Ruth Aspy, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist specializing in transdisciplinary assessment and intervention for people on the autism spectrum. She is co-author of a comprehensive model of intervention, The Ziggurat Model, which earned the Literary Achievement Award from the Autism Society of America. Dr. Aspy has co-authored other works including: FBA to Z: Functional Behavior and Intervention Plans for Individuals with ASD; Excelling with Autism: Obtaining Critical Mass Using Deliberate Practice; Talk With Me; and High-Functioning Autism and Difficult Moments. She has provided training and consultation throughout the United States and internationally in countries including Greece, Australia, Canada, Trinidad, Spain, Turkey, and Japan. Her focus is on understanding the underlying characteristics of autistic people, keeping their neurological/brain differences in mind. She believes that kindness is at the heart of all good intervention strategies. She has an emphasis on working with females on the spectrum and with those individuals who have symptoms of catatonia.