Our Mission

The Council of Autism Service Providers supports our members by cultivating, sharing, and advocating for provider best practices in autism services.

The Council of Autism Service Providers is a non-profit association of for-profit and not-for-profit agencies serving individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Our member agencies care for more than 50,000 children and adults with autism across the United States and have collective revenues approaching 1 billion dollars.

CASP represents the autism provider community to the nation at large including government, payers, and the general public. We serve as a force for change, providing information and education and promoting standards that enhance quality.

Purpose

Founders of CASP recognized the need for a strong national voice for autism providers.

While there are successful associations representing parents and self-advocate, the priorities of these groups may not always align with the needs of provider agencies, including the need to establish standards of care and treatment. CASP and its member organizations recognize that a failure to act may be risky. Consumers and payers are demanding results and CASP is working to establish standards and define expected outcomes of quality and evidence-based treatment.

CASP is a rapidly-growing association with the following goals:

Ensure quality, safe and most effective care
Promote continuous quality improvement
Help to ensure that the money spent for care and treatment is directed to the most effective, evidence-based practices
Represent providers of care to government, payers, and the public
Write and share public policies that balance effective treatment and economic principles

Evidence Based Practice

CASP is committed to promoting the use of evidence-based practice (EBP) for the clients served by our member organizations. To date, applied behavior analysis has the strongest evidence for supporting persons on the autism spectrum. EBP in applied behavior analytic service delivery entails the integration of clinical expertise, the best research evidence for delivering behavioral intervention, and well-articulated ethical standards. The best research evidence comes from sound experimental methodology that demonstrates functional control of teaching or clinical procedures over target behavior.

CASP acknowledges that some of the services provided by member organizations may have emerging efficacy research. CASP Member Organizations continually monitor, evaluate and alter their programs based on objective data and new research.