The world of autism care, especially the ABA therapy sector, has long been crying out for a more specialized, community-oriented approach. Unfortunately, This field has largely been overshadowed by private equity groups that often miss out on the vital human aspects of care, prioritizing expansion and profit over the individual needs and experiences of those they serve.
Focusing on numbers and bottom lines often leads to a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to adequately address the challenges and potential of each person with autism.
Nevertheless, in recent years, there has been a shift in the sector as individuals and organizations alike begin to recognize the need for more comprehensive care that doesn’t compromise on the quality of care.
Among them, Success on the Spectrum (SOS), America’s first ABA therapy franchise, has been making waves by prioritizing personal connection and empathy, offering a much-needed alternative. This venture, led by the charismatic Nichole Daher, has one vision: an autism care model that genuinely serves the community.
SOS differs from its competitors in more ways than one. For starters, it isn’t owned or governed by private equity groups but by individual owners (predominantly autism parents), equipped not just with the invaluable personal experience of raising children with autism but also with business management skills imparted by SOS. This model ensures that every decision and every strategy is rooted in empathy and a genuine understanding of the complex nature of autism care.
“Most other clinics, which are owned by private equity groups, value profit and returns for their investors more than anything else,” Daher states. “When you have such individuals making all the decisions, the well-being of children with autism is often cast to the sidelines. It not only decreases the quality of care, but it also leaves the kids and their parents feeling frustrated and restless.”
As an autism parent herself, Daher has experienced the inadequacies of such care centers firsthand. The two main reasons that prompted her to establish SOS were the lack of transparency and uncertainty regarding the teaching and therapy strategies of other clinics.
Seeing the difference the first SOS clinic made community-wide, Daher found herself stepping into uncharted territory. This ambitious yet profoundly transformative mission would change SOS from a single clinic to a franchise across the United States.
The expansion, done in several meticulously crafted steps that protected both the vision and the mission of the venture, allowed Daher and her growing team to cast a wider net of support, reaching more families and children needing personalized care.
Daher shares that this effort also resulted in a financial advantage, allowing new clinics to open, but not at the expense of quality. “We don’t have to wait for more money to open another clinic. Since each is individually owned by partisan parents, there’s no waiting for funding or ignoring one center because I’m busy opening another one,” she explains.
The franchise model, which currently counts 31 open clinics, has thus enabled growth in many places at once, making care more accessible. Additionally, as each clinic provides its own internships, they nurture a new generation of therapists, paving the way for a stronger future in the field.
Another unique aspect of the SOS model is that they keep a controlled number of clients on analysts’ caseloads, ensuring the therapists won’t feel overwhelmed and that all the children will get their undivided attention. This has resulted in comprehensive care, leaving children, parents, and the SOS team satisfied and cared for.
Looking ahead, Daher and her team are nowhere near finished. With their eyes set firmly on the future, SOS hopes to expand access to care by opening more clinics each year. While getting to this goal is hard work, the team is confident that success will be a natural product of their compassionate and selfless effort to genuinely transform the lives of parents and autistic children.
As Daher emphasizes, “Our journey may be long, but as long as there are families in need, we will press on. We truly believe in creating a world where every child can access the care they deserve.”
