Meet the certified providers behind S Groups

Heather Young, MA, BCBA (she/her)

Founder & CEO

Heather Young is a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA #1-13-14211) and a certified PEERS® provider trained by the Semel Institute at UCLA. Heather earned her Master’s degree in Special Education at San Francisco State University. She has over 17 years experience working with people with autism of all ages, their families, team members, therapists, schools, and communities to provide meaningful change for her clients’ lives.

Heather is passionate about teaching, supporting, advocating, and building community for neurodiverse individuals and their families. She witnessed and experienced the power that a safe and supportive group can hold. Teaching social skills in a group format has tremendous benefits, including social skills acquisition, shame reduction, confidence building, motivation, accountability from supportive peers, a sense of belonging, and feeling accepted and validated from people who are like you. In a world where we are increasingly isolated, being part of a community that understands you is invaluable. This is why she created S Groups.

In her spare time you can find Heather spending time with her husband and two daughters. She loves going on walks, yoga, attending concerts, and the beach. She resides in the Bay Area, California.

Katie James, CTRS

Senior Coach

Katie James is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) and a certified PEERS® provider trained by the Semel Institute at UCLA. Katie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Recreational Therapy at Indiana University Bloomington. She has over 10 years of experience working with individuals of all ages with a wide range of disabilities, with a focus on the intellectual and developmental disability population, which includes the autism community.

Katie has worked in a wide range of settings within the field — supported employment, special recreation, residential, day programming, adaptive sports and more. Throughout her career, the importance of learning appropriate social skills consistently stood out to her as an area of the utmost importance — and that’s where her passion lies. Katie is passionate about teaching social skills so her clients can not only be successful, but thrive in all aspects of their lives — friendships, dating, career, family and more.

In her spare time, Katie enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including hiking, camping, running and skiing. She also loves going to concerts and spending time with friends. She resides in Denver, Colorado.

Hilary Wu

Coach

Hilary Wu is a certified PEERS® provider trained by the Semel Institute at UCLA. She earned her Master’s degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Autism Spectrum Disorders at Cal State Los Angeles. Hilary has over 10 years of experience working with neurodivergent children. Previously, she was a special education teacher in a kindergarten through fifth-grade classroom. She is currently pursuing her PhD in the Human Development and Psychology Division at UCLA.

Her research focuses on mental health in autistic adults and the importance of collaborative approaches with families. Hilary is dedicated to helping neurodivergent children and adults thrive by supporting their mental health and empowering them to lead fulfilling lives. Her work is grounded in a strengths-based perspective and a commitment to neurodiversity-affirming practices.

In her free time, Hilary enjoys spending time with her husband and their dog, playing video games, and going on walks. She is also an avid traveler and has explored many countries around the world.

Lisa Hoang, LMSW, MSW

Coach

Lisa Hoang, LMSW, MSW, is a social worker with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Kansas, and a certified PEERS® provider. She has 3 years of experience working with neurodiverse individuals in non-profit and private-practice settings.

She practices with a trauma-informed, strengths-based perspective and utilizes interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing, and solutions-focused therapy.

In her free time, Lisa loves spending time with her household full of animals (4 dogs and a cat) and caring for her house plants. She also loves getting lost inside of a good book or video game, particularly if the genre is fantasy or romantic comedy.

Maureen Wargo, MS, BCBA

Coach

Maureen Wargo is a certified PEERS® provider trained by the Semel Institute at UCLA. She has a Master of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis. Maureen is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with over 8 years of experience supporting children, teens, and adults with autism and related diagnoses.

She has advanced training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and is dedicated to helping clients build confidence, independence, and meaningful social connections. Maureen’s work emphasizes compassionate, family-centered care and integrates parent coaching to strengthen support beyond therapy sessions.

In addition to her professional experience, Maureen brings the perspective of raising children on the autism spectrum, which deepens her understanding of the challenges families face. In her free time, she enjoys traveling in her RV, spending time with her family, and searching for agates along Lake Superior’s shoreline.

Kimberly Palmer, MS

Coach

Kim Palmer is a certified PEERS® provider, trained by the Semel Institute at UCLA. She has a Master’s degree in Educational Counseling and extensive training in Educational Therapy through UC Santa Cruz, with a focus on supporting neurodiverse learners as they achieve their social-emotional and academic goals. Kim has over 23 years of experience in education, the last 6 years exclusively working with neurodiverse individuals. She is a trained and certified yoga and mindfulness instructor, focusing on bringing somatic practices to her students and clients that support emotional regulation and stress management.

In her spare time, you can find Kim reading a good book, practicing yoga, enjoying time by the river, and making memories with her daughter and their puppy. She resides in the Sierra Nevada Foothills, in Northern California.

Paula Barrios

Coach

Paula Barrios earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from California State University Channel Islands. She brings over eight years of experience supporting individuals with autism across the lifespan, working closely with children, adolescents, adults, and their families in home, school, and community settings.

Her expertise includes Adaptive Skills training, DIR/Floortime, Social Skills development, and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. Paula is experienced in conducting parent trainings and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to create individualized, strengths-based plans that promote independence, communication, and meaningful social engagement. She is known for her compassionate, patient approach and her commitment to empowering families with practical tools and lasting support.

Outside of her professional work, Paula enjoys reading and spending quality time with her family and her Pomeranian/Corgi mix, Mookie.

Anne Iniguez, MS, BCBA

Coach

Anne Iniguez is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and National Board Certified Teacher with advanced degrees in Special Education, Reading, and Applied Behavior Analysis. She has been working with children and families since 2006, bringing nearly two decades of experience across school and behavior therapy settings.

Anne is passionate about helping others succeed, using data to empower individuals to grow and reach their goals. Her dedication to this work is deeply personal — as a parent, she understands firsthand the hopes and challenges that families navigate, and that lived experience shapes the compassion she brings to every child and family she serves.

Anne lives in Wisconsin with her son and daughter. In her spare time, she loves getting outside and losing herself in a good book.

Lindsay Perry, BCBA

Coach

Lindsay Perry is a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA #1-21-52223) and a PEERS®-certified provider. Lindsay earned her Master’s degree in Exceptional Student Education with a focus in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of West Florida. She has worked with autistic children and teens and their families for over 13 years in the clinical, school, home and community settings.

Lindsay is passionate about equipping autistic individuals of all ages with the tools and confidence to build relationships and cultivate a sense of belonging in their communities.

She is originally from Lafayette, Louisiana, and currently resides in Gainesville, Florida. In her spare time, Lindsay enjoys cooking, having game nights with friends, and singing karaoke.