Dr. Lauren Lestremau Allen is a Licensed Psychologist (NY, MD), 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 at SUNY Empire State College in the Applied Behavior Analysis Master of Science program. The program prioritizes compassionate, 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), which was recently designated as an Autism Supportive College. 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. At SUNY Empire, Dr. Allen serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, the Allyship and Advocacy Working Group, the PRODiG Pipeline Committee, and the Graduate Studies and Policies Committee. Dr. Allen recently collaborated with colleagues in CAARES and the Anderson Center for Autism to host the second annual Partners in Applied Behavior Analysis Conference: Quality of Life Across the Lifespan in November 2022.
Beyond SUNY Empire, Dr. Allen serves as a hub team member for the Anderson Center for Autism ECHO Autism Best Practices, 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 on the NYSABA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee; the Association for University Centers of Disabilities Workgroup on Applied Behavior Analysis; the College Autism Network Research Symposium Committee; and on the Anderson Center Capital Region Advisory Group.
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 evidence-based 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 Neurodiversity-affirming care that promotes autonomy and self-determination.
Read more:
- Lauren Lestremau Allen Curriculum Vita
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-lestremau-allen/
- ESC MS in ABA Program
- ESC Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, & Supports (CAARES)
- CAARES & Anderson Center for Autism Annual Partners in Applied Behavior Analysis Conference
- Autism ECHO Best Practices
Degrees
- Master of Arts in Psychology from
- Bachelor of Science in Psychology from
Publications
Manuscripts Submitted and in Preparation:
Lestremau Allen, L. & Syed, N. (2022). Mentoring Autistic and Neurodivergent students: A universal design approach. Manuscript accepted to All About Mentoring.
Lestremau Allen, L., Syed, N., & Mellon, E. (2022). Neurodiversity-affirming applied behavior analysis. Manuscript submitted for review.
Lestremau Allen, L., Boyle, J., Hess, B., & Muller, E. (2022). Distance learning for special education students: A pilot evaluation of a distance learning model. Manuscript submitted for review.
Mellon, L., Syed, N., & Lestremau Allen, L. (2022). An analysis of the statewide shortage of ABA professionals in New York. Manuscript submitted for review.
Lestremau Allen, L., Yakubova, G., & Leibowitz, L. (2022). Examining the effects of audio and video prompting strategies on skill acquisition of students with developmental disabilities. Manuscript in preparation.
Lestremau Allen, L., Rader, B., Ranade, E., Boucher, M., Boyle, J., & Hess, B. (2022). Behavior skills training to increase intact learn unit presentations by school-based special educators. Manuscript in preparation.
Published Works:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.