Oscar is entering his 9th year working for PCDA. He earned a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Education from UC Berkeley. While at UC Berkeley, he participated in a counseling internship at the San Leandro Juvenile Detention Facility. Oscar mentored and counseled young incarcerated males on a weekly basis, providing academic and social-emotional support. Oscar proceeded to earn a Master's degree in School Based Counseling with an option in Applied Behavior Analysis from Cal State Los Angeles. Oscar also became a credentialed Behavior Intervention Case Manager (BICM). While at Cal State Los Angeles, he worked closely with The PASS Autism Project and completed over 2000 hours in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis working with teenagers and young adults in the community setting. Oscar is in the process of becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
As a Child Development Specialist, Oscar provides behavior and inclusion consultation to Head Start Pre Schools across Los Angeles, utilizing DIR/Floortime strategies in an educational setting. Oscar also conducts workshops in both English and Spanish for Head Start staff and parents presenting information on how to support children with unique developmental and learning differences. Oscar is in the process of becoming certified in DIR®/FloortimeTM by participating in the Southern California DIR®/FloortimeTM Regional Institute.