Acorn Health

What Acorn Health does

Acorn Health is a privately held, women-founded provider of clinical services to children with autism, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida. The company delivers Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy across center-based, in-home, school, and telehealth settings to children ages 18 months to 21 years with a formal autism diagnosis. Its underlying clinical platform rests on proprietary intellectual property, including the Behavioral Health Index (BHI) outcome measurement tool adopted by the Michigan Behavior Analysis Providers Association as a preferred standard, the Universal Protocol Systems (UniPro) enterprise clinical framework, and a five-pillar clinical methodology branded as The Acorn Approach. Supporting programs include autism diagnostic services in select markets, The Grove leadership initiative for practice owners, ABA in the Classroom school partnerships, and a Clinical Readiness Program for Registered Behavior Technicians. Operations are supported by a CentralReach-based EHR, Greenhouse recruiting, and Constant Contact marketing automation.

The company is reimbursed through insurance billing to Medicaid, major commercial payers (Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, United Healthcare), and Tricare, with families typically responsible only for copay or coinsurance. Go-to-market relies on professional referrals from pediatricians, neurologists, developmental pediatricians, therapists, psychologists, and schools, supplemented by digital presence, community events, and earned media. Acorn Health has scaled through both organic center openings and four disclosed acquisitions between December 2019 and June 2021 (Behavior Therapy Specialists, Behavior Basics, Sandcastle Centers, and LEAP Behavior Analysis), growing to 70-75 centers across Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia with more than 1,500 employees. In 2025-2026, the firm installed a new external CEO (Mony Iyer, effective September 15, 2025) and a new SVP of Client Acquisition and Marketing, expanded diagnostic services into Tampa and Nashville, launched AI-powered clinical documentation tooling, and joined advocacy for Michigan legislation permitting ABA therapy in schools, signaling an active national growth posture.

Name

Acorn Health

Legal name

Acorn Health, Inc.

Website

https://acornhealth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Acorn Health is a private ABA therapy provider operating 70-75 centers across seven U.S. states, delivering insurance-reimbursed Applied Behavior Analysis therapy and autism diagnostics to children with autism ages 18 months to 21 years.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism Behavioral Support (School-Based ABA/PBIS) (EDAKAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autism Diagnostic & Educational Assessment Services (EDAKAKAA), Autism Early Intervention (Educational) (EDAKAKAB), Autism Parent/Caregiver Education & Training (School-Linked) (EDAKAKAJ)

Keywords

• ABA therapy services
• Autism treatment
• Applied behavior analysis
• Pediatric behavioral health
• Autism diagnostic services

Headquarters

HQ city

Coral Gables

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices71 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. ABA Therapy Services: Revenue generated from providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy services to children with autism spectrum disorder. Services are billed to insurance providers including Medicaid, commercial insurance, and other payers. Families typically pay only copay or coinsurance amounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Acorn Health provides Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ages 18 months to 21 years) delivered through center-based clinics, in-home visits, school programs, and telehealth across 70+ locations in seven U.S. states. Services are billed to major insurance payers and Medicaid, with families responsible for standard copays or coinsurance. The company also offers autism diagnostic evaluations in select markets.

Product overview

Acorn Health is a comprehensive ABA therapy provider offering a unified platform of services centered on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for children with autism. The core offering is ABA Therapy (center-based and in-home), complemented by Autism Diagnostic Services for evaluation. Supporting the core services are proprietary tools including the Behavioral Health Index for progress tracking and The Acorn Approach clinical methodology with five foundational pillars. Additional offerings include The Grove leadership program for ABA practice owners, the Clinical Readiness Program for RBT training, ABA in the Classroom school-based services, and Telehealth as a service delivery modality. UniPro (Universal Protocol Systems) represents the enterprise-wide clinical approach adopted across all locations. Services are delivered through more than 75 centers across seven U.S. states (Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ABA Therapy Services Applied Behavior Analysis therapy delivered to children ages 18 months to 21 years with autism spectrum disorder through center-based, in-home, school, and telehealth channels. Includes assessment, individualized treatment plans, skill-building, behavior reduction, and family training. Most children receive between 10 and 40 hours per week.
• Autism Diagnostic Services Comprehensive autism diagnostic evaluations for children, available in Florida (including Tampa), Michigan, and Tennessee (including Nashville). Services transition directly into ABA therapy upon diagnosis, creating a single-vendor diagnostic-to-treatment pathway.
• ABA in the Classroom Train-the-trainer school-based program in which Acorn Health BCBA trainers teach ABA principles and evidence-based interventions to school staff. Demonstrated outcomes include reduced student referrals and increased staff retention in partner districts.
• Telehealth ABA Services Remote ABA therapy and parent training services delivered via telehealth in select markets, expanding access to care for families outside the physical center footprint.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28.4 days faster access to care than national average
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Michigan Behavior Analysis Providers Association (MiBAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMiBAP, a nonprofit membership association promoting the advancement of applied behavior analysis, voted Acorn Health's Behavioral Health Index (BHI) as their preferred standard to track ABA therapy progress over time. This recognition establishes Acorn's proprietary outcome measurement tool as an industry standard.
• Michigan School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcorn Health has partnered with local school districts through their ABA in the Classroom program, a train-the-trainer model. The team has presented this program in seven school districts across Michigan since 2018, teaching school staff evidence-based ABA interventions.
• Michigan Autism CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKrista Orellana (Boe), M.A., BCBA, executive vice president of growth and chief clinical officer, has been reappointed to the Michigan Autism Council for a four-year term. The Council implements, monitors, and updates the Michigan ASD State Plan.
• Michigan Department of Health and Human ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcorn Health partners with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to help more children with autism through various programs including grant-funded ABA in the Classroom initiatives.
• The GrovecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Grove is Acorn Health's most comprehensive leadership initiative for the ABA therapy field. Participants integrate clinical skills with new knowledge of operations, marketing, management, HR, and leadership. Dr. Kelsey Ruppel serves as head of Acorn's Clinical Advisory Board and executive faculty.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• BlueSprig Pediatrics: PE-backed multi-state ABA therapy provider for children with autism. Directly comparable to Acorn in service mix (center-based ABA), payer relationships, and acquisition-driven growth strategy, but operates in a larger number of states.
• Behavioral Health Works: ABA provider for children and adolescents with autism, delivering center-based, in-home, and telehealth services. Comparable to Acorn in payer mix, multi-state expansion, and family-focused support model.
• Hopebridge: Multi-state ABA and pediatric therapy provider with center-based delivery. Closely comparable to Acorn in operating model, payer mix, and expansion through de novo centers and M&A in overlapping states such as Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and Florida.
• Centria Healthcare: National ABA and behavioral health provider serving children with autism. Comparable to Acorn in offering center-based and in-home ABA, broad insurance contracting, and multi-state footprint.
• Trumpet Behavioral Health: Multi-state ABA therapy provider acquired by a PE sponsor in 2022. Directly comparable to Acorn in clinical model, school-based programming, and outcomes measurement focus.
• Autism Learning Partners: ABA therapy provider delivering center-based, in-home, and school-based services to children with autism across multiple U.S. states. Highly comparable in service model, payer mix, and target demographic.
• Invo Healthcare / Invo Behavior Therapy: ABA and pediatric therapy provider delivering school-based and clinic-based services across multiple states. Comparable to Acorn in school-based program design and state-level expansion approach.

Broad incumbents

• Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health: Large, established non-profit behavioral health organization offering ABA and broader autism/intellectual disability services. Comparable in service category but broader in scope (residential, day programs, clinical therapies) and operates as a non-profit rather than a PE-style roll-up.
• Magellan Health: Diversified managed behavioral healthcare company serving autism and other behavioral health populations via payer relationships. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the autism/behavioral health ecosystem rather than as a direct ABA services competitor.

Others

• CentralReach: Practice management and EHR platform purpose-built for ABA providers. Directly comparable as Acorn's technology backbone (members.centralreach.com), and serves as a useful comp on technology adoption across the ABA industry.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/acornhealthaba
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acornhealth
• Instagraminstagram.com/acornhealthaba

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Acorn Health