Autism Partnership Foundation

Autism Partnership Foundation (APF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to advancing professional standards and treatment for individuals diagnosed with ASD through research and training. With the growing number of children diagnosed with ASD, the need for effective and accessible treatment has never been greater. The importance of continuing to develop what we know about ASD and how behaviorally based treatment can most effectively address this complex disorder is vital.

Under the leadership of Co-Founders, Dr. Ronald Leaf and John McEachin, two pioneers in autism treatment with 48+ years of experience each – APF’s team develops and promotes access to high-quality, evidence-based, autism-specific treatment. This team is recognized worldwide for its instrumental contributions to the scientific literature in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and ASD and for its development of Progressive ABA, also known as The AP Method. Given the growing need to establish and scale a new standard of excellence in the treatment of autism, APF created the Progressive Behavior Analyst Autism Council (PBAAC) - an independent council of leading practitioners, professors, and researchers - to provide credentialing programs that preserve and promote Progressive ABA.

ASD is the fastest growing developmental disorder in the world, and without effective treatment the projected costs of care will soar to nearly half a trillion dollars by 2025. While these figures are staggering, it does not have to be this way. Effective and life changing training and treatments are possible and should be available – in fact, we know firsthand that this methodology works, and that children who are assessed and treated under the age of 9 have a far better chance to live a happy, healthy, and independent life as an adult.

APF is rebuilding the ABA workforce and rewriting the narrative around training and standards. The critical step to achieve this is through a comprehensive credentialing program. PBAAC launched the first of three certifications in December 2021, with the next two levels to follow in Spring 2024. This first certification (Autism Professional) is for academic and practitioner leaders in the field, and next two levels (Interventionist and Supervisor) will certify the vast majority of practitioners in the field. We have fully establish the PBAAC as an independent and comprehensive credentialing program based on Progressive ABA, because our research shows our current system is failing our children. On July 31,2023, we officially received NCCA accreditation for our Certified Progressive Behavior Analyst- Autism Professional (CPBA-AP) certification. This is an incredible achievement for the certification program and also enables parents to trust that their children are being treated by highly trained, compassionate professionals.

Although there are currently 100,000 RBTs in the U.S. - most of them do not meet the education and training necessary to provide high quality treatment. There is also no information about how many of them are actually employed in providing treatment to young autistic children, nor how many hours per week they are actually working.

Our Goal: over the next 3-5 years is to have Progressive ABA adopted at scale (domestically and internationally) as the standard of care for children with ASD, and to remove key barriers for anyone who needs access to this caliber of treatment.

In order to continue our cutting-edge research and more critically, establish and scale PBAAC credentialing, we are looking to raise $7,000,000 over the next three years. This will allow APF to fully develop and launch all certification levels by 2026 and enhance practitioner standards through PBAAC’s certification and credentialing.

Southern California, National

Our Board of Directors provides strategic oversight and counsel to guide Autism Partnership Foundation (APF) in its mission to advance professional standards and treatment of individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through research and training. APF accomplishes this through innovative research, training, consultation, treatment, and education. ​Most importantly, APF strives to increase the availability of effective treatment to children diagnosed with ASD and their families.

Imagine learning your child has been diagnosed with ASD. While still coping with the shock of the diagnosis, you begin searching for answers. As you search, you grow increasingly frightened and confused as you discover there are literally hundreds of treatment options, all of which claim to be effective. Hopefully, your research leads you to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a scientifically proven treatment to help children diagnosed with ASD thrive and reach their full potential. Your hours and days of research also lead you to discover that intensive ABA therapy is expensive, and your insurance carrier may not cover the cost. Unfortunately, this is a story with which we have become all too familiar. APF was founded on the passion and belief that every child with ASD deserves the chance to live the happiest, most fulfilling life possible. To achieve that, we are committed to scientific research, rigorous training, and evidence-based treatment.

Please email us if you are interested in learning more about APF. Thank you!