Families First
Parents and caregivers are partners in treatment. We train, coach, and plan alongside you so progress continues between sessions.
About Us
Small enough to know your family.
Small enough to know your family.
Skilled enough to change what's possible.
Developing Minds Therapy Services was built on a simple belief: therapy works best when it's individualized, collaborative, and focused on the skills that matter in real life.
Our Mission
Lasting, socially significant change
We provide distinctive therapy services to create lasting and socially significant changes for children and their families. That phrase, socially significant, guides everything we do. It means we don't chase progress on paper; we build skills your child will actually use: communicating with the people they love, navigating school and community, and growing in independence.
It's why we anchored our practice to naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBI), led by the Early Start Denver Model, one of the most rigorously researched early interventions in autism care, and why our care is neuroaffirming from the first session: child-led, strengths-based, and built on the belief that your child doesn't need to be fixed to be supported.
How We Work
Collaboration is our clinical model
Great outcomes don't come from a therapist working alone. They come from a team, and your family leads it.
Dedicated Staff
Our clinicians deliver NDBI-based ABA with warmth, consistency, and genuine care, and their work is held to BHCOE's independent standards.
Outside Providers
We coordinate with schools, physicians, and other therapists so your child's whole care team is pulling in the same direction.
Clinical Leadership
Meet the clinician behind the model
LenEll Kelley, MAP, BCBA, LBA
Founder · Director of Clinical Services
LenEll Kelley founded Developing Minds Therapy Services and leads it as Director of Clinical Services. She has worked in applied behavior analysis since 1991: more than three decades devoted to children with autism, ADHD, and other developmental disabilities, and to the families raising them.
LenEll is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Missouri Licensed Behavior Analyst with a Master's in Applied Psychology from the University of Arkansas, and a certified Early Start Denver Model therapist. Before founding Developing Minds, she examined complex brain function in children with developmental disabilities, autism, and ADHD at the National Center for Toxicological Research with the FDA, work recognized with the NCTR Achievement Award in 2001 and the Behavioral Toxicology Research Excellence Award in 2002. Her clinical interests span naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions, social skills development, executive functioning, coping skills, and parent support.
She is also the co-founder of Finding Moments, an online and podcast-based company supporting parents raising children in an ever-changing world. Under her leadership, Developing Minds has held BHCOE accreditation since 2020. Away from the clinic, you'll find her with her family, kayaking with her dog, volunteering with Girl Scouts, painting, or in the garden.
BCBA
Missouri LBA
ESDM Certified
M.A. Applied Psychology
The Difference
Not all autism therapy is built the same
Families comparing providers deserve to know exactly what they're comparing. Here's how our approach differs from a conventional ABA clinic.
| Conventional ABA clinic | Developing Minds | |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching style | Often adult-directed, with repeated table-based drills | Child-led naturalistic teaching: goals embedded in play your child chooses |
| Model evidence | General ABA principles | A specific model validated in randomized controlled trials |
| Goal philosophy | May include compliance- or masking-oriented goals | Neuroaffirming goals that improve daily life, never mask identity |
| Beyond ABA | ABA only; families coordinate the rest | Social skills groups and caregiver coaching under one roof |
| Accountability | Internal quality reviews | Independently accredited by BHCOE since 2020 |
Inclusion Matters
Every family belongs here
Inclusion isn't a program at Developing Minds; it's a value woven through our services. Every form of communication is honored here, and our social skills groups are intentionally built around connection, belonging, and friendship.
We believe every child deserves to be understood, and every family deserves a seat at the table.
See How We Serve Families
Accreditation
Held to a higher standard
Developing Minds has been accredited by the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE) since 2020: an independent evaluation of clinical quality, staff qualifications, and consumer satisfaction in ABA therapy.