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From our founding commitment to one family—to the nationwide impact we enjoy today—our story is rooted in comprehensive care and transformation.
Brighter Strides ABA has been providing ABA therapy for autism since 2020. Now with services in 12 states and counting, we are one of the fastest-growing ABA providers in the country. And our success story continues with you.
Brighter Strides ABA began with a desire to help a single household struggling with their three children on the autism spectrum.
In observing the family’s dynamics and patterns of behavior, the founders were both troubled and encouraged. While they witnessed the extent of the family’s daily hardships, they also recognized the power of each child’s unique strengths, talents, and interests in meeting these challenges.
Inspired by these insights and a commitment to providing better outcomes for autism, they set out to model compassionate, results-oriented care—an inclusive approach to ABA therapy that mobilizes each child’s potential to address their individual needs and empowers the entire family with supportive guidance.
Starting in 2020 with a few families in Maryland, Brighter Strides ABA began providing highly individualized, ABA therapy tailored to each child’s personality, strengths, and goals. This comprehensive approach to compassionate care quickly gained momentum within the autism community and fueled our growth.
Brighter Strides ABA now offers ABA therapy services in state-of-the-art centers, homes, daycares, and schools across the country. We are empowering families nationwide with personalized ABA therapy programs that foster the growth and independence of autistic children and youth.
Now operating across 12 states, we’re continually opening new centers to expand access to quality ABA therapy services for more families in need.
Today, our story continues in the successful outcomes of each individual, family, and community we serve. As one of the fastest-growing ABA providers in the nation, Brighter Strides ABA is recruiting top talent—expanding access to high-quality ABA services nationwide and offering a stable career path for dedicated professionals.
We invite you to learn more about our ABA therapy services and current job openings within our growing national network, knowing that our unwavering commitment to quality care inspires our continued success—and yours.
ABA therapy, the gold standard of autism care began with the idea that behavior can be understood, learned, and strengthened through positive reinforcement.
The Beginnings of Behaviorism
Until 1913, psychology largely focused on thoughts and feelings. John B. Watson shifted the field by studying observable behavior and its relationship to rewards and consequences, introducing behaviorism and conditioning.
Skinner’s Principles of Behaviorism
Dr. B.F. Skinner introduced the principles of behaviorism, showing how antecedents and consequences shape behavior. In 1938, he published The Behavior of Organisms, laying the foundation for operant conditioning.
Foundations of ABA
As his work advanced, Skinner applied his principles to language, education, and therapy, detailed in his 1953 book Science and Human Behavior, which inspired applied research in these fields.
Early Clinic-Based Programs
Though his methods would be considered rigid and aversive by today’s standard, Dr. Ivar Lovaas helped establish Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) by showing that intensive, structured therapy could teach language and skills to children with autism and reduce institutionalization.
Evolved, Child-Centered Programs
Since the 1970s, ABA has evolved into a child-centered, naturalistic approach that integrates learning into daily life and tailors therapy with family input to promote lasting growth and independence.
More Natural Approaches
ABA shifted from rigid models to more compassionate, individualized approaches that emphasize assent, family collaboration, and child-led methods like Pivotal Response Training and Natural Environment Teaching, which build skills through play and daily routines.
Professional Standards
The creation of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) in 1998 established credentials for BCBA, BCaBA, and RBT to ensure quality, ethics, and consistency in ABA, while supporting research, advocacy, and broader insurance coverage in the U.S.
Increased Access
Driven by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which prohibited pre-existing condition discrimination and classified behavioral health as an essential benefit, ABA therapy became more accessible to children and families across the U.S. with insurance reforms, state autism mandates, and expanded Medicaid coverage in 2014.
Compassionate, Child-Centered Care
Modern ABA therapy is highly individualized, flexible, and family-focused with daily life integrations that promote long-term independence. As autism awareness grows, the dyanmic, research-based field of ABA continues to evolve with data-driven, scientific insights and best practices.
We support every stage of development and nurture confidence for lifelong learning.
