Melissa founded A Global Voice for Autism in 2013 to bring Applied Behavioral Analysis techniques to a family center in Jenin, West Bank, training mothers to deliver this important therapy to their children and also providing a support group for those mothers. 

As of spring 2018, the venture has worked with almost 3,000 children with autism, parents, and teachers. The venture, now a 501c3, has expanded to locations in Jenin, Palestine; Ramallah, Palestine; Silwad, Palestine; Mersin, Turkey; and Minneapolis, MN, as well as workshops in Greece, Jordan, and Algeria. Melissa reports that one mother recently contacted her and said: “After I met you, everything changed with my son. You taught me how to enter my son’s world. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”