The Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. (CARD) is a business that administers

applied behavior analysis Applied behavior analysis (ABA), also referred to as behavioral engineering, is a behavior modification system based on the principles of respondent and operant conditioning. ABA is the applied form of behavior analysis; the other two are: ...

(ABA) to

autistic Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...

people.

History

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 Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. Methods that have ...

The Blackstone Group Blackstone Inc. is an American alternative investment management company based in New York City. It was founded in 1985 as a mergers and acquisitions firm by Peter G. Peterson, Peter Peterson and Stephen A. Schwarzman, Stephen Schwarzman, who h ...

, a private equity firm, acquired CARD in 2018. Granpeesheh and the management at CARD invested in the company alongside Blackstone, and Granpeesheh remained the CEO until December 2019, when she was replaced by Anthony Kilgore and moved into the role of executive director. In February 2022, Kilgore resigned for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Jennifer Webster. On June 12, 2023, the company filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

. The following month, an agreement was reached to sell the company back to a consortium headed by Granpeesheh for $48.5m.

Documentary

CARD co-produced (with Granpeesheh) and distributed '' Recovered: Journeys Through the Autism Spectrum and Back,'' a 2008

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

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, despite the fact that there is no known cure for autism. 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." 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.

References

External links

Association for Behavior Analysis Newsletter - Volume 28, 2005, Number 1

RECOVERED Journeys Through the Autism Spectrum and Back
{{DEFAULTSORT:Center For Autism And Related Disorders Autism-related organizations based in the United States Organizations based in California Organizations established in 1990 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023 Mental health organizations based in California 1990 establishments in California Sensory accommodations