Specialist in Early Childhood Development, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other Neurodevelopmental Differences
“Wherever there is a child in need, there is an opportunity for kindness, for treating the child as an individual with unique strengths, and for making a difference.”
Highlighted New Service: Multidisciplinary Evaluation
Dr. Jordan Ko is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in working with children, adolescents, and families in psychotherapy and assessment.
Dr. Ko majored in Child Development at Tufts University. She completed her Ph.D. in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her doctoral internship at UCLA Semel Institute. She acquired specialized training and experience in autism intervention and assessment at the UCSB Koegel Autism Center and UCLA Child and Adult Neurodevelopmental (CAN) Clinic.
Her 2-year postdoctoral fellowship took place at San Diego State University and the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center at Radys Children’s Hospital. She has experience in assessing and improving the social communication skills of young children, and served as the lead clinical trainer in San Diego, training therapists across California in a parent coaching intervention called Project ImPACT for Toddlers.
Dr. Ko has a diverse background providing services to children and adolescents with various presenting concerns, such as autism, ADHD, behavior concerns, trauma, developmental delay, social skills, mood concerns, and anxiety. She utilizes a collaborative, strengths-based approach when working with children and families to partner with them to reach their goals. She aims to foster a safe space for clients to feel heard and validated, as well as build insight, skills, and confidence. Her goal is to provide culturally sensitive care that is informed by evidence-based practices, which are supported by research but tailored to the individual needs and values of each child and family.
She has experience with a range of evidence-based practices, including cognitive behavioral therapy, parent coaching interventions (Project ImPACT, Parent Child Interaction Therapy), autism interventions (Pivotal Response Treatment), and social skills interventions (UCLA PEERS® for Adolescents, the UCSB START Program).
Dr. Ko has conducted research on interventions to improve social communications skills in toddlers through young adults with autism, as well as implementing interventions in community settings. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented her findings at international research conferences, including the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR).
Dr. Ko was born and raised in Southern California and enjoys cooking, tennis, and a variety of outdoor activities with her husband and rescue pup (a beagle- terrier mix).
What Others Say About Us
I am a general pediatrician with a special interest in ADHD, spending about 20% of my clinical time caring for ADHD patients. I have known Dr Pontillo since 2005 and have an enormous respect for her clinical skills and insights. She is my “go to” psychologist for more complicated developmental issues and for diagnosis of subtle high functioning disabilities. Dr. Pontillo’s interest in her patients and her ability to clearly delineate developmental problems allows parents to move forward with establishing a treatment plan. She is an invaluable resource to the San Diego Pediatric community.
I’ve been referring my patients to Dr. Pontillo for the past several years with the utmost confidence that she will care and understand their developmental needs. Dr. Pontillo always provided them with a balanced and age appropriate intervention to help not only the child but the family as a whole.
Dr. Pontillo is an exceptional, and one-of-a-kind child psychologist. I have referred many children of my patients to Dr. Pontillo and she has always given them the best care and attention. Referring a patient to another professional is a big responsibility. I always look for a colleague who is efficient, professional, experienced and one who is able to come up with a clear diagnosis. I keep referring to Dr. Pontillo because of her expertise, efficiency and especially her warm and caring personality that is extremely necessary when dealing with children. I very highly recommend Deborah Pontillo, Ph.D as a child diagnostician, developmental and behavioral specialist, and therapist.