Ascendigo Autism Services appoints new clinical director

Ascendigo Autism Services has appointed a new clinical director, the organization announced on Thursday.

Carrie Scott, M.Ed, BCBA, is a board-certified behavior analyst with a master’s degree in special education who has been working in the field of Autism and Developmental Disabilities for over 25 years. She has been consulting with the Ascendigo team for over 10 years, a news release states.

She is excited to bring her experience and expertise as a full-time team member to support Ascendigo’s mission: to elevate the spectrum by empowering people, inspiring lives, and shattering expectations, the release states.

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“I’m really excited to help support Ascendigo’s mission and help them grow and continue to develop the services that are in line with the quality I think is really important,” she told The Aspen Times on Thursday.

Scott, originally from Washington, began working with kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at their homes while studying child psychology at University of Mary Washington. She then went on to become an autism training coordinator at The Ivymount School, an all-special-education school in Maryland.

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“I just really loved the work,” she said.

After getting some work under her belt, she gained a master’s degree in special education and applied behavioral analysis from George Mason University.

She then moved to Denver from the D.C. area and took on clinical director positions at Firefly Autism and later the Thrive Autism Collaborative.

“We just hit our 10-year mark there,” she said of Thrive. “I felt I had given so much to that team, so I wanted to move on where I have a bigger organizational impact.”

As a BCBA consultant, Scott said she spent 10 years working with the Ascendigo Adventures summer camp. There, she would stay at the dorms at the camp and train the Adventure Camp team.

“I think at the end of the day we keep doing this hard work because we’re making a significant impact in the quality of people’s lives, bringing them joy and learning,” she said. “It’s really rewarding.”

Ascendigo, which celebrates its 20-year anniversary this year, is a Carbondale-based non-profit organization that provides year-round recreational and clinical services for individuals with ASD, a comprehensive life skills program for adults including vocational services, crucial early intervention/behavioral therapies for children, and specialized training and curriculum to educate caregivers, first responders, teachers, therapists, and other advocates. 

Dan Richardson, CEO of Ascendigo Autism Services, said in the release, “The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for Carrie to join the team as our new Clinical Director.

“Not only does Carrie have the incredibly rare and valuable combination of clinical expertise, administrative acumen, and mentoring respect, but having consulted with Ascendigo for more than a decade, she understands and has helped shape the Ascendigo Way,” he said in the release. “With Carrie leading our clinical team and a new home base for our programs and services, Ascendigo’s future looks amazing!”

Scott’s approach to supporting individuals is rooted in naturalistic teaching (NBDI), with learning embedded in everyday activities as well as new adventures. She has worked with learners across the age span and spectrum, she believes in values-guided work that focuses on finding success for every learner, the release states. She utilizes a variety of evidence-based approaches ranging from the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) for young learners to Practical Functional Assessment and Skill-based treatment (PFA/SBT) in addressing challenging behavior. 

Life Enrichment and Outreach Program Director Kelly Hoffman also expressed her excitement about Scott joining Ascendigo Autism Services.

“Having Carrie on the Ascendigo team is a dream,” she said in the release. “Her level of clinical expertise is unmatched. With Carrie on board and the new space on the horizon, the future for Ascendigo is looking bright.”

With her new position, Scott said she’ll be spending time between Denver and Carbondale. When she’s not working, she likes spending time with her husband and two kids. She also likes snowboarding, hiking, and paddle boarding.

Scott’s new role entails working with Ascendigo’s program director while overseeing the clinical side of operations and training. She also helps the team assess and develop programming for all Ascendigo individuals.

“I’m just really excited to be helping the Ascendigo team,” she said.