- Autism & Developmental Services
Autism & Developmental Services
In 1991, Andrew Vaughan began working with children from birth to 5. He gained a wealth of varied experiences working with children and families in three settings: (1) a center-based special education school, (2) a hospital, and (3) a home-based agency. Andrew went on to earn a Combined Clinical & School Psychology Ph.D. from Hofstra University in 1995, graduating first in his class. Dr. Vaughan and his partners have written the book Maximum Strength Parenting To Raise Maximum Strength Children, as well as the FEATS – Family-Friendly Evaluation And Teaching System, a comprehensive developmental system for children birth to age 5. Dr. Vaughan presents workshops and Grand Rounds on a variety of topics, including Autism, Developmental Assessments/Milestones, the EI & CPSE Programs, Early Childhood Mental Health, Sleep, and Parenting and Behavior Management.
In 1996 Dr. Vaughan and his partners founded Up Wee Grow, Inc., a NYS approved Early Intervention agency providing home- and community-based evaluations, therapy, and service coordination to children birth to age 5 in Nassau, Suffolk, and all 5 Boroughs of New York City. Dr. Vaughan had both clinical and executive roles at Up Wee Grow for 28 years, until 2024, when it was acquired by Achieve Beyond. Dr. Vaughan now proudly continues his clinical work at Achieve Beyond in all 5 Boroughs of NYC and on Long Island. He conducts mostly home-based and some office-based developmental- and diagnostic-evaluations for children from birth to age 5.
Lauren has been a practicing Speech Language Pathologist for more than 35 years. Most recently, Lauren was a co-founder of Up Wee Grow, Inc, a NYS approved Early Intervention and CPSE program providing evaluations and services to children and families birth through 5 years of age. Since co-founding Up Wee Grow, Inc in 1996, Lauren helped lead the agency for the 28 years of its existence while simultaneously following her passion to work with children by practicing clinically and conducting evaluations. Achieve Beyond’s acquisition of Up Wee Grow in 2024 enables Lauren to further pursue her desire to make a difference in the lives of others, because if those who can don’t, who will?
Lauren received her Bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology from Queens College and her Masters of Science in Speech Pathology from Adelphi University. She is ASHA certified and holds a NYS license in Speech Language Pathology as well as a Teacher of the Speech and Hearing Handicapped Certification. Lauren is also the co-author of the book Maximum Strength Parenting to Raise Maximum Strength Children. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and five grandchildren.
