Our Team

Dr. Buchanan provides Autism New Jersey with clinical and operational leadership; disseminates information regarding evidence-based intervention to parents, professionals, and the media; and advises public policy efforts from a clinical perspective. She and her colleagues have led multiple successful advocacy campaigns including but not limited to rolling back policies that would have decreased the availability of housing for adults with autism, establishing state licensure for the practice of behavior analysis, and facilitating Medicaid coverage of ABA for children with autism.

Dr. Buchanan also authored a paper on the effectiveness of Applied Behavior Analysis for adults with autism that was part of the justification for removing the state’s age cap on its autism insurance mandate paving the way to a new funding source for treatment for adults with autism. She also serves on the New Jersey Attorney General’s Statewide Steering Committee to Address Mental Health and Special Needs Populations. Her interests include family resilience, informed decision-making about autism intervention, and contributing to the development and implementation of state policies that impact the autism community and the professionals who support them.

Lauren Frederick earned her master’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University and has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2003. She has more than 20 years of experience working with individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities in a variety of settings, including schools, homes, residential programs, and hospitals. Lauren has extensive experience utilizing the principles of ABA to assess and treat severe problem behaviors in individuals with autism. She has spent many years working in senior clinical and administrative leadership positions as well as in training and education roles. She has presented at numerous regional and national conferences and works as an adjunct professor for a graduate-level ABA program. Lauren served as a clinical leader at a large pediatric hospital where she helped integrate the principles of ABA into the medical care of individuals with autism and other behavioral health concerns. Most recently, she worked as the autism and ABA expert for a government contractor to assist in providing access to ABA for military families.

Lauren’s work at Autism New Jersey focuses on promoting and providing high-quality, evidence-based education and resources to families and professionals. In addition, Lauren’s unique experience in healthcare makes her uniquely qualified to establish and lead Autism New Jersey’s newest initiative which will focus improving access to safe, high-quality compassionate healthcare for individuals with autism . Lauren focuses on building partnerships with healthcare providers across New Jersey as well as providing education to families and professionals on best-practices in supporting individuals with autism within healthcare settings.

Joe has spent his nearly twenty-year career using the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and speech-language pathology to improve the lives of individuals with autism in a variety of positions and settings. He started his career as an instructional aide in a school setting and later worked as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) in private and public-school settings. In 2015, Joe transitioned into administration and worked in director roles at both a private school for individuals with autism as well as an autism services agency. Joe is passionate about BCBA/SLP collaboration, the effective integration of educational and assistive technology, and modern curricula/assessment as key areas to enhance clinical outcomes. Read more>>

Autism New Jersey is proud to announce the appointment of Laura Console to the role of Public Policy Director. Console joins Autism New Jersey following a decade of bi-partisan service to the State of New Jersey. Most recently, she served as Senior Policy Advisor to Governor Murphy for nearly four years, where she guided and supported statewide education policy development and implementation for preschool through higher education. Read more>>