Jessica Hegarty, MA, LBS
Behavior Specialist/Therapist - Downingtown and Berks Offices
$150/hour
she/her
Jessica is a Licensed Behavior Specialist and PA Certified Teacher in both Elementary and Early Childhood Education. She has over 25 years of experience working with children of all ages and abilities. She is understanding and compassionate due to her own life experience with her 5 neurodivergent children.
Jessica is very passionate about helping neurodivergent children and their families understand their unique way of thinking and learning. She finds that communication is often the key to reducing disruptive, aggressive and self-injurious behaviors. She believes that teaching children to advocate for themselves, use replacement behaviors, and understand their sensory needs will benefit them throughout their lives.
Jessica’s therapeutic approach is behavior-based and often involves direct or indirect observation of behaviors, talk therapy, and play based interactions. For her treatment/interventions she uses Evidence Based Procedures (EBP) that are functionally based, data driven, and socially valid. She is concurrently working with Montgomery County Intermediate Unit as a Behavior Specialist Consultant.
Jessica’s life outside of work involves her 5 awesome neurodivergent children (mostly teens) and her husband. They enjoy spending time together watching movies, making Mexican food (Jess mostly eats it!), and laughing. Her family is what motivates and drives her passion to help others understand, accept, and celebrate neurodiversity.
Special Area of Focus - Children ages 0-12 (and families) • Infant and toddler emotional regulation • Neuroaffirming care for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) • School Visits and Support (especially preschool) • Down Syndrome • Developmental Delays • Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) • Disruptive/Aggressive/Self-Injurious behaviors • Special education and school needs • Parent training/Coaching • Intellectual Disabilities • Emotional regulation • Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) • Social skills • Social Emotional Learning (SEL) • Naturalistic Teaching Strategies (NATS)
Education/Experience - B.S. Elementary Education, B.S. Early Childhood Education, Cairn University • MA Special Education and Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis, Ball State University • Pediatric Therapeutic Services, (Independent Contractor for MCIU), Conshohocken PA • Access Services (Independent Contractor), Orwigsburg, PA • Behavior Interventions, Inc., King of Prussia, PA• West-Mont Christian Academy, Pottstown, PA • Sylvan Learning Center, Pottstown, PA • Thornbury Preschool, Cheney, PA • Twin Valley School District, Elverson, PA • Owen J. Roberts school District, Pottstown, PA • Whole Children Learning Center, Newtown, PA.
Special Training/Certificates - Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate, Early Childhood Education • Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate, Elementary Education • Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) • Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) • Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) • Board Certified Behavior Analyst-in process (BCBA) • Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)