staff

Beth Calarco, M.A., BCBA - CEO and Executive Clinical Director

Beth is a developmental specialist and behavior analyst. She loves working with children and their families. Beth has worked in the field of autism intervention for over 25 years and founded ABAcus in 2012 . She earned her MA in Developmental Psychology (with a focus on neuropsychology and assessment) at San Diego State University in 2003 and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) in 2005. She is on faculty at San Diego State University and teachers a graduate-level course in ABA. Beth’s extensive experience encompasses all aspects of the delivery of ABA treatment: diagnosis, assessment, program design, direct 1:1 work with children, and parent coaching. Her ABA approach is heavily influenced by her vast knowledge of child development and developmental trajectories. She brings a common-sense practicality to her ABA work that comes from being a parent herself. Hence, she greatly enjoys working with parents to make ABA strategies more accessible and easy to implement throughout the day.

Renee Anderson, M.A., BCBA - Program Director

With a background in Early Childhood Development, Renee worked as a preschool teacher while earning her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at the University of California San Diego. Renee then entered the field of Applied Behavior Analysis when her own daughter was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at 15 months of age. After her daughter received a diagnosis, Renee was inspired to obtain her Master’s with a specialization in ABA and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2014.  Renee believes that a developmental approach to programming is the most appropriate intervention for young children and her programming is heavily influenced by Pivotal Response Teaching (PRT) and the Early Start Denver Model. Renee is passionate in her belief in the importance of teaching young children to effectively communicate their needs at a very young age.

Chelsea Anstead, M.A., BCBA – Clinical Supervisor

Chelsea first began working with children in 2014, and became an RBT in 2017. She completed her Master of Arts in Special Education (Applied Behavior Analysis) through Arizona State University in 2020. Since then, Chelsea has worked in clinic settings, in-home, and remotely, and developed social skills groups for children ages 2-7 in the San Diego area. As a mom of 2 young children herself, she is dedicated to child-led experiences. Armed with assessments such as the VB-MAPP and Socially Savvy, Chelsea loves supporting the development of verbal behavior in young children and facilitating learning through play..