The Picky Eaters’ Club
General Inquiries
The Picky Eaters’ Club
General Inquiries
Lauren Abel, MS, BCBA, LBA / Founder, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Lauren Abel has been helping individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other learning challenges since she was a teenager. She knew at a very young age that she was called to be an agent of positive change within the special needs community. Lauren founded The Next Step Academy (TNSA), a non-profit day-treatment center which serves individuals from birth into adulthood, with a variety of service offerings to help them and their families navigate Autism and other developmental and learning challenges. TNSA currently serves over 30 families and has helped hundreds of families since it opened in 2005.
Lauren is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and is licensed and certified in several other therapeutic modalities. She is always looking for innovative ways to help individuals who are struggling to unlock their potential and be their best selves.
Lauren is passionate about developing dynamic solutions to real problems and offers private consultations, private sessions, professional education, a variety of curriculum options and staffing solutions through her work at TNSA. Her scope of practice reaches beyond the Autism Spectrum into a variety of other populations including individuals with PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, ADD/ADHD, Developmental Delays and many more.
Lauren is an innovator in creating treatment packages for her cases, putting empirically supported treatments together in dynamic ways that produce life changing results. She specializes in working with individuals who have severe or extreme behaviors, little or no language, complicated medical histories and/or those who don’t respond to other effective approaches.
As Chief Executive Officer at TNSA, Lauren is passionate about leading her team by example with an emphasis on innovation and teamwork in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Her commitment to growing TNSA as a leader in the field without compromising the organization's core values is unwavering. She is a firm believer in humble behaviorism and behavioral artistry, and is dedicated to spreading the work of ABA to populations beyond the Autism Spectrum. Lauren encourages TNSA and her team to prioritize personal well-being and to unlock their own potential so that they can become their best selves.
When she is not working, Lauren enjoys spending time with her family and friends, raising her three beautiful children, cooking, reading, writing and living her best life!
Address: 5400 Mitchelldale St C1 Houston, Texas 77092 | Email: info@thenextstepacademy.org
The Picky Eaters’ Club: 281-609-7333 | General Inquiries: 281-715-2888
Office Hours: Mon – Fri 8 – 4 | Service Hours: Mon – Fri 8 – 6 • Sat 8 – 1
The Next Step Academy is a Program of A Future for All, Inc, a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation Tax ID: 30-0448576
Founder's Statement
We are a Christian founded and managed organization. As a result we operate on and highly value biblical truth. We seek to be pleasing to God, according to His Word, in all that we say and do. We live out this founding principle through our commitment to our
core values.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT
Our Company is committed to the principles of equal employment. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities, and all other employment laws and regulations. It is our intent to maintain a work environment which is free of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation because of sex, gender, race, religion, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, military service, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local laws. The Company is dedicated to the fulfillment of this policy in regard to all aspects of employment, including but not limited to recruiting, hiring, placement, transfer, training, promotion, rates of pay, and other compensation, termination, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.