Strong roots. Big futures.
Opening Fall 2026 in Sanford NC
Pre-Opening Intake Now Available!
Acorn Autism provides in-person autism assessments and individualized 1:1 ABA therapy for young children, helping them build communication, independence, safety, learning, play, and everyday life skills.
Ages 18 months–6yrs · In-clinic 1:1 ABA · Evaluations on site · 102 E Trade St, Sanford.
What is aba therapy?
Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA, is an individualized approach to teaching new skills and addressing behaviors that interfere with learning, communication, safety, or independence.
At Acorn, ABA is 1:1 therapy. Each child works directly with a trained therapist throughout the day, with teaching individualized to their needs, strengths, and goals.
For young children, therapy should be active, engaging, and connected to the world around them. Learning happens through play, communication, movement, routines, interaction with other children, and meaningful activities throughout the day.
Our goal is to help children build skills they can use at home, at school, in the community, and as they grow.
We started Acorn Autism to create the kind of care environment we believe children and families deserve. A locally and privately owned practice, not a large chain.
We wanted a clinic that is smaller, consistent, and thoughtfully run—where clinical decisions are guided by what is best for each child, and where families feel known and supported over time.
Our goal is to provide care that is practical, meaningful, and focused on real-life skills, while also creating a workplace where staff feel supported and able to do their best work.
We are here to do what is right for children, and we measure success by the progress they make and the support we provide to their families.
why we started acorn autism
Why Choose Acorn?
Acorn Autism is locally owned by an LPA / HSP-PA / BCBA and her husband, who live in the Sanford area and are building Acorn as a long-term part of the central North Carolina community.
Our BCBA owner brings more than 25 years of experience working with children and adults with autism across educational, psychological, medical, and clinical settings. Her husband brings extensive experience in technology, business operations, and building strong systems.
We have no private-equity investors or outside business partners. As a Christian family, we believe we are accountable for doing what is right for the children and families we serve—not simply what is most profitable.
Experience changes what you teach early.
Our BCBA owner has worked with autistic learners from early diagnosis through adolescence and adulthood—including some of the same learners across many years.
That experience has shaped how we think about early intervention. We have seen what children are capable of, which skills become especially important as they grow, and the difference it can make when meaningful skills are taught early.
Over the years, our founder has worked with young children who began with little or no functional communication and substantial challenges participating in everyday life, and later watched many of those same learners earn regular high-school diplomas, attend college, find meaningful work, and live with far greater independence than others might have imagined when they were young.
Every child's path is different. But those experiences have taught us not to underestimate what a child is capable of with thoughtful teaching, meaningful opportunities, and time to grow.
For us, early intervention is not simply about starting young or filling a child's day with therapy. It is about using that time well.
We believe the quality of a child's progress depends both on what we teach and on the quality of the people teaching it.
Insurance
We work with families covered by many major plans. Insurance rules vary, so we verify your child’s benefits and explain any expected out-of-pocket cost before services begin.
We are in network or completing credentialing with Tricare East (Humana), Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Aetna, NC Medicaid, and UnitedHealthcare / Optum (in process).
If your plan is out of network, we may be able to pursue single-case agreements in certain situations.
Our Commitment to Excellence
At Acorn Autism, we are committed to providing high-quality, consistent care for every child we serve.
In many settings, individuals providing 1:1 ABA therapy may not be required to hold a formal credential. At Acorn, all direct-care staff are Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs), regardless of minimum insurance requirements. We believe this provides a stronger foundation in training, consistency, and accountability.
Our commitment goes beyond initial certification. We invest in ongoing staff development through regular, in-depth training and collaboration. As a team, we review clinical concepts, refine teaching strategies, and work together to ensure consistency across staff and programs.
This level of training is not required by insurance and is not reimbursed—it is something we choose to invest in because quality care depends on well-trained, well-supported people.
We believe the quality of a child’s progress depends both on what we teach and on the quality of the people teaching it.
BACB Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) Provider.
We provide continuing education opportunities that support high-quality clinical practice and ongoing professional growth.
All staff trained and tested as QBS Safey-Care Specialists by our own on staff Safety-Care Trainer.
Safety-Care Behavioral Safety Training is a leading crisis prevention training course focusing on how to prevent behavioral challenges, de-escalate early and manage behaviors safely.
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.
a clinic built for children
We believe the environment matters.
Our clinic was intentionally designed to give children room to play, move, communicate, learn, and regulate throughout the day.
The space includes indoor and outdoor play areas, thoughtfully designed learning spaces, noise-reducing materials, insulated interior walls, consistent low-flicker lighting, and child-friendly spaces for practicing everyday skills.
We want Acorn to feel calm, organized, engaging, and comfortable—a place where children have room to learn, play, move, and be themselves.
safety, trust & Clinical Involvement
We want families to feel confident about what happens in our clinic and comfortable being part of their child’s care.
Children receive 1:1 support throughout the clinic day, with direct supervision and additional team support available when needed. Our care is assent-based and trauma-informed, with an emphasis on trust, safety, choice, and supportive teaching.
We also believe parents should be closely involved in treatment. Families receive regular communication about their child’s day and progress, and parents meet regularly with our team to review goals, share concerns, and help guide treatment.
Your expertise matters. We want to know your child’s strengths, interests, challenges, and the skills that would make the biggest difference for your family. Parents are encouraged to participate in sessions to see how skills are being taught, and home visits may also be used when helpful to support carryover across settings.
Have a question or not sure where to start?
Tell us a little about your child, and we would be happy to talk with you about their needs and whether Acorn may be a good fit.
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