As someone with a twin brother who has autism, this topic is very near and dear to my heart. It’s important to me to have this discussion with a professional so that more people can understand autism, what it means, the signs and symptoms, and how families can get help. The CDC recently released data showing 1 in 36 children is now affected by ASD.¹ Now more than ever, we all need to understand autism better.

Who is Jana Sarno?

Today we have Jana Sarno as our guest! Jana is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with extensive educational, clinical, and professional development experience in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. She earned her Bachelor of Science from Western Michigan University (WMU). Jana then attended The University of Southern Mississippi for her PhD. in school psychology. At USM, she worked with children enrolled in Head Start/Early Head Start, local school districts, a multi-disciplinary setting for children with communication and developmental disorders, and the USM School Psychology Clinic. After her time at USM, Jana completed a year-long internship at the Marcus Autism Center, an NIH Autism Center of Excellence in Atlanta, GA. While at Marcus, Jana received intensive clinical experience in the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior, verbal behavior, and feeding disorders.

It’s evident that Jana is an expert in her field, and we are grateful to spend some time with her to chat about autism, early signs and symptoms, and the steps to take if your child is exhibiting any of them. We came with a lot of questions, and she delivered. If you or anyone you know has questions about ASD and wants to learn more, this episode is for you.

Jana’s Resources

• Hopebridge
  • Instagram: @hopebridge360
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  • LinkedIn: @hopebridge
  • YouTube: @hopebridge
• Association for Science and Autism Treatment