HACKENSACK, N.J.—Leila Farshchian was 15 years old when she first  encountered the world of autism up close. She wasn’t in a classroom or a  research lab—she was babysitting a five-year-old girl, sweet and  determined, working hard at her ABA sessions in a way that left a mark on  the teenager watching her. Farshchian watched her hit milestone after  milestone, becoming more independent and more social with each passing  week. She didn’t know it yet, but that experience was shaping something.

“I was deeply inspired by how hard she worked to achieve each milestone,”  Farshchian recalls. “ABA tapped into her potential and fostered her skills in  every facet of her life. I witnessed her becoming independent and social  with each passing day.”

That experience was formative, but the roots of Farshchian’s path run even  deeper. When she was five years old, her best friend moved away. In her  place, a 13-year-old neighbor with autism became one of the kindest and  most grounding connections of her childhood—a true friend who shaped  how she understood empathy, difference, and belonging long before she  formally entered the field. She also attended ten different schools during  her first twelve years of education. That instability didn’t break her; it  became the lens through which she later understood what it meant to serve  learners who had been marginalized by systems that weren’t built for them.

ABA itself came into focus later, in college. What drew Farshchian to the  field was that it bridged both sides of how she thinks—the creative and the  scientific. She could measure progress and use creativity in how she taught  and connected with learners. That combination became a natural fit and the  foundation for everything that followed.

Today, Farshchian is the CEO of CircaThera—a multidisciplinary, AI powered clinical operating system serving schools, clinics, agencies, and  universities across the country. The company has built its AI engineering  through the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Accelerator, and CircaThera has  also been selected into NVIDIA’s program for cutting-edge AI resources.  She’s also the founder of Learners’ Compass, an 80-member ABA clinic in  Tenafly, New Jersey, the president and co-founder of the FarshchianART  Foundation, and the driving force behind the Global SchoolHouse Project— an international digital equity initiative supporting underserved  communities.

It’s a lot for one person. Farshchian doesn’t seem to notice.

Columbia, a Top-Three Program, and 1,500+ Curricula

Farshchian pursued ABA with single-minded focus after that early  encounter. She earned her Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis  from Columbia University’s Teachers College and holds dual credentials as  a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Certified Special Educator. Her  early career was spent in the trenches—designing programs and curricula  for public and private schools across New York and New Jersey, building an  intimate understanding of what actually happens in a classroom when  you’re trying to reach a child with autism.

That practical instinct produced measurable results. After four years  leading the autism program at a New Jersey public school district, the NJ  Board of Education in Trenton recognized it as one of the top three  programs for children with autism in the state. The year was 2007, and  Farshchian was just getting started.

She went on to found Learners’ Compass in Tenafly, an ABA clinic that grew  to a team of 80 professionals delivering interventions to individuals with  autism ages 0 to 21, with services extending across Northern New Jersey  and into New York City. The clinic became a member of the Council of  Autism Service Providers (CASP) and earned a reputation for combining  rigorous data-driven methodology with what Farshchian calls “the art of  teaching”—the belief that effective ABA isn’t just about the science, but  about knowing when and how to apply it in a way that respects each  learner’s pace.

In her CASP spotlight, Farshchian was candid about one of the field’s  deepest structural problems: the lack of a professional tier for highly  experienced ABA providers. “We have many seasoned, dedicated masters level therapists with 15 to 20 years of experience,” she said. “However, they  fall into the same category as providers without a higher education degree. I believe we need a new category for the ‘highly qualified professionals’ so  these very effective therapists can feel supported, encouraged, and have  proper compensation.”

Over the course of that clinical work, she developed more than 1,500 ABA  data-driven curriculum programs spanning academics, verbal behavior,  leisure, self-management, joint attention, and adaptive skills—a library  rooted in Columbia University’s CABAS-centered science of teaching. That  library would become the foundation for something much larger.

Building CircaThera

The jump from clinician to tech CEO wasn’t a pivot—it was an extension.  Farshchian had built the lessons, the curriculum, and the tools to run her  own practice effectively. The problem was that none of it could scale. So she  created ABA Toolbox: an earlier ABA-focused technology platform and  curriculum system developed from her clinical practice to automate ABA  curriculum and program systems and make them available to other clinics, schools, and agencies. The concept was elegant—if one BCBA builds 1,500  programs that work, why should every other BCBA start from scratch?CircaThera represents the broader next generation of that vision—a  multidisciplinary, AI-powered clinical operating system with a much larger  mission and scope. The platform brings together providers across  behavioral health, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy,  mental health, and special education into a unified system that supports the  full workflow from intake and assessment through goal development,  documentation, scheduling, billing, and outcomes tracking. The goal is  simple: enable professionals to coordinate care behind the scenes so  families are not forced to carry the burden of connecting fragmented  systems themselves.

What sets CircaThera apart in the crowded ABA software market is the  clinical intelligence embedded in its architecture. The platform is grounded  in the principles of Verbal Behavior, CABAS®, and Precision Teaching— methodologies that power data-driven prompts to fade support, increase difficulty, and shift goals automatically rather than relying on static graphs  and manual reviews. Each program includes BCBA-authored step sheets  explaining target objectives for therapists, and the system guides clinicians  with real-time prompts to adjust interventions based on incoming data. For  school districts and multi-location agencies trying to maintain treatment  fidelity across teams of RBTs and BCBAs, that built-in clinical reasoning is  the difference between a software tool and a clinical partner.

The company’s trajectory has attracted serious institutional validation.  CircaThera has built its AI engineering through the Amazon Web Services  (AWS) Accelerator, supporting the development of its Circle of Care  initiative—a framework envisioning fully integrated, multidisciplinary  autism services on a single platform that connects behavioral health,  special education, and allied therapies. CircaThera has also been selected  into NVIDIA’s program, gaining access to cutting-edge AI resources to  accelerate product innovation and scale. For a platform that started as one  BCBA’s attempt to share her own curriculum, those partnerships mark a  significant inflection point.

On the Conference Floor and Behind the Mic

Farshchian has become one of the more visible voices in the ABA  technology conversation. She presented at ABAI’s 2025 conference in  Washington, D.C. and maintained a virtual booth for CircaThera,  positioning the platform alongside the industry’s largest players. She’s also emerged as a frequent podcast guest, bringing a practitioner’s credibility to  discussions about technology, clinical operations, and education policy.

Her podcast range is notable. On the Co-Parenting Podcast with Dr. J, she  recorded a two-part series on emotional regulation—arguing it matters  more than most parents and professionals think. On Autism Rocks and  Rolls, she explored the intersection of education, technology, and social  impact. Inside the Aspergers Studio featured her discussing early  communication milestones and what happens when children speak first.  On Around the Spectrum, she tackled the IEP process head-on, breaking  down what schools are actually responsible for under the law.

She’s also appeared on ABA Speech (Episode 232), where host Rose Griffin  highlighted how Farshchian’s story demonstrates that “real progress often  starts with individuals who take action.” On the Independent Behavior  Analyst in Business podcast, she discussed value-based care models, the  role of automation in reducing clinician burnout, and practical strategies  for leveraging collaboration to improve treatment outcomes.

The breadth of her podcast topics reflects something intentional:  Farshchian isn’t just selling software. She’s building a public case for a  more integrated, technology-enabled approach to ABA—one conversation at  a time.

Digital Equity and the Global SchoolHouse Project

If CircaThera represents Farshchian’s answer to the operational challenges  inside ABA practices, the Global SchoolHouse Project represents something  more personal. The nonprofit, which she founded in 2020, is focused on  closing the digital divide in underserved communities. Its work has  included digitizing four schools and supporting the development of two  schools in Antananarivo, Madagascar—helping advance the Garden of  Success school from bamboo huts toward permanent infrastructure and  dedicated learning space. Digital equity work in South Africa has centered  on technology access and implementation, bringing devices and training  into classrooms where both are scarce.

If CircaThera represents Farshchian’s answer to the operational challenges  inside ABA practices, the Global SchoolHouse Project represents something  more personal. The nonprofit, which she founded in 2020, is focused on  closing the digital divide in underserved communities. Its work has  included digitizing four schools and supporting the development of two  schools in Antananarivo, Madagascar—helping advance the Garden of  Success school from bamboo huts toward permanent infrastructure and  dedicated learning space. Digital equity work in South Africa has centered  on technology access and implementation, bringing devices and training  into classrooms where both are scarce.

Farshchian doesn’t treat it as a passive donation model. She works directly  with teachers and students to train them on effective technology use,  identifying the systemic barriers that limit access—the same instinct that  drives her ABA work. Find the gap between what people need and what the  system delivers, then build the infrastructure to close it. The work aligns  with broader UN and UNICEF digital education initiatives aimed at  ensuring that technology access isn’t determined by geography or income.

She also serves on the board of the International Health Awareness  Network and has partnered with Autism Today, the organization led by  Karen Leigh Simmons, on a global awareness initiative. Beyond the ABA  space, she co-founded FarshchianART and serves as president of the  FarshchianART Foundation, which preserves and catalogs a major  collection of works by Master Mahmoud Farshchian—an internationally renowned artist who dedicated his works to those imbued with the spirit of  compassion, reflecting themes of peace, human dignity, and freedom.

The Circle of Care and What Comes Next

CircaThera’s Circle of Care initiative represents the fullest expression of  Farshchian’s vision: a single platform that doesn’t just manage ABA  operations, but connects behavioral health, special education, and allied  therapies into one integrated ecosystem. If the data, the curriculum, the  billing, and the analytics all live in one place, then the clinician can stop  wrestling with fragmented software and start focusing entirely on the child.  That’s the bet—and with the AWS Accelerator and NVIDIA behind it, it’s a  bet the market is starting to take seriously.

CircaThera also serves as the exclusive technology partner powering the  Autism Today Autism Directory—a global community resource designed to  strengthen the broader autism ecosystem. While CircaThera provides the  clinical infrastructure for multidisciplinary providers and care teams, the  Autism Directory supports the community side of that ecosystem: helping  families identify trusted services, enabling professionals to connect with  one another, and creating space for individuals with autism to share their  gifts and contributions, from artists and creatives to educators, advocates,  and podcasters. Together, the Directory and CircaThera form a cohesive  initiative—connecting communities to resources while equipping providers  with science-backed technology to coordinate care and deliver better  outcomes.

The Autism Today partnership signals an ambition beyond the traditional  ABA clinic model. And the podcast circuit—covering everything from  emotional regulation to IEP law to value-based care—suggests Farshchian is  building the kind of broad-based thought leadership that turns a software  company into a platform for industry change.

When asked what she wants people to understand most about ABA,  Farshchian’s answer is characteristically expansive. “ABA will foster  maximum potential while considering and respecting the individual’s  pace,” she says. “The science is rich and limitless in its contributions to the  education of gifted and neurotypical populations, the treatment of  individuals with disabilities, corporate management, and more.” 

That’s an unusual claim for a field that most people associate strictly with  autism therapy. But Farshchian has spent 25 years proving that ABA’s  applications are broader than the industry’s own marketing—and she’s now  building the technology to demonstrate it at scale. When your career starts with a childhood friendship that taught you what belonging really looks  like, and builds toward an AWS-backed platform serving schools and clinics  across the country, the throughline isn’t luck. It’s the same instinct, applied  with more leverage.

Podcast Appearances 
Co-Parenting Podcast (Dr. J): Emotional Regulation Matters More Than You Think (2 parts) Autism Rocks and Rolls: Education, Technology & Social Impact
Inside the Aspergers Studio: When Children Speak First
Around the Spectrum: Inside the IEP: What Schools Are Responsible For
ABA Speech (Ep. 232): Streamlining Technology and Therapy
Independent BCBA in Business: Value-Based Care & Technology

Partnerships & Recognition 
AWS: AWS Accelerator: AI engineering support & Circle of Care development NVIDIA: Selected into program for AI resources & product innovation
Autism Today: Partnership with Karen Leigh Simmons CASP: Member — Learners’ Compass
ABAI 2025: Conference presenter & virtual booth NJ Board of Education: Top 3 autism program in state (2007)