Opening Fall 2026 in Sanford NC
Pre-Opening Intake Now Available!
Now accepting pre-opening intake inquiries for children ages 18 months through 6 years who have, or are suspected of having, autism and significant support needs.
Acorn provides individualized 1:1, center-based ABA therapy focused on building communication, daily living, safety, and school-readiness skills children need for everyday life.
Acorn was created in part because we genuinely love working with children with higher support needs. We are not intimidated by children who are not yet communicating, need significant help with daily living skills, or have behaviors that make everyday life difficult. These are the children we built Acorn to serve.
We are especially well suited for young children who need intensive support with communication, learning, self-care, social development, play, independence, and readiness for their next environments.
who we serve
Treatment Model Fit
Our program is designed for families seeking:
Comprehensive, clinic-based ABA
A consistent daytime schedule M-F
A collaborative approach with parent involvement
A focus on meaningful, functional skill development
Our Clinical approach
No single teaching approach is right for every child. Our team is trained in a range of evidence-based and contemporary approaches so treatment can be individualized to the child in front of us.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) — helping children who are not yet speaking reliably develop a functional way to communicate, while continuing to support spoken language and, when possible, transitioning to speech.
Teaching Critical Communication Skills — including requesting specific wants and needs, asking for help, requesting a break, waiting, answering yes/no, following directions, transitioning between activities, and following a schedule.
Practical Functional Assessment (PFA) and Skill-Based Treatment (SBT) — approaches developed to support learners with significant problem behaviors that impact learner and family happiness, and the ability to meaningfully participate in the community.
Trauma-informed care and assent-based practices — building participation through trust, safety, choice, and supportive teaching.
Play-based natural environment approaches — including the Early Start Denver Model, Natural Environment Teaching (NET), and Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention (NDBI) approaches. We prioritize learning in the real environment vs. with flash cards.
Daily living and family priorities — including toilet training, sleep difficulties, and extremely restrictive eating.
Our Environment
We wanted a clinic designed around children—not expect children to adapt to a clinic.
After years of working in ABA settings that were cramped, loud, overstimulating, or simply not very enjoyable places to spend an entire day, we knew we wanted something different for Acorn.
That is one reason we chose to purchase our clinic rather than lease a typical commercial space. Owning the building gives us the ability to thoughtfully design the environment from the floors and bathrooms to the lighting, ceilings, treatment spaces, and outdoor areas.
Our clinic is being designed with features such as:
low-impact flooring for safer movement and play
low-flicker, comfortable lighting
noise-reducing ceiling materials and insulated interior walls to help keep the clinic quieter and more comfortable
spacious, thoughtfully arranged play and learning areas where children receive individualized 1:1 support while also having natural opportunities to play, learn, and interact with peers
spaces that recreate parts of everyday life—including school, medical and dental visits, and haircuts—so important skills can be practiced in a comfortable, supportive environment
a wide variety of toys, activities, and learning materials to keep children interested and engaged
ample outdoor space for play, movement, and learning throughout the day
bathrooms designed around young learners, including child-sized toilets and even a child-sized urinal to make toileting easier and more comfortable
We want Acorn to be a place where children can learn, move, play, regulate, and enjoy being here—and where our team has the space and environment, they need to do excellent work.
Our Approach to Scheduling, Intensity, and Parent Involvement
ABA therapy is not a quick or occasional service. For many young children with autism, meaningful progress requires consistent, high-frequency intervention over time.
Our model is designed around comprehensive care for children who benefit from this level of support, with sufficient repetition and consistency to build meaningful skills across the day.
Acorn Autism is a BACB Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) Provider. We provide continuing education opportunities that support high-quality clinical practice and ongoing professional growth.
Professional Development
Transparency
We keep parents informed and involved, with regular communication about each child’s day and progress. We need parent input and expertise in their child’s strengths, passions, barriers and goals to do our best work! Parents have regular meetings with our staff, and are encouraged to participate in sessions to see how we are teaching skills. We also love to come to visit family homes if we can assist with cary-over of skills.
Our Philosophy
We believe treatment intensity should be clinically driven, thoughtful, and purposeful.
Our goal is not to maximize hours—it is to provide the level of care that gives each child the best opportunity to make meaningful progress. For many young children, this means providing a higher level of support early, when foundational skills are developing.
Insurance & Payment
We are currently in-network with several major insurance providers and are actively expanding our network.
For families with out-of-network benefits, we may be able to pursue single-case agreements in certain situations. Approval depends on medical necessity and individual plan requirements.
We are happy to verify benefits and discuss options with families before starting services.
Not Sure If This Is the Right Fit?
We are always happy to talk through your child’s needs and help you determine whether our program is a good match. If not, we will do our best to help guide you toward appropriate resources.