CASP Announces Development of New Accreditation Program for ABA Providers

CASP Seeks Volunteers for New Accreditation Standards Committee

WAKEFIELD, MA — April 29, 2021 The Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP), a nationally recognized non-profit supporting individuals with autism and other developmental disorders, announced today the development of a new accreditation program to address Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services.

CASP is now seeking volunteers to join its newly formed CASP Accreditation Standards Review Committee to support this effort. The volunteer expert panel will be comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders, including providers, health insurance industry leaders, employers, and consumer advocates, and will be charged with developing robust but workable standards to serve as a basis for organizational accreditation.

“Autism diagnoses have skyrocketed over the past two decades, which has led to an escalation of research into effective evidence-based treatment options,” said Lorri Unumb, CEO, CASP. “Access to services has increased, the number of providers has expanded, and resources spent has grown dramatically, all of which intensifies the need for the field to systematically and collaboratively establish generally accepted standards of care and verify adherence to these standards through a rigorous accreditation system for providers.”

Unumb is a former government affairs executive with Autism Speaks, who led the nationwide effort to require health insurers to cover evidence-based treatment for autism.

“I applaud CASP’s leadership in developing an accreditation program promoting national standards to optimize quality and performance for ABA services,” says Garry Carneal, president and CEO, Schooner Strategies. “Among other objectives, CASP is hoping to work closely with payers to recognize the new standards, which will promote better clinical and financial outcomes.”

Carneal, who is consulting on CASP’s accreditation initiative, has brought to market over 20 health care accreditation programs with four different accreditation organizations.

“CASP members are providers dedicated to advancing best practice, and the CASP organization is uniquely positioned to lead this accreditation effort, which will give autistic people, their families and funders confidence that they are receiving the absolute best care available,” added Lani Fritts, chair, CASP’s Accreditation Committee. “I’m proud to be part of this very important initiative.”

The Accreditation Program is the third major initiative underway this year at CASP, the others being the revision of the “Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder: Practice Guidelines for Healthcare Funders and Managers” and the production of the CASP Organizational Guidelines. By concentrating its efforts on producing resources for the autism community, CASP aims to promote quality and accountability in ABA specifically and health care generally.

To obtain more information about the CASP Accreditation Standards Review Committee, including serving as a volunteer member, please contact Kimberly McGillan, at (803) 520-6164 or via email at info@casproviders.org.

About The Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP) (www.casproviders.com)

The Council of Autism Service Providers is a non-profit association of member organizations serving individuals with autism and other developmental disorders. CASP supports its members by cultivating, sharing, and advocating for provider best practices in autism services. CASP member agencies employ more than 50,000 professionals providing services to approximately 70,000 children and adults with autism across the United States. More information is available at