Center for Autism and Related Disorders

The Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. (CARD), founded in 1990 by Doreen Granpeesheh, is among the largest autism treatment organizations in the world. CARD provides a range of services for children and adults on the autism spectrum. These services include home-based, intensive behavioral interventions based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), as well as diagnostic and psychological assessments.

Center for Autism and Related Disorders
Incorporation
Founded1990
FounderDoreen Granpeesheh, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
ServicesABA-based therapies, including early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) and social skills training
DivisionsAutism Care and Treatment (ACT) Today!
CARD Academy
Websitecenterforautism.com

The Blackstone Group, a private equity firm, acquired CARD in 2018. Granpeesheh and CARD management invested in the company alongside Blackstone. Granpeesheh remains CEO of CARD.[1][2]

Theoretical assumptions

CARDs philosophy and behavioral approach assumes the following to be true:

  • Recovery from autism exists.
  • All people within the autism spectrum are capable of learning.
  • Everything a person says or does is considered behavior.
  • Behavior can be improved and enhanced via learning opportunities.

While Granpeesheh believes that all people with ASDs are capable of learning and recovery, she states there is currently no way to predict the outcome of treatment for any individual.[3]

Behavioral treatment

CARD uses early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI), that focuses on encouraging appropriate behaviors and replacing destructive behaviors while also teaching the child all the skills they are lacking, for as long as 30–40 hours per week.

Most of the clients treated at CARD enter the program at age two and receive intensive services over the course of four years, with the ultimate goal of recovery at age six. For these children, the first year of treatment consists of intensive work on language and behavior with progression into social skills in the second year, more abstract cognitive and executive functioning skills in the third, and a gradual fade-out of services in the final year. The intensive services are usually provided initially in the child's home, with a transition to the child's school and community as the child's age allows. For older clients, aged ten to 21, CARD focuses on independent living skills, successful employment, development of leisure activities, friendships and attending school.

The content of CARD's curriculum addresses all areas of human functioning across the following eight domains: language, play, social skills, motor, academic, adaptive skills, cognition and executive functioning.[3]

Clinical outcomes

Studies on the outcome of CARD treatment have demonstrated that intensive 25 or more hours per week of treatment, beginning at a young age, results in recovery for some children.[4] However, methodological shortcomings, including unclear validity of the initial ABA diagnosis, limit any conclusion that can be made from the study.[5]

Documentary

Staff members at CARD, as well as four families whose children received treatment from them, were featured in the documentary Recovered: Journeys Through the Autism Spectrum and Back. It was directed and edited by Michele Jaquis in collaboration with Granpeesheh. The film won the Best Documentary award at the 2008 Director's Chair Film Festival,[6] and was an official selection at the 2008 Victoria Independent Film Festival.[7] It received an award at the 2009 ReelHeART International Film Festival.[8]

References
  1. Yuk, Pan Kwan (13 April 2018). "Blackstone acquires autism care specialist CARD". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  2. "Blackstone to Buy Center for Autism and Related Disorders". Wall Street Journal. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  3. Siri, Ken; Lyons, Tony; Arranga, Teri (2010). Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-61608-025-9.
  4. Granpeesheh, D.; Tarbox, J.; Dixon, D. R.; Carr, E.; Herbert, M. (2009). "Retrospective analysis of clinical records in 38 cases of recovery from autism". Annals of Clinical Psychiatry (21): 195–204. PMID 19917210.
  5. Bölte S (October 2014). "Is autism curable?". Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 56 (10): 927–31. doi:10.1111/dmcn.12495. PMID 24840630.
  6. "The Director's Chair Film Festival 2008". Archived from the original on 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  7. Victoria Independent Film Festival 2008
  8. ReelHeART International Film Festival 2009 Archived 2009-03-26 at the Wayback Machine
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