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Lehigh University Autism Services

Intervention programs for children (diagnosis to age 5) and their families.

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Our Clinic

Lehigh University Autism Services (LUAS) opened in 2018 with the mission of providing quality therapeutic services for young children with autism residing in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas, developing and disseminating research-based practices that improve the well-being of children with autism and their families and serving the local community. We are committed to providing culturally responsive services regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or religious preferences. Our practices rely on empirically validated interventions and best practices, including Applied Behavior Analysis, Pivotal Response Treatment and Positive Behavior Support. LUAS is a university-based autism services clinic housed within the Center for Promoting Research to Practice of the College of Education. We provide services within the clinic, home, community and school settings.

Our Objectives

To develop, advance and rigorously evaluate practices to improve the lives of children with autism and their families.
To deliver state-of-the-art evidence-based interventions and instructional programs to children with autism and their families.
To disseminate new knowledge through scholarship (e.g., books, journals, conferences) and popular media (news, op-eds).
To serve the needs of the Lehigh Valley community and beyond.
To train future generations of professionals to develop and implement best practices.

Services

Lehigh University Autism Services provides one-on-one therapy for children with autism. Our services are based in the science of applied behavior analysis and incorporate Pivotal Response Treatment among other evidence-based interventions. We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach and instead individualize all of our services to ensure we are meeting each child’s unique needs. Sessions can take place in the home, community, school or our clinic (located on Lehigh’s Mountaintop campus) and typically range from one to three hours in length. We work with children to develop a variety of skills including language, play, social and functional living skills. Each client’s program is developed and overseen by a clinician who is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Licensed Behavior Specialist (LBS).

Beginning Services with LUAS

LUAS is an Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) licensed agency within Pennsylvania, providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services to children under the age of 21 diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

Caregiver and Family Involvement

One goal of our services is to work with families to teach them the strategies to increase success across all environments. We request that caregivers participate in sessions with their child and the therapist. In addition, parents are required to work with the BCBA regularly to continue to develop their skill set.

Additional Information

Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA, is the science of behavior and based on both classical and operant conditioning. The overall goal is to change socially significant behaviors, collecting data to ensure that the interventions utilized are the causes of behavior change. In ABA therapy, the environment, including triggers and consequences (good and bad) of behavior, are evaluated and altered to increase prosocial behaviors and decrease challenging behaviors. The focus of most ABA therapy is to increase access to reinforcement. Though punishment has been used in the past, it is used infrequently now and only after a reinforcement-only approach has not been effective. ABA has been found to be effective for increasing a wide variety of prosocial skills (e.g., social skills, communication and language, independent living skills) and decreasing challenging behaviors.

Explore a career in Behavior Analysis.

Ivory, K. P., Chen, R., & Kern, L. (2019). “Oh, You Built a Sand-Castle”: Socially Valid Outcome Driven Family Conversation Intervention [The purpose of this study was to teach a preschool-aged child with autism to verbally and accurately respond to the cue, “What did you do in school today?” The study was run while the child attended camp at his preschool. The intervention consisted of systematic instruction with a prompting hierarchy, textual cues and embedded choice-making. The participant demonstrated an improved ability to report about his day when his parents asked him at the end of the camp day.]. Council for Exceptional Children Annual Meeting.

Wood, C. & Lauriello, J. C. (2021, September) Identifying why challenging behavior occurs: Tips for prevention. Autism Spectrum News , 14(2). https://autismspectrumnews.org/identifying-why-challenging-behavior-occurs-tips-for-prevention/

Wood, C., Thatcher, A., & Settanni, E. (2022, January). A guide to implement video self-monitoring to teach a variety of skills. Autism Spectrum News , 14(3). https://autismspectrumnews.org/a-guide-to-implement-video-self-modeling-to-teach-a-variety-of-skills/

Balzarotti, A., Wood C., & Settanni, E. (2022, April). Implementing peer support arrangements in schools. Autism Spectrum News , 14(4). https://autismspectrumnews.org/implementing-peer-support-arrangements-in...

Settanni, E. & Lauriello, J. C. (2022, July). A meeting of worlds: Multidisciplinary teams in autism research. Autism Spectrum News , (15(1). https://autismspectrumnews.org/a-meeting-of-worlds-multidisciplinary-teams-in-autism-treatment/

Kern, L., Croner Lauriello, J. C., & Settanni, E. (in press). Behavioral intervention techniques for increasing desirable behaviors. In P. Doehring, F.
Volkmar, & B. Reichow (Eds.). Evidence-Based Intervention Practices.

Kern, L., Settanni, E., & Croner Lauriello, J. C. (in press). Antecedent interventions. In P. Sturmey, R. Lang, & J. K. Luiselli (Eds.). Lifespan Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Evidence-Based Guide for Professionals and Families.

Community Resources

Check the ABA in PA Initiative website for an up-to-date provider directory for the state.

See the Directory

Join the Wait List

We currently provide Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) Applied Behavior Analysis programming to children with autism in Lehigh and Northampton Counties.

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Our Team

Dr. Lee Kern

Professor and Director of the Center for Promoting Research to Practice
Jennifer Lauriello, M.S.Ed., BCBA, LBS

Clinical Director, Lehigh University Autism Services
- emailjsc320@lehigh.edu
- smartphone610-758-2443
- location_onL111-B
Orina Mangano

Coordinator, Autism Services
- emailorm219@lehigh.edu
- smartphone610-758-5826
- location_onL107
Marissa Oertner

Behavior Analyst, Autism Services
- emailmao423@lehigh.edu
- smartphone610-758-3240
- location_onA117
Dr. Elise Settanni

Teaching Assistant Professor

Join the Team

Employee Benefits to working for LUAS

Competitive pay
Flexible schedule
Supervision for BCBA trainees
In-house continuing education and trainings

Complete the initial application for a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) position.

Advisory Council

The LUAS Advisory Council oversees quality assurance, discusses the overall program, and provides feedback on all aspect of LUAS’s program and operations. The Advisory Council consists of parents and professionals in the field of autism services. It consists of the following members:

Karen Stewart-Ramos
Pam Kattouf
Lynn Koegel
Mahim Shah
Tara Levinson