Our building with renovations ongoing
Our Story
The Orchard story lacks a precise beginning. Perhaps it starts with a cousin, vocalizing ever so loudly, swinging hour after hour, puzzling everyone around. Perhaps the story begins after undergraduate school with a part-time job as an ABA therapist, traveling between children’s homes and schools. Or perhaps it starts while working as an administrator for a school district for over a decade.
I’ll start it in April 2018, when the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts held their annual convention in St. Louis. While reading the program, a workshop entitled “Starting Your Own ABA Agency” intrigued me. This was not something I had strongly considered doing, though my husband had encouraged me to do so for years. A question posed by the speakers stuck with me: “What more can we, what more can you, do for children?”
A seed was planted.
Two years later, with the nutrients of consideration and planning (and a lot of help along the way), that seed of a question has blossomed into Orchard Learning & Behavior Services. Starting as an ABA clinic, Orchard aims to cultivate each child’s capacity through high-quality ABA services. We believe that both learning and teaching should be both fun and meaningful.
At Orchard, we nurture the seeds of success that each child inherently has.
–Zenia Roberts, Founder
Our Core Values
Integrity
We do the right thing at all times.
Accountability
We assume responsibility for personal and organizational actions.
Collaboration
We work with parents, clients, local educational agencies and the community to develop and implement a wrap-around plan.
Client Success
We provide individualized, effective, evidence-based treatment to each and every client.
Staff Excellence
We promote and provide continuous training and education to support highly qualified staff.
Continuous Improvement
We use a systematic Plan-Do-Study-Act approach to achieve excellence in treatment and service.
Our Team
ZENIA ROBERTS, MA, BCBA, LBA
Zenia Roberts is the founder of Orchard Learning & Behavior Services. Zenia graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and English; Zenia graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2008 with a master’s degree in Behavior Analysis.
Zenia has sixteen years of experience working with children with special needs in a variety of settings. She served as an ABA administrator with Special School District for over a decade, continually advocating for a continuum of effective early intervention services. This value sparked her desire to start her own ABA center: To provide what each child needs to achieve their full potential.
Particular areas of interest for Zenia include joint attention, early intensive behavioral intervention, functional analyses, and staff training. Zenia has developed an extensive curriculum to address early-developing social skills. Additionally, Zenia has conducted over 100 functional analyses to address a wide range of problem behaviors, including self-injury and aggression.
Zenia has two children, Eva and Jamie, who, along with her husband Brian, inspire her to do more for children. She enjoys following interior designers on Instagram, taking meandering (Brian would say “slow”) walks in Queeny Park, and spending time with her mom, Dee.
Julie nickerson, MA, BCBA, LBA
Julie Nickerson is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst in the state of Missouri. She received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Missouri and a master's in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State University.
She has over ten years experience working with children with autism and related developmental disabilities utilizing Applied Behavior Analysis in the school setting. She has extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of behavior disorders and increasing desired skills in the areas of language, social skills, academics, emotional regulation, and self-help skills. Julie cares deeply about helping children reach their full potential and increasing the quality of life for children and their families.
Julie enjoys spending time with her son Jack, husband Jason, labradoodles, family and friends.