The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) has elected Breanne Hartley, its new board of directors president.  She will replace outgoing president SungWoo Kahng, who served on the board for the past seven years, according to LinkedIn. Founded in 1988, BACB is an organization dedicated to autism professionals. It offers certification programs for Board Certified Behavior […]

The federal government committed tens of millions of dollars to promote research and services for people with autism. The United States Senate Committee on Appropriations recently approved $84 million in total funding for programs dedicated to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodivergent conditions. “While significant progress has been made in the understanding of autism, […]

San Francisco-based Forta is no longer paying parents to become registered behavior technicians (RBTs) for their own children. The pivot moves the health care and technology startup away from a model that many in the autism therapy industry found controversial since the industry’s top certification board forbids parents from providing such care to their children. […]

Starting and scaling a company is hard. Entrepreneurship in autism therapy presents an especially unique set of challenges that distinguish it from other industries. In short, no one has figured the industry out. Despite the overwhelming demand for autism therapy services, several nearly unsolvable structural issues require immediate and constant strategic attention. Further, the incumbent […]

Legislators are advancing a landmark bill through the Senate, the sole federal legislation dedicated to autism research and services. The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions passed the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support (CARES) Act of 2024 in an overwhelming 20-1 vote. The bill would bookmark $2 billion in federal […]

In June, Endeavor Behavioral Institute, a comprehensive behavioral therapy center located in Houston, Texas, celebrated its 10th anniversary. But according to Operations Manager Amber Scheurich, with big transitions on the horizon, the best is yet to come for the institute. Founded in 2014 by Lynsey Jackson, Endeavor Behavioral serves the greater Houston area, providing applied […]

Hopebridge opens 22nd Indiana location  Large autism provider Hopebridge is opening a new location in Munster, Indiana. Hopebridge will now have 22 locations in Indiana. The facility will offer diagnostic and applied behavior analysis evaluations, pediatric therapy, care navigation services, parent training and specialized therapies. Care teams will be made up of board-certified behavior analysts, […]

Autism therapy organizations that  provide holistic care models often do so to their financial detriment, with the aim of moving the needle for the patients and families for which they care.  The fee-for-service paradigm often fails to compensate — either at all or adequately — for the nonclinical aspects of providers’ and other employees’ time […]

M&A activity in the autism treatment industry appears to be picking up. On July 22, private equity-backed ABA Connect announced that it acquired ABA Therapy of Houston, bumping its footprint to 12 facilities across Texas and Colorado. Then, on July 24, Behavioral Framework announced it acquired Behavior Consultation & Psychological Services (BCPS). Together, the transactions […]

Private equity-backed ABA Connect has acquired ABA Therapy of Houston, bringing its footprint to 12 facilities across Texas and Colorado. The acquisition bolsters ABA Connect’s foothold in the greater Houston area, complementing its existing facility in nearby Katy, Texas. The company’s CEO, Jessie Smedley, called ABA Therapy of Houston a “natural addition.” “In our early […]