Leap Ahead

What Leap Ahead does

Leap Ahead, Inc. is a privately held, founder-operated Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy practice headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, delivering individualized treatment to children aged 18 months to 9 years diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and related developmental conditions across Northern Virginia (Loudoun, Prince William, Fairfax, and Fauquier counties) and Montgomery County, Maryland. Founded in 2002 by Talisha Sachlis after her work supervising the Fairfax County Public Schools ABA Pilot Program, the practice delivers a Verbal Behavior-emphasized ABA methodology supervised by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), supplemented by group therapy programs (Little Leaps for ages 2-5, Junior Leaps for ages 6-10), speech-language pathology, IEP advocacy, school shadowing, toilet training, academic tutoring, and parent support. All clinical cases are BCBA-supervised and delivered across clinic, in-home, private school, and BHCOE-accredited telehealth settings.

The business model is insurance-reimbursed fee-for-service: Leap Ahead is an in-network provider with Kaiser Permanente, Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Sentara Health Plans, and Cardinal Care VA Medicaid, with self-pay available for uninsured families. The ABA program is currently waitlisted, signaling demand-driven intake. The organization is differentiated by dual BHCOE accreditations (3-Year Full and Telehealth — held by only 3 providers nationally) and Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) provider status from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, which together form a quality-and-talent moat in a credential-constrained market. Leap Ahead operates without disclosed outside funding and has no public revenue figures, M&A history, or parent company, functioning as an independent clinical practice scaled primarily through clinical staff additions and incremental geographic reach.

Name

Leap Ahead

Legal name

Leap Ahead, Inc.

Website

https://leapahead.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Leap Ahead, Inc. is a Manassas, Virginia-based ABA therapy practice founded in 2002, delivering individualized Applied Behavior Analysis, Verbal Behavior, speech, and group therapy services to children aged 18 months to 9 years with autism across Northern Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manassas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance-Reimbursed Therapy Services: Therapy services billed to insurance providers including ABA therapy, speech therapy, and group therapy. Accepts major commercial insurers and government Medicaid programs.
2. Self-Pay Services: Private payment option for families without insurance coverage or those seeking services not covered by their plans. Self-pay rates available upon inquiry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Leap Ahead provides individualized therapy programs for children ages 18 months to 9 years diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, delivered primarily through Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with a Verbal Behavior emphasis. Services are supervised by Board Certified Behavior Analysts and supplemented with group therapy programs (Little Leaps and Junior Leaps), speech therapy, IEP advocacy, school shadowing, toilet training, academic tutoring, parent support, and BHCOE-accredited telehealth delivery.

Product overview

Leap Ahead is an autism therapy provider offering a unified suite of individualized treatment services for children ages 18 months to 9 years diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The core offerings consist of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy and Verbal Behavior (VB) Therapy, both supervised by Board Certified Behavior Analysts. These primary services are supplemented by group therapy programs (Little Leaps for ages 2-5 and Junior Leaps for ages 6-10), Speech Therapy, IEP Development & Advocacy, School Shadowing, Toilet Training, Academic Tutoring, Parent Support, and Telehealth services. All programs are delivered in clinic, home, and school settings across Northern Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy Individualized Applied Behavior Analysis therapy program for children ages 18 months to 9 years old diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, delivered in clinic, homes, and private schools, and supervised by Board Certified Behavior Analysts.
• Verbal Behavior (VB) Therapy ABA therapy methodology based on behavioral principles that uses an intensive teaching setting with rapid succession of tasks, focusing on mand-training to increase language learning through errorless learning and natural environment teaching.
• Little Leaps Group Therapy Program Two-day morning group therapy program for children ages 2-5 on the autism spectrum providing a safe, caring, and structured environment using behavior modification strategies, positive reinforcement, and Natural Environment Teaching to facilitate learning and development.
• Junior Leaps Group Therapy Program Group therapy program for children ages 6-10 on the autism spectrum, meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm, covering topics including understanding feelings, problem solving, flexible thinking, and conversation skills.
• Speech Therapy Speech and language therapy services provided by Speech-Language Pathologists to evaluate, develop, and implement treatment plans for speech, language, communication, and feeding challenges for children up to age 16.
• IEP Development & Advocacy Individualized Education Program development and advocacy services to support children with autism in school settings.
• School Shadowing Support service providing trained staff to accompany children in public and private school environments to assist with behavioral and learning needs.
• Telehealth Services Remote therapy services providing real-time virtual ABA and speech therapy sessions, covered by BHCOE Telehealth Accreditation ensuring compliance with policies, ethical practices, technology standards, and privacy and security requirements.

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Kaiser PermanentecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance provider for ABA therapy and speech therapy services. Kaiser Permanente members can access Leap Ahead services through insurance coverage.
• AetnacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance provider for ABA therapy and speech therapy services.
• Anthem Blue Cross Blue ShieldcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance provider for ABA therapy and speech therapy services. Includes Anthem Federal Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans.
• Cardinal Care VA MedicaidcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVirginia state Medicaid program covering ABA therapy services for eligible children.
• Sentara Health PlanscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance provider for ABA therapy and speech therapy services.
• Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB)strategicOthersBACB authorizes Leap Ahead as an ACE (Authorized Continuing Education) provider, enabling the organization to offer CE credits to BCBAs and other certificants for maintaining their credentials.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BlueSprig Pediatrics: One of the largest US Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy providers, operating hundreds of clinics across more than 20 states. BlueSprig directly competes with Leap Ahead in the same core ABA service category, serving similar pediatric autism populations through clinic-based and home-based delivery.
• Hopebridge Autism Therapy Centers: Multi-state ABA therapy operator with a large clinic footprint concentrated in the Midwest and Southeast US. Hopebridge offers ABA, occupational, and speech therapy to children with autism under a similar multidisciplinary, insurance-reimbursed model as Leap Ahead.
• Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD): Large US provider of ABA therapy services for children and adults with autism, with a clinic footprint across many states. CARD is a direct peer given overlapping core ABA service delivery, similar insurance-billing revenue model, and comparable pediatric target population.
• Behavioral Innovations: Multi-state ABA provider with a clinic-based service model across the South and Midwest. The company operates under the same core business model as Leap Ahead: insurance-reimbursed ABA therapy supervised by BCBAs for pediatric autism patients.
• 360 Behavioral Health: California-headquartered ABA and behavioral health platform that acquired Trumpet Behavioral Health and other regional providers. It is a direct peer operating in the same pediatric autism ABA therapy category with similar clinical staffing models and payer relationships.
• Kadiant: ABA therapy provider primarily operating in the Western US, with clinic and home-based service delivery for children with autism. Kadiant is comparable to Leap Ahead as a clinic-based, BCBA-supervised ABA operator serving a similar pediatric demographic.
• Autism Learning Partners: National ABA provider offering in-home, clinic-based, and telehealth services to children with autism across multiple US states. Directly comparable to Leap Ahead in service modality mix, payer mix, and target population.

Regional players

• Commonwealth Autism Services: Virginia-based autism services nonprofit providing ABA, behavioral, and family support across the Commonwealth. It is a comparable regional provider of autism services, though operating as a nonprofit and serving a broader Virginia geography rather than Leap Ahead's DC-metro focus.
• Dominion Care: Virginia-headquartered provider of behavioral health, ABA, and developmental disability services with locations across the Commonwealth. Comparable to Leap Ahead as a Virginia-based autism and behavioral services provider serving Medicaid-eligible populations, though broader in scope.

Emerging players

• Catalyst Behavioral Sciences: Virginia-based ABA therapy provider offering clinic and home-based services for children with autism in Northern Virginia. Catalyst directly overlaps Leap Ahead's geography and service offering, making it one of the closest local competitors for referrals and BCBA talent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/leapaheadinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leapaheadinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Leap Ahead