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Private Equity in Autism Services
Independent researchers documented the rapid expansion of private equity into autism-service delivery. This research is essential context for why ownership transparency matters.
Read the full peer-reviewed study ↗Arnold DR, Reddy M, Cantor J, et al. “Private Equity in Autism Services.” JAMA Pediatrics. 2026;180(3):341–343. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.5443.
The article is available free in full text through PubMed Central.
What the researchers did
The research team searched for private-equity acquisitions in autism services, manually verified and expanded the list using public data, press releases, and company websites, then mapped service sites as of December 31, 2024. Most identified acquisitions occurred between 2018 and 2022.
How ABAEthics.org uses this research
This study explains the industry context. It does not automatically classify a particular organization on this directory. Each public organization-level ownership statement must have its own evidence on file, and historical transactions are labeled as historical rather than presented as current ownership.
Why this resource belongs here: families, practitioners, researchers, and journalists deserve both the published context and a way to inspect the evidence for individual organizations.
Publisher record at JAMA Pediatrics ↗ · Brown University research news ↗
More published research on private equity in autism services
Private Equity Stakeholder Project. “Private equity’s autism therapy boom is straining Medicaid.” April 2026.
Its appendix lists the largest private equity-backed ABA providers, with facility counts, states served, other brands, and current investors, drawn from PitchBook and LevinPro for January 2018 to January 2026. The report notes the list is likely an undercount.
Batt R, Appelbaum E, Nguyen QT. “Pocketing Money Meant for Kids: Private Equity in Autism Services.” Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). June 14, 2023.
Covers autism insurance mandates and payment models, the private equity business model in autism services, private equity buyouts of autism service providers, and a case study of Blackstone’s takeover of CARD.
As with the study above, these reports give industry context. They do not by themselves set the ownership label on any organization in this directory; each organization-level statement carries its own evidence.