Our dedicated team at The Darnell School has significant training and experience in using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) strategies to increase skills and independence and decrease maladaptive behaviors.
Leading each classroom is a Head Teacher who is licensed to teach by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
Additional staff members include an LPN, a Speech Therapy Assistant, Board Certified Behavior Analysts and paraprofessional assistants.
They work with students on a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio, providing individualized instruction in a highly structured learning environment.
Consultant staff includes an RN, a Speech and Language Pathologist, an Occupational Therapist, a Physical Therapist, and a Doctoral level Behavior Analyst. In addition to academics, occupational, physical, and speech therapies are seamlessly integrated into the school day through this consultation model.
Jolene M. Perry, M.S.Ed., BCBA, LABA
Vice President of Children’s Services
Jolene Perry is a Board Certified and licensed Behavior Analyst and holds a Master’s degree in Behavioral Education from Simmons University, Boston, MA. Jolene has worked within the area of disability services for more than 30 years in a range of capacities. She started working at our former parent organization, HMEA, in 2000 as a behavior therapist and has earned numerous promotions during her tenure. Jolene has extensive experience in functional behavioral assessment, creating and implementing social and academic home programs, parent training, working with school districts, staff training, the IEP process, and the development and implementation of behavior support plans. Jolene finds working with parents and families of learners fulfilling and an important part of promoting lasting change and generalization of a learner’s skills. Her interest lies with the improvement and implementation of organizational behavior management strategies to address team/staff member efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction.
Stefanie Apostolos, M.S.Ed., BCBA, LABA
Program Director
Stefanie Apostolos is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst. She has worked with students with disabilities for more than two decades and began working at our former parent organization, HMEA, in 2000. Stefanie was the very first head teacher at The Darnell School. She has spent the past two years working as part of the quality learning and performance team where she helped to ensure that all treatment plans and clinical notes met the criteria set by individual insurance companies. Stefanie also supervises prospective BCBA candidates and enjoys helping the candidates apply their knowledge directly to the clients they work with.
Nicole Heidenheim, Ed.S., BCBA, LABA
Educational Administrator
Nicole Heidenheim holds an Education Specialist degree in Special Education Administration from Bay Path University. She also earned her M.Ed. in Special Education (Severe Disabilities) from Fitchburg State University and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has over a decade of experience teaching students with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Kari Dunlop, Ph.D., BCBA, LABA
Clinical Director
Kari Dunlop earned her doctorate in Applied Behavior Analysis at Endicott College. She completed her dissertation research at The Darnell School, focusing on using technology to teach novel vocational tasks. Kari has a Master’s degree in Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis. She is a licensed teacher, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and a Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst. Kari has taught ABA courses at both the bachelor’s and master’s level, and enjoys supervising prospective BCBA candidates. Kari has over two decades of experience teaching students with autism and other developmental disabilities in both public and private school settings, and has presented at several state and international Association for Behavior Analysis conferences.
Abbey Norden, M.Ed.
Head Teacher
Abbey is a certified severe special education teacher who earned her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and a master’s degree in severe disabilities all levels from Fitchburg State University. Abbey also earned a certification in Applied Behavior Analysis from Fitchburg State University. Abbey has worked in the field with individuals with autism and other severe developmental disabilities for eight years in a variety of settings, including collaborative programs, public schools, ABA home services and residential settings.
Kimberly Borys, B.A.
Head Teacher
Kimberly is a certified special education teacher who holds a bachelor’s in Sociology from North Adams State College. She earned her teaching license at Lesley University and also holds a certificate as a Community Health Worker. Kimberly has worked for over 30 years with individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities in a variety of settings, including residential, day habilitation, public schools and collaborative programs.
Emily Pemberton, Ba.Hon., M.Ed., CAGS
Head Teacher
A transplant from the United Kingdom, Emily is a certified special education teacher with a bachelor’s degree in Developmental Disabilities from UMass Amherst. Emily attended Lesley University, graduating with a master’s degree in special education and later, a Certificate in advanced graduate studies in Autism and Autism Studies. She has worked the majority of her adult career in human services, including adult services, residential services, with the last 20 years in special education, particularly with the autism population, in both public and private settings.
Amy Nelson, M.S.Ed.
Head Teacher
Amy started at The Darnell School in 2018 working as a Lead Classroom Assistant before transitioning to the Head Teacher position. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and her master’s degree in special education and teaching license from Simmons College. Since 2008, Amy has worked in a variety of related settings, including residential programs, school settings, adult programs, and in-home services.
Fabiola Rodriguez Silva, M.A.
Behavior Specialist
Fabiola Rodriguez Silva holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico and a master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from William James College. She is currently working to complete her fieldwork hours to obtain her BCBA credentials. Fabiola has experience working with students with autism and other developmental disabilities in the public school setting
Crystle Jalbert, M.S.
Behavior Specialist
Crystle has eight years of experience working with children with Autism and other developmental disabilities in the home, community, clinic, and public-school settings. She received her master’s degree in Applied Behavioral Analysis and childhood clinical disorders from Endicott in 2024.
Consultants
The Darnell School has arranged for a variety of specialists to consult to the school on either a regular or as-needed basis.
These consultants include:
- Dr. Robert Shapiro, BCBA-D, Behavior Specialist
- Karla Miller, M.S., CCC-SLP, Speech and Language Pathologist
- Jennifer Kublbeck, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist
- Sheila Van Nest, PT, DPT, Physical Therapist
- TechACCESS of Rhode Island, Assistive Technology Specialists
- Kaitlin Sparks, RN, Registered Nurse
- Dr. James Broadhurst, Medical Doctor