Judy Sylva is a Professor of Special Education who has served as the coordinator of the Special Education teaching credential programs and as the Chair of the Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and Counseling. She is currently serving in an administrative role as the Faculty Coordinator of Assessment for Academic Programs. In her roles at CSUSB, she collaborates with faculty, staff, and administration to establish and/or maintain effective programs that prepare college graduates and professionals for the Inland Empire. She believes that all students, from early childhood through higher education, should have access to high quality and effective educational opportunities. Judy’s professional experience and continuing engagement as a school psychologist and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst at the Doctoral level (BCBA-D) informs her work in teacher preparation and in higher education.
Dr. Sylva’s training in working with individuals with autism in public school settings began in her doctoral program at the University of California, Riverside under Dr. Frank Gresham and Dr. Don MacMillan. During her internship she received intensive training through San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools in the treatment approaches that were gaining momentum in the education of children with autism in the 1990s: discrete trial teaching (DTT); Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS); and TEACCh. These early experiences in applying interventions in classroom as well as home settings established the foundation for her continuing work related to special education teacher preparation, the supervision of BCBA candidates, the training and supervision of Registered Behavior Technicians (RBT). as well as her practice in providing school-based functional assessment and program planning, independent educational evaluations, training and assessment of treatment fidelity, evidence-based decision-making, and collaboration.