When Kim Hoehne, owner and CEO of KGH Autism Services, was five years old, she knew what she wanted to be when she grew up.
“I’d tell people I want to wear Mickey Mouse t-shirts and help kids,” Hoehne told Autism Business News. “I had no idea what that meant, but that is what it looked like in my mind.”
Today, she knows exactly what her younger self meant.
Since Hoehne began KGH Autism Services in 2001, it has grown from an applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy clinic into a neurodiversity-affirming, interdisciplinary autism therapy center. The organization focuses on whole-family support and whole-child care, working with individuals from early childhood through young adulthood.
Hoehne’s center, which serves Chicagoland’s North Shore and Madison, Wisconsin, offers a variety of services, including neuropsych evaluations for autism, an early learner school readiness program, ABA therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, mental health care and group services.
KGH offers help inside the center and out.
“We serve clients where they need us. That includes center, home, day care, virtual, schools, or in the community,” Hoehne said.
Her road to founding KGH began in 1993, as a sophomore in college studying psychology. Hoehne was looking to make some extra money and happened upon a flier seeking someone to work with an autistic child named Johnny for $8 an hour.
“Next thing I knew, I was knocking on the door of this little boy’s house,” she said. “Upon entering, this cute little boy, who refused to make eye contact, gave me this worn out, well-loved teddy bear. His father quickly offered me the job.”
It turned out that Hoehne was the first person Johnny ever offered his bear to.
She worked with Johnny 2.5 hours a day, six days a week for more than three years.
“I was forced to quickly learn not only how to teach a child with autism, but also what to teach a child with autism,” Hoehne said. “We went through tough times and intense behaviors. Along the way, I learned a great deal about autism, as well as how autism affects the family.”
Building from the bear
Now, with over 30 years of experience under Hoehne’s belt, KGH is thriving. Her company currently has 120 employees between the Chicago and Madison locations, serving 180 clients per month with consistent and steady growth.
Hoehne said staff includes numerous clinical positions, including board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs), registered behavior technicians (RBTs), behavior technicians (BTs), speech language pathologists (SLPs), occupational therapists (OTs), licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs), licensed clinical professional counselors (LCPCs), psychologists and seasoned clinicians as interdisciplinary center directors.
“KGH also has senior clinical staff who support and mentor their respective discipline clinicians, as well as numerous clinical operations positions to fully support the behind the scenes so clinicians can keep their focus on our clients and not get bogged down by things such as billing, intake, scheduling, authorizations, timecards, etc.,” Hoehne said.
KGH specializes in early childhood and support through young adulthood. A dedicated team of therapists across multiple disciplines meet and collaborate on each child’s development and progress regularly. The team develops personalized treatment programs with a focus on clear, measurable and meaningful results, Hoehne said.
Unlike other centers that have children age out when they reach school age, KGH offers support for clients and their children for as long as they need.
In 2024, KGH became the first Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ) accredited organization through The Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP) in the states of Illinois and Wisconsin, according to Hoehne.
The ACQ accreditation certifies that KGH meets rigorous standards on client care, administration and transparency, and has demonstrated a commitment to delivering the highest standard of care.
Taking on industry challenges
Establishing an accredited organization in the Midwest doesn’t happen without facing difficulties over the years.
Having been in the industry for over three decades, Hoehne recognizes that there are macro forces that shape autism services. She said that when she started in 1993, the prevalence of autism in children was 34 in 10,000 – and now it’s 1 in 36, according to the CDC.
With autism rates on the rise, much of the therapy industry is now facing a shortage of qualified professionals, especially BCBAs and RBTs.
Hoehne said that high turnover rates and burnout can often make retention difficult as well.
“We can’t service individuals if we don’t have qualified professionals who are happy, relaxed and engaged employees,” Hoehne said.
KGH is working to overcome retention challenges by initiating an RBT career progress within the organization that is intentional and meaningful to employees.
“We are currently conducting focus groups to learn more about scheduling pain points and what growth opportunities RBTs would like to have available to them,” Hoehne said.
Insurance and reimbursement pressures are also an obstacle KGH is currently navigating.
“With insurance companies mandated to cover autism therapy services, it has been both rewarding and a challenge,” Hoehne said. “While coverage has expanded, providers face challenges with low reimbursement rates, lengthy and complex authorizations, and credentialing processes.”
KGH is trying to overcome insurance contract negotiation challenges by improving lines of communication through calls and emails. Hoehne also stresses sharing data and results, along with the value-add that her company provides with its model.
“[And then we] repeat [those things] day-in and day-out, because failing is not an option,” Hoehne added.
According to Hoehne, another big challenge in the industry includes increased demand for lifespan services.
“The first wave of children diagnosed in the 1990s have reached adulthood and there is an enormous need for vocational training, independent living programs, housing, and social skills support for teens and adults,” she said.
Hoehne also sees a push for outcome-based care models. Stakeholders are focused on measurable outcomes and what that should look like from a clinical perspective, a financial and funding perspective, and a Qualify of Life (QoL) perspective, she said.
“We must demonstrate clinical progress and ROI for the services delivered,” Hoehne explained. “The hard part is that all the stakeholders are not in agreement on how and what the measures and metrics [are].”
Future plans and priorities
While tackling industry challenges, KGH is also looking for new ways to reach clients and deliver the best care possible.
The center has developed an early learners program, which is designed to prepare early childhood clients with the skills needed to be successful in a kindergarten classroom.
“In addition to providing a developmental-focused ABA therapy, our program includes speech therapy and occupational therapy,” Hoehne said. “Our proprietary Natural Development Behavior Intervention (NDBI) assessment tool provides our staff with the necessary pre-requisite skills that are vital to teaching our clients to be active, natural learners who can learn on their own.”
Moving forward, Hoehne said KGH will continue to mentor staff to be better leaders through its internal initiatives.
“Specifically, how our model has an effect on overall caregiver satisfaction, speed of client progress and staff satisfaction,” Hoehne said. “We hear of the positive impact anecdotally, but it is time to prove it now.”
Hoehne’s goal for KGH: to be recognized as the Midwest’s premier autism therapy center within the next five years.
“It started with a desire to help a little boy named Johnny, and that has blossomed into several therapists with similar desires and goals to do what we can to help our clients achieve their maximum potential,” Hoehne told ABN.
