Shelby Edmonston is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) in the state of Louisiana. She was born and raised in St. Gabriel, Louisiana and attended Southeastern Louisiana University to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She graduated with distinction from Capella University in July of 2024, obtaining her Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis with a concentration in autism spectrum disorder. She has over 6 years of experience working in the ABA field as a behavior technician and now a BCBA. For her first three years in the ABA field she worked with individuals aged 3 to 21 years old diagnosed with autism before transitioning to early intervention in 2022 with Gulf South Autism Center as a behavior technician. She has always had a passion for helping others and enjoys being able to collaborate with parents and other providers to ensure her clients are receiving the best treatment possible. She enjoys being able to provide treatment to others to help teach new skills, increase communication, and decrease challenging behaviors. 

Julianne has been in the field of ABA since 2018. After earning her Bachelor’s degree from Tulane University, she began working as a Registered Line Technician. She quickly became passionate about the field and earned her Master’s of Science in Psychology from Purdue University. Julianne became a BCBA in January of 2022 and has worked in the clinic, school, and home settings. She loves getting to be a part of each of her clients’ growth. One of her favorite things about ABA is helping clients learn new ways to express their needs and seeing those skills transfer across settings. She values consistent collaboration across providers and with families because she strongly believes it leads to the best outcomes for clients. 

Shayla Boykin graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She earned her master’s degree from Capella University in Psychology with a specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis. Shayla has been working in the field of ABA since with a focus in Early Intervention. She enjoys working with families and colleagues, prioritizing social skills, functional communication, and behavior interventions to create the best environment for each individual.

I began working as an RBT in 2021 while earning my B.S Psychology from LSU. While working as an RBT, I realized I had a passion for ABA and decided to advance my career in ABA. I attended Capella University, earning my M.S Psychology with a specialization in ABA. Now, I am so excited to be a BCBA, LBA at Gulf South Covington!

Caprielle Priola was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and spent her formative years in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Orange Beach, Alabama, before returning to Baton Rouge. Following high school graduation, Caprielle attended Louisiana State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Disorders in May 2022. After completing her undergraduate degree, she was admitted to Louisiana State University’s master’s program. During her time in this graduate program, Caprielle worked as a graduate research assistant under Dr. Eileen Haebig in the Language Net Lab. She wrote her master’s thesis examining the impact of co-speech gestures on learning and memory in autistic and nonautistic adults. She graduated with her Master of Arts in Communication Disorders in May 2024. She enjoys working with a diverse range of patients and their families, addressing various disorders and challenges from infancy through adulthood. 

Taylor Moore graduated from Louisiana State University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies. In 2023, she earned her master’s from Capella University in Applied Behavioral Analysis, with a specialization in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Taylor has been helping children with autism since 2020 starting out providing in-home services before moving into a clinical setting. Taylor has been with GulfSouth since 2021, where she worked her way up as a line technician, Registered Behavior Technician, Lead Line, and currently, BCBA. Taylor is enthusiastic, energetic, and passionate about her work in this field.

Larissa Powers graduated from Louisiana State University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in child and Family Studies. She earned her master’s degree from Ball State University in Applied Behavioral Analysis.

Larissa has been helping children with autism since 2018 and has extensive experience in both educational and clinical settings.  She is compassionate, caring, and enjoys collaborating with parents and families to build sustainable progress in their child’s behavior, social interactions, and communication.

As Clinical Director of GulfSouth Autism Center in Covington, Larissa is in an excellent position to follow her passion, and apply her experience and skill to benefit many.  She enjoys her work and looks forward to every day.

Julia is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) licensed in Louisiana. She graduated from the University of New Orleans with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2017, where she began a position as a Line Technician. Immediately she knew she wanted to pursue a career in the field of ABA. After joining GulfSouth Autism Center as a Line Technician in 2019 and graduating from UNO with a Master’s in Applied Developmental Psychology the same year, Julia worked to gain valuable experience working with a variety of clients, including being a part of the original team that helped establish GulfSouth’s Metairie location in the beginning of 2019. Julia attended Florida Institute of Technology for Applied Behavior Analysis in 2021 and gained the Board Certification in April 2022. Julia has worked with a variety of clients ages 2-8 in an interdisciplinary setting and enjoys collaborating with professionals in other disciplines to see their clients be the most successful they can be. Julia is excited to continue a career with GulfSouth Autism Center, to develop her own professional skills in the field of early intervention services and use that knowledge to help more kids everywhere achieve success in life.

In 2021, Madison put down roots in Louisiana after a lifetime of moves in a military family. She attended the University of Mississippi from 2014-2020, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology. She worked at The Emerge Center in Baton Rouge for two years before joining the GulfSouth team as a full-time Speech-Language Pathologist. Madison has always had a passion for working with the pediatric population and has a special interest in helping neurodiverse children. She earned her ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence in September of 2021 and has since focused her continuing education on feeding/swallow therapy and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Her favorite part of her job is finding the joy with each child and helping parents learn to communicate with their children through play.