Silver Spring, Maryland
At Little Leaves, our center-based ABA program is for young children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and is run in a preschool-like setting. It is designed for children up to age 6 who have been recommended for intensive ABA services. Each client works one-on-one with a trained behavior technician on individualized goals with a focus on social communication, social interactions, and school readiness skills. During the day, children have the opportunity to participate in individual therapy time, small group activities with peers, and activities of daily living. While many clients are our centers for the full day, an individualized schedule is developed for each child based on his/her therapeutic needs.
(202) 420-8359
Monday – Friday 8:30AM – 5:00PM
9727 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Little Leaves is currently in network with:
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Cigna
- HSCSN
- John Hopkins Employer Health Programs (JHHC)
- Kaiser Permanente
- United Behavioral Health/Optum
- USFHP
Center Director
Jessica Garcia, M.A., BCBA, LBA
Supervising Behavior Analysts
Maureen Grajewski, M.S., BCBA, LBA
Abby Brown, M.A., BCBA, LBA
Cristina Palacios, M.A., BCBA, LBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst. Prior to transitioning into her Behavior Specialist role, Cristina was a Behavior Technician and Training Specialist with Little Leaves. She has been with Little Leaves for 6 years working in both home services and at our centers. Before joining Little Leaves, she worked for 2 years as an undergraduate research assistant in the Child Study Center examining treatments of specific phobias and Oppositional Defiant Disorder in children and adolescents. Cristina holds a B.S. in Psychology from Virginia Tech and a M.A. in Professional Behavior Analysis from Florida Institute of Technology, where she conducted research on skill acquisition and delays to reinforcement. She is also fluent in Spanish.Cristina Palacios, M.A., BCBA, LBA
Behavior and Training Specialists
Mariel Thottam, M.S., BCBA, LBA
Melissa Spear, M.A., BCBA, LBA
Daritza Lahoz, RBT
Caitlin Selden, M.A., BCBA
Diana Le, RBT
Office Manager
Claudia Guevara
