Speech Pathology Group Announces Buyout of Comprehensive Autism Center

Add Comprehensive Autism Centers (CAC) to the list of investments in Ridgemont Equity Partners’ portfolio. Walnut Creek, California-based speech therapy provider Speech Pathology Group (SPG) has reached a deal to acquire CAC, a Southern California-based autism services provider of applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapies. Ridgemont — a Charlotte, North Carolina-based middle market private equity firm […]

Little Leaves Behavioral Services Opens New Autism Center, Announces Plans for Others

Little Leaves Behavioral Services has its eyes set on growth: The applied behavioral analysis provider has opened a new children’s autism center in Germantown, Maryland. It also has new locations in the works elsewhere in Maryland, Virginia and Florida, the company announced. Silver Spring, Maryland-based Little Leaves is a division of special education and instructional […]

Tech-Enabled Pediatric Behavioral Health Startup Emilio Health Raises $5M

Emilio Health, a technology-enabled behavioral health startup, has raised $5 million in seed funding. Oak HC/FT provided the funding, which will allow Emilio Health to open its first clinics, launch its digital platform and grow its leadership team. Palo Alto, California-based Emilio Health launched in October, with the goal being to improve the way behavioral […]

American Academy of Pediatrics Updates Autism Guidelines

The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated its guidelines for autism diagnosis and treatment for the first time since 2007. The recommendations were published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. The goal is to help pediatricians identify children who could have the disorder and to intervene as soon as possible. While past guidelines have focused on […]

As Children With Autism Grow Up, Care Gaps Widen

While children are usually at the forefront of the discussion surrounding autism services, the disorder doesn’t go away in adulthood; it’s a lifelong condition. Yet, adults with autism are often faced with far fewer treatment options and less information about their choices than their younger counterparts. That’s according to a recent study by Case Western […]

M&A Advisor: With Highest Multiples in Behavioral Health, Autism Market is ‘Out of Control’

As the need for behavioral health services continues to increase, so does buyer interest in the $230 billion industry, which advisors say is growing 4% every year. However, all deals in the space are not created equal. For example, despite being one of the smallest and most immature subsectors within behavioral health care, the $7 […]

Autism Deals Dominate Behavioral Health Sector in Q3 

Autism deals accounted for nearly half of all behavioral health transactions in the third quarter of 2019, according to data from mergers and acquisitions advisory firm Mertz Taggart. Eight of the quarter’s 19 behavioral health deals can be attributed to autism and applied behavioral analysis (ABA) service providers. Private equity platforms are among the largest […]

$1.8B Autism Funding Bill to Expand Access to Services

The Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act — or the Autism CARES Act — has been reauthorized for another five years. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on Sept. 30. It authorizes more than $1.8 billion in federal autism funding for 2020 through 2024. The money will help finance autism programs […]

Behavioral Health Care Deals Down 35% in Q3 2019

Behavioral health care acquisitions were down 35% in the third quarter of 2019. The drop reflects both month-over-month and year-over-year changes. Q3 2019 saw only 17 publicly announced deals, while Q2 2019 and Q3 2018 each saw 26 deals. That’s according to acquisition data from HealthCareMandA.com, which part of Irving Levin Associates, a publisher of […]