About Skill Sprout

Skill Sprout was formed based on our dream of providing Applied Behavior Analysis services in an effective and cost efficient manner to families and children in need. Skill Sprout Staff have worked with many family members affected by disabilities and have seen first hand the frustration that comes from lack of resources and access to experienced professionals. It is our goal to help families and professionals gain valuable knowledge and intervention tools to develop meaningful progress on targeted objectives.

Skill Sprout Staff

Amy Shymansky

Director of Operations

Amy Shymansky is a Behavior Consultant completing her masters degree in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis. She has been working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other developmental disorders since 2000. Her experience in working with learners from early childhood through young adulthood has been in schools, homes, and residential settings.

Amy currently works in a large public school setting as a Behavior Specialist providing consultative services to school staff on individual children, classrooms, and specialized programs. Amy develops and provides staff trainings related to decreasing problematic behavior, effective programming for children with autism, de-escalation strategies, development of effective behavior support plans, as well as development of effective classroom management strategies.

In addition to her work as a consultant in a public school setting, Amy also provides weekly social skill groups to children with social skill deficits. She has also developed and currently serves as Clinical Director of Camp Connections, a summer social skills camp in her community. She also provides behavior consultation services to foster care agencies to assist in stabilizing placement for children in foster care settings.

Amy also currently works as a part-time instructor at a local university, providing practicum experiences for undergraduate students working with children with Autism using behavioral interventions.

Amy believes consultation services should be designed to develop parents and professionals abilities to become "experts" with the children they serve. She believes experts can be developed through a basic understanding of the disability, proper assessment of skills, and a thorough understanding of behavioral principles and effective instruction. She believes building knowledge in these areas develops a parent's and staff's ability to effectively intervene with their children by building functional skills and decreasing problematic behaviors.

Miranda Claney

Director of Clinical Services

Miranda is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who also has experience in working with persons with developmental disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder from the very young to middle age. Miranda has a family member with ASD and has experienced first hand the trials and triumphs that come with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Miranda received her undergraduate degree from George Mason University in psychology and went on to earn a Master’s Degree from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Miranda completed her practicum/internship training at Kennedy Krieger Institute, where she worked in the Inpatient Program of the Neurobehavioral Unit. Miranda believes firmly in continuing education and attends several conferences yearly to help her continue to grow as a professional.

Miranda has worked in various schools in different states and has attended countless IEP meetings as well as conducted assessments and trainings in the school setting. Miranda has experience consulting and working with families and professional teams in home programs as well. Miranda is currently consulting and providing ABA therapy in Frederick, Maryland where she resides with her husband and two children.

Kendra Kulans

Skill Sprout Consultant

Kendra Kulans is a licensed, certified speech-language pathologist who received her undergraduate degree from Augustana College and her Masters of Arts in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from Northern Illinois University. She has been working in a private outpatient clinic with children ages birth-10 years since 2006.

In addition to servicing clients at Skill Sprout, she is employed at a private clinic in Barrington, Illinois and provides diagnostic and treatment services for children with a variety of speech and language needs including: articulation, apraxia, expressive and receptive language, feeding, and social language skills. She uses her background in outpatient rehabilitation and a child-centered, family-based approach along with her love of working with children and families to provide individualized services. Her playful, yet structured style allows parents and children to work together, grow and explore in a safe and positive fun environment. She also helped develop and currently leads a monthly group for parents of children with special needs

Kendra is a certified member, in good standing, of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), and the Illinois Speech-Language Hearing Association (ISHA). She has her teaching certificate, and is certified by Early Intervention in Illinois.

Dana M. Affrunti

Skill Sprout Consultant

Jen Woyner is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who earned her Bachelor’s degree from Southwest Missouri State University and her Masters degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2007. She has worked with several populations ranging from children to adults who are diagnosed with Developmental Disabilities, Mental Illness, Autism, Medical Conditions, Learning Disabilities, and persons without disabilities since 2000. She works part-time as an independent consultant and as a full time employee for a non-profit organization that services adults with developmental disabilities.

Dana is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Dana has a Bachelor’s Degree from Hope College in Holland Michigan majoring in Biology and Psychology and a Masters Degree from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in Behavior Analysis and Therapy with an emphasis in child and family services.
Dana has worked in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis since 2004. She began as a home behavioral therapist for children with autism spectrum disorders. Shortly after, she was afforded an intern position in the C.A.R.E. Program at Beaumont Hospital in Troy Michigan. During her graduate study she worked as a graduate assistant at Project 12-Ways under Dr. Brandon Greene. While working here, she provided in-home behavioral training to guide parents of families with an indicated history of child abuse and neglect towards better parenting practices.

Lisa Hassenger

Parent Lounge Coordinator

Lisa Hassenger is a great resource of the Skill Sprout team. She is the mother of a child on the spectrum. She and her husband began implementing the principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) with their son Alex in July 2009. They use behavioral interventions in conjunction with a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) physician and their local special education services to help Alex be all he can be.
Lisa designed and implemented a local area website to connect area parents to local resources, materials and support, both virtually and physically. Lisa has a particular interest in using technology to support her son’s programming and progress. She is the Parent Lounge Coordinator for Skill Sprout, LLC, providing parents wtih a supportive online community. She assists in developing place for parents to network and connect with other parents, participate in live discussions, as well as to share resources and receive training from professionals in the field.