Bierman Autism Centers marks 20 years with 30-plus centers and a research push

Bierman Autism Centers is celebrating 20 years in autism care, growing from an apartment startup in 2006 to more than 30 centers across seven states. The company says its data-driven ABA model has delivered more than 3 million therapy hours, 400-plus graduations and a new research program tied to clinical practice.

Why it matters: - Bierman Autism Centers is now one of the larger center-based ABA providers, with more than 30 locations across seven states. - The company’s 20-year milestone highlights how autism therapy has shifted toward measurable outcomes, caregiver training and more structured clinical research. - Bierman says 72% of children who completed clinically recommended comprehensive ABA therapy moved into general education settings.

What happened: - Bierman Autism Centers is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026. - Courtney Bierman founded the company in Indianapolis in 2006 after starting therapy in families’ homes and training staff from her apartment. - The first center opened in Indiana in 2010. - Bierman now serves families in Arizona, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island. - The company is privately held and clinically owned and operated.

The details: - Bierman says it has delivered more than 3 million hours of therapy over two decades. - The company says children have mastered more than 1 million individual learning goals. - Bierman has celebrated more than 400 program graduations. - In 2025, the company reported a record 79 graduations. - Through 2026, Bierman said it had 36 graduates so far this year. - Bierman delivered 6,920 hours of caregiver training in 2025. - The company also offers free caregiver education sessions on communication, daily living skills, behavior management and school transitions. - BAC launched PEBBL, a practice-embedded research lab, in 2025 to connect clinical research with everyday therapy. - The company completed a company-wide rollout of its proprietary developmental curriculum in 2026. - Bierman says the curriculum teaches skills in the order children actually acquire them and is now in use across all centers. - PEBBL findings have been presented at APBA, NJABA, FABA and NHABA. - BAC shares research through monthly Research Spotlight Webinars that offer free CEUs to BCBAs. - The company says PEBBL is supported by partnerships with 15 university programs, with findings being prepared for peer-reviewed publication.

Between the lines: - Bierman is trying to position itself as both a therapy provider and a clinical training organization. - The company frames its model around frequent data reviews, with teams adjusting treatment when progress stalls. - BAC says its Clinical Velocity measure is reviewed every three to five days so families can see progress sooner and clinicians can make changes before a child plateaus. - The 20-year push also reflects a broader industry move toward outcomes tracking and family-facing transparency. - The internal training pipeline appears central to the business model: Bierman University, the Clinician-in-Training program and the PROPEL and RISE programs are designed to grow staff from within. - In 2025, the company said it logged 150 internal promotions, and 90% of clinical directors were promoted from within.

What's next: - Bierman says it plans to keep expanding access to therapy in its third decade. - The company also plans to continue investing in clinical research and clinician development. - Bierman says it will keep focusing on outcomes, quality and treating the whole family. - More information is available in the company's 20-year anniversary page and on Bierman Autism Centers' website.