAs) and developed individualized behavioral intervention plans to address student maladaptive behaviors. I also helped to create and develop self-contained school district behavioral classrooms. I worked with parents to advocate for their children’s behavioral needs. I also created and provided professional development programs for the school system staff.

It was during my time in the public schools, working with parents to advocate for behavioral supports, that I found my passion for this work. Unfortunately, I saw too often that children were not provided with the behavioral supports that they needed. The school teams were not always making data-based decisions when it came to children, and in the end, it was always the child who suffered.

I started Behavioral Advocacy & Support, LLC, to provide families with the support, knowledge, and understanding of the data to properly advocate for their child’s behavioral and educational needs. We believe all behavior is a form of communication. I want to be a voice for children and to use data to help them communicate, so as to get their needs met so that they can best utilize their education.