Jennifer Kirby, MS, BCBA, Bill & Virginia Leffen Center for Autism Clinical Director
As a board-certified Behavior Analyst, Kirby has played a key role in bringing state-of-the-art autism services to our region through Bill & Virginia Leffen Center for Autism. Developed in consultation with the Cleveland Clinic Autism Consulting Group, Bill & Virginia Leffen Center for Autism provides Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to preschool children. Since opening in 2007, Bill & Virginia Leffen Center for Autism has changed the lives of many children with autism and given hope to their families.
Kirby's responsibilities at the school include developing community resources and partnerships to help fight autism. She also creates and monitors individual education plans for each student. An accomplished trainer, she selects behavior therapists and teaches them the latest behavior-analytic techniques.
Before coming to Joplin, Kirby worked in an autism program in London, England, and co-authored material for an international symposium. Through her efforts, awareness of autism in our region has grown significantly. Kirby has been instrumental in putting Joplin, Missouri, on the map in terms of autism services.
Kirby belongs to the Bill & Virginia Leffen Center for Autism Advocacy Committee, a group dedicated to raising awareness about autism and raising money to provide services to children with autism. While living in the U.K., she was involved with the National Charity for Autism on a national scale. She is also a Rotarian.