Lauren Allen

Dr. Lauren Lestremau Allen is a Licensed Psychologist (NY, MD), Licensed Behavior Analyst (NY), Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral, and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. Dr. Allen is committed to high-quality service and support delivery with Autistic individuals and individuals with developmental disabilities and is passionate about training professionals. Dr. Allen is an Assistant Professor of Applied Behavior Analysis and faculty and program coordinator in the Master of Science of Applied Behavior Analysis program. The program prioritizes compassionate, affirming, value-driven care, and client self-advocacy and autonomy. Dr. Allen also serves as the Assistant Director of the SUNY Empire Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, and Supports (CAARES). CAARES employs a multi-tiered system of support framework that is informed by and with ongoing input from a team of stakeholders, including Autistic self-advocates to foster a sense of belonging and promote success and well-being for Autistic and Neurodivergent students and employees within the SUNY Empire community and beyond, supporting SUNY Empire to be designated as the first Autism Supportive College by the Anderson Center for Autism. Dr. Allen oversees CAARES' Peer2Peer Student Connection Program initiative and the Neurodiversity Club and Teen Neurodiversity Club, co-hosted with the Saratoga Springs Public Library.  At SUNY Empire, Dr. Allen serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, the Allyship and Advocacy Working Group, and is the chair of the Graduate Studies and Policies Committee. Dr. Allen continues to collaborate with colleagues in CAARES and the Anderson Center for Autism to host the annual Partners in Applied Behavior Analysis Conference. 

Beyond SUNY Empire, Dr. Allen serves as a hub team member for the Anderson Center for Autism ECHO Autism Education, which seeks to promote ongoing, multidisciplinary support and professional learning for educators and other professionals who serve Autistic individuals in school settings. Additionally, Dr. Allen serves as the secretary for NYSABA (Term 2025-2027), is the Chair of the Student/BT Activities Committee, and a member of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility and Education committees. She is also a member of the College Autism Network Research Symposium Committee.

Dr. Allen previously served as a Program Director at the Ivymount School, a non-public, behavior analytic, special education school in Rockville, MD, where she oversaw a program that served approximately 80 Autistic students and students with developmental disabilities across elementary, middle, and high school divisions. She collaborated closely with students, families, and a multi-disciplinary team of more than 40 professionals to support students to achieve their educational, independent living, post-secondary education, and employment goals. Dr. Allen continues to consult with Program Services at the Ivymount School. Dr. Allen previously served as an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins University and Ball State University, teaching applied behavior analysis courses and practica. Dr. Allen completed her doctoral degree in school psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi and her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship in Behavioral Psychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. At Kennedy Krieger, she focused on pediatric behavioral assessment and intervention, caregiver coaching, and relevant party consultation through outpatient and intensive outpatient services for individuals aged 2 through 26 with developmental disabilities.

Dr. Allen’s areas of interest include the optimization of instructional practices for Autistic individuals and individuals with developmental disabilities across academic and adaptive skill domains, training and supervision of graduate students and professionals, and transition-related domains for Autistic individuals and individuals with developmental disabilities, with an emphasis on Neurodivergent-affirming care that promotes autonomy and self-determination. Read our recent publication, "Neurodiversity-Affirming Applied Behavior Analysis." 

Read More: 

• Lauren Lestremau Allen Curriculum Vita (as of 1/2025)
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-lestremau-allen/ 
• SUNY Empire MS in ABA Program
• SUNY Empire Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, & Supports (CAARES)
• CAARES & Anderson Center for Autism Annual Partners in Applied Behavior Analysis Conference
• Autism ECHO Education

Selected Publications: 

Lestremau Allen, L. (In press). Humility and belonging: A perspective on the perils and privileges in academic motherhood. In E. Bradley & V. Agosto (Eds.) Navigating academic motherhood. Routledge. Expected 2025. 

Lestremau Allen, L. & Bellone Mount, K. (2025). Socially valid consultation and collaboration. In L. Toby & E. Ranade (Eds.), Psychology essentials for behavior analysis. Springer.

Lestremau Allen, L., Vitale, J., Hess, B. & Muller, E. (2024). Exploratory study of a K-12 special education online learning model for students with developmental disabilities. Journal of Online Learning Research, 10(3), 349-378. https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/224691/.

Syed, N., Lestremau Allen, L., Tereshko, L., Baldwin, J., & Weiss, M. J. (2024). Neurodiversity in higher education. In K. Dyer, M. J. Weiss, L. Tereshko, & A. Linnehan (Eds.), Perspectives on neurodiversity and belonging: Reflections for behavior analysts. Sloan Publishing. 

Lestremau Allen, L., Mellon, E., Syed, N., Johnson, J. F., Bernal, A. (2024).  Neurodiversity-affirming applied behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00918-0

Mellon, L., Syed, N., & Lestremau Allen, L. (2023). An analysis of the statewide shortage of ABA professionals in New York. Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning, 16(1), 62-81. https://doi.org/10.14305/jn.19440413.2023.16.1.05 

Lestremau Allen, L. & Syed, N. (2024). Mentoring Autistic and Neurodivergent students: A universal design approach. All About Mentoring, 56, 72-90. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12648/14000

Yakubova, G., Leibowitz, L., Baer, B., Halawani, N. & Lestremau, L. (2019). Self-directed video prompting and least-to-most prompting: Examining ways of increasing vocational skill acquisition among students with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-019-0097-5

Dufrene, B.A., Lestremau Harpole, L., & Zoder-Martell, K. (2014).  Direct behavioral consultation: Effects on teachers’ praise and student disruptive behavior. Psychology in the Schools, 51, 567-580. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21768 

Dufrene, B. A., Lestremau Harpole, L., Sterling, H. E., Perry, E. J., Burton, B., & Zoder-Martell, K. (2013). Functional analysis identified habit reversal components for the treatment of motor tics. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 35(1), 41-62.

Zoder-Martell, K.A., Dufrene, B.A., Sterling, H.E., Tingstrom, D.H., Blaze, J.T., Duncan, N.G., & Lestremau Harpole, L. (2013). Effects of verbal and graphed feedback. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 29, 328-349. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2013.836776    

Dufrene, B. A., Parker, K. M., Menousek, K., Zhou, Qi, Lestremau Harpole, L., & Olmi, D. J. (2012). Direct behavioral consultation in Head Start to improve teacher use of praise and effective instruction delivery.  Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 22, 159-186. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2011.620817

Mercer, S. H., Dufrene, B. A., Zoder-Martell, K., Lestremau Harpole, L., Mitchell, R. R., & Blaze, J. T. (2012). Generalizability theory analysis of CBM maze reliability in third- through fifth-grade students. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 37(3), 183-190. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12648/15502

Mercer, S. H., Lestremau Harpole, L., Mitchell, R. R., McLemore, C., & Hardy, C. (2012). The impact of probe variability on brief experimental analysis of reading skills. School Psychology Quarterly, 27, 223-235. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000001