BEHAVIORAL SPECIALIST & COACH

Melissa Amarnath

With more than 20 years of experience in child development and early intervention, Melissa has dedicated her career to supporting children, families, and the professionals who work with them. Her experience includes global developmental delays and disabilities, behavior, learning, vision, and sensory processing, with a strong focus on understanding the developmental needs behind what we see in a child’s everyday behavior. As a developmental coach and trainer, Melissa works with caregivers, teachers, and other professionals to help them better understand child development, recognize developmental concerns, and use practical strategies that support children’s learning and participation. Melissa is a Certified Child Developmental Specialist, Certified Early Intervention Vision Specialist, Infant/Toddler Vision Screener, and certified educator. She is also trained in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and the assessment and evaluation of Cortical/Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI). She is the Founder and Executive Director of Community Pathways for Kids and has served as a guest lecturer at the University of Central Florida and has provided professional trainings on topics such as the impact of visual impairments in early intervention. Through her work, Melissa’s goal is to help teachers and caregivers feel more confident understanding a child’s development, not simply responding to behavior, but recognizing what a child may be communicating through it.