Holistic Development Center of RI was founded on a simple but powerful belief:
Young adults with disabilities deserve coordinated, holistic support as they transition into adulthood.
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With years of experience working in special education, Lauren Roth, Psy.D., and Kathryn Mahoney, M.Ed., saw firsthand how transformative their thoughtfully integrated programs could be. By combining their psychological, educational, and therapeutic expertise, they were able to address the emotional, social, and academic needs of their students in a comprehensive and effective way—resulting in meaningful behavioral and educational progress.
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But there was a problem.
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When students graduated or aged out of the school system, families were left struggling to find providers who could continue that level of coordinated care. Services became fragmented. Progress stalled. Families felt unsupported and discouraged during one of the most critical transition periods of life.
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In 2017, Lauren and Kathryn established Holistic Development Center of RI to fill that gap and to guide their clients into adulthood.
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Today, HDC serves southern RI residents providing support services for young adults with mild to moderate disabilities. These primarily include Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD, Down syndrome, and related diagnoses. Their expanded HDC team works collaboratively and holistically to address clinical, vocational, social, physical, and emotional needs—because sustainable growth happens when the whole person is supported.
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At HDC, each client follows a personalized roadmap designed to build independence, confidence, and meaningful adult outcomes. Our team combines structure with flexibility, accountability with compassion, and goal-setting with real-world application.
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For families, we offer partnership and continuity of care.
For healthcare providers, we offer collaboration and clinical integrity.
For professionals seeking purposeful work, we offer a mission-driven environment where interdisciplinary teamwork truly matters.
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We believe adulthood is not just a destination—it is a journey. And our role is to help individuals navigate that journey with skill, resilience, and joy.
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Lauren and Kathryn’s combined expertise in psychology, education, and therapeutic services remains the foundation of HDC’s holistic model of success—and continues to guide the growth of our organization today.
Our Clients
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Although many of the individuals we serve have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and require mild to moderate support, we also serve those with a variety of different disabilities and social/emotional challenges. Our clients are supported with all aspects of independent living including cooking, cleaning, shopping, employment, money management, making healthy choices, social engagement exercising, and recreation.
