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Center for Autism and Related Disorders

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Center for Autism and Related Disorders
Company typeIncorporation
Founded1990
FounderDoreen Granpeesheh, Ph.D., B.C.B.A.-D.
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
ServicesABA-based therapies, including early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) and social skills training
DivisionsCARD Academy
Websitecenterforautism.com

The Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. (CARD) is a business that administers applied behavior analysis (ABA) to autistic people.

CARD was founded in 1990 by Doreen Granpeesheh, a former graduate student of Ole Ivar Løvaas, the UCLA psychology professor who popularized the use of ABA on autistic children and was influential in the formal development of conversion therapy.[1][2][3] The Blackstone Group, a private equity firm, acquired CARD in 2018. Granpeesheh and the management at CARD invested in the company alongside Blackstone,[4][5] and Granpeesheh remained the CEO until December 2019, when she was replaced by Anthony Kilgore and moved into the role of executive director.[6] In February 2022, Kilgore resigned for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Jennifer Webster.[7] On June 12, 2023, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[8] The following month, an agreement was reached to sell the company back to a consortium headed by Granpeesheh for $48.5m.[9]

Documentary

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CARD co-produced (with Granpeesheh) and distributed Recovered: Journeys Through the Autism Spectrum and Back, a 2008 documentary about four children that the organization claims completely "recovered" from autism and co-occurring intellectual disability as a result of the intensive, longterm ABA they administered,[10] despite the fact that there is no known cure for autism.[11][12] In the film, Granpeesheh stated, "There's a lot of scientific research that shows children recover from autism, and yet, still, the medical community in general is not aware of how prevalent recovery is. More than half of the children receiving intervention at an early age recover completely."[10] The film was directed and edited by Michele Jaquis in collaboration with Granpeesheh and won the Best Documentary award at the 2008 Director's Chair Film Festival.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Families cling to hope of autism 'recovery'". Los Angeles Times. 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
  2. ^ Bowman, Rachel A.; Baker, Jeffrey P.; on behalf of Duke University School of Medicine (2014-03-01). "Screams, Slaps, and Love: The Strange Birth of Applied Behavior Analysis". Pediatrics. 133 (3): 364–366. doi:10.1542/peds.2013-2583. ISSN 0031-4005.
  3. ^ Gibson, Margaret F.; Douglas, Patty (2018-10-16). "Disturbing Behaviours: Ole Ivar Lovaas and the Queer History of Autism Science". Catalyst: Feminism, Theory, Technoscience. 4 (2): 1–28. doi:10.28968/cftt.v4i2.29579. ISSN 2380-3312.
  4. ^ "Blackstone to Buy Center for Autism and Related Disorders". Wall Street Journal. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  5. ^ Yuk, Pan Kwan (13 April 2018). "Blackstone acquires autism care specialist CARD". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  6. ^ Bryant, Bailey (2020-10-22). "Bolstered by Recent Tech Investments, CARD Gears Up for Growth in 2021". Behavioral Health Business. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  7. ^ "Center for Autism and Related Disorders Announces Senior Leadership Changes". finance.yahoo.com. 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  8. ^ "Blackstone-Owned Autism Treatment Provider Files for Bankruptcy". Wall Street Journal. June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  9. ^ "Autism treatment center gets US bankruptcy court approval for $48.5 million sale". Reuters. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  10. ^ a b Autism Live (2021-12-05). Recovered: Journeys Through the Autism Spectrum and Back. Retrieved 2025-05-17 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ Myers SM, Johnson CP (November 2007). "Management of children with autism spectrum disorders". Pediatrics. 120 (5): 1162–1182. doi:10.1542/peds.2007-2362. PMID 17967921.
  12. ^ Levy SE, Mandell DS, Schultz RT (November 2009). "Autism". The Lancet. 374 (9701): 1627–1638. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61376-3. PMC 2863325. PMID 19819542. (Erratum: doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61666-8,  [1])
  13. ^ "The Director's Chair Film Festival 2008". Archived from the original on 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
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