Our Story

Dr. Annette Nunez is the founder and director of Breakthrough Interventions, LLC. She is a licensed psychotherapist and has worked with children with ASD and other related disorders for over 22 years. She received a B.A. in Psychology, an M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy and a Ph.D. in Quantitative Research Methods with a specialization in Child Development. At UCLA, she studied and trained with renowned autism expert, Dr. Ivar Lovaas in Discrete Trial Training (DTT). She also received training from the Institute for Child Development in California on the Floortime Approach and developed a successful behavioral program that combined aspects of DTT and Floortime.

As part of her doctorate work at the University of Denver, Dr. Nunez developed the Children’s Social Competence Scale (CSCS). The CSCS is an early intervention evaluation tool that measures social competency in young children. She served as the Program Director for Connect Us, a non-profit organization that helps children cultivate positive relationships through facilitated play. Her research interests include the mainstreaming and socialization of children with High Functioning Autism.

Dr. Nunez co-wrote and self-published the Friendship Is … book. She is also the co–owner of AMPublishingand plans to write more books about inclusion and autism in the near future. She conducts many seminars both nationally and internationally and has consulted with many schools in China and South Africa. Dr. Nunez also consults and supervises the therapists at the Breakthrough Interventions site in South Africa. She was honored by the Autism Society of Colorado as a finalist for the 2011 Faces of Autism Professional Award. Dr. Nunez has been featured in the Huffington Post, NPR, The Jenny McCarthy Show, and FOX News.

Not only does Dr. Nunez support children with autism, she is also a huge advocate for women empowerment. In 2015 she started writing a personal blog entitled “Forty-Forty Vision.” She intends to inspire women of all ages to discover self-love, trust their inner voice, and find the passion within! You can see Dr. Nunez on FOX News as she as she does many interviews on the power of positivity.

Maylene April Visaya is licensed Professional Counseling and became a National Credited Counselor in 2014. She received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Denver and then earned her M.A. in Clinical Mental Health in 2010. Throughout college Maylene received many academic honors and was a part of Psi Chi. She also volunteered at various organizations to broaden her knowledge and experience in the area of psychology. She volunteered at residential treatment homes, tutored at-risk youth, and helped adults with disabilities transition into independent vocational programs. However, it was her volunteer work as a para-educator for children with autism that sparked her interest in working with this population.

After graduation Maylene started working at Breakthrough Interventions in order pursue her desire of working with children with autism. Under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Annette Nunez, Maylene was trained in Discrete Trial Training (DTT), Floortime, and the Social Competence Inclusive Play (SCIP) model. She has over 10 years of experience working with children on the spectrum. This experience includes working in 1:1 in-home settings, transitioning children from home to school environments, and consulting with various school districts. Maylene also participated in Dr. Nunez’s research in which she was an integral part of the data collection and item development of the Children’s Social Competence Scale.

Currently, she trains and supervises all Breakthrough Interventions senior staff, conducts assessments, and writes individualized treatment plans for all clients. Maylene co-authored the book Friendship Is … and is co-owner of AMPublishing along with Dr. Annette Nunez. She will continue to write books aimed to influence positive change. In addition, she and Dr. Nunez own of a private practice that provides effective counseling to individuals and couples. Maylene will continue to pursue her passion in helping people achieve healthy and positive mindsets.

How to Listen

The podcast audio files are uploaded on iTunes and SoundCloud weekly on Wednesdays at 9:00am EST. The website is updated each time an episode goes live. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast and receive automatic notices when each new episode is available.

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