Private Equity in Autism Services

Daniel R. Arnold, Megha Reddy, Jonathan H. Cantor, Ryan K. McBain, Hao Yu, Christopher M. Whaley, Yashaswini Singh

ResearchPosted on rand.org Jan 16, 2026Published in: JAMA Pediatrics (2026). DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.5443

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the US between 2011 and 2022 increased from 2.3 to 6.3 per 1000 children, with the greatest increases among those aged 5 to 8 years. This increase, supported by robust state and federal insurance mandates, expanded demand for therapeutic services, particularly Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), and created an investment opportunity for private equity (PE) firms. Although PE has rapidly entered many health care sectors, little is known about its role in autism services. We tracked PE entry into autism services and explored why certain states have experienced more entry than others.

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Document Details

  • Copyright: American Medical Association
  • Availability: Non-RAND
  • Year: 2026
  • Pages: 3
  • Document Number: EP-71131

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