Explore how evolving expectations around outcomes and oversight are reshaping the autism therapy landscape in this forward-looking discussion. Top leaders from Alongside ABA, Autism Care Partners and Lighthouse Autism Center will share insights on the new opportunities emerging from these shifts while also sharing their outlooks for the year ahead.
M&A activity in autism care has shifted significantly in 2025, setting the stage for what’s ahead in 2026. Leaders from Shore Capital Partners, Behavioral Innovations and BMO will share lessons learned, key market drivers, and what investors and operators should prepare for next. This session will unpack the trends shaping the dealmaking landscape in autism services.
Traditional autism diagnosis often depends on clinical observation and parent reporting—delaying identification until age four or five and missing vital windows for early intervention. In this session, Jamie Pagliaro of EarliPoint Health will introduce an FDA-cleared technology that enables objective, data-driven diagnosis as early as 16 months, transforming how families and providers detect and respond to developmental concerns. Tricia Zerger, Sr. Director of Human Services Strategy at Netsmart, will share how connecting early detection capabilities within a single platform unites diagnostics, data and care delivery—helping organizations act sooner and drive measurable outcomes. Together, they’ll show why having a strategic technology advisor behind you makes all the difference in scaling early intervention, optimizing operations, and preparing for the next generation of autism care.
Autism providers are navigating rising costs, tighter labor markets, evolving payer expectations and a shift toward value-based arrangements. Scale can help overcome those obstacles, but traditional M&A and private equity models aren’t the only paths to scaling up. In this session, experts from Inperium will outline an affiliation-based alternative that preserves local identity while unlocking advantages such as capital access, enterprise-level back-office services and innovative technology. Drawing on over 35 transactions and a nonprofit network with almost $1 billion of consolidated revenue, speakers will share examples of how affiliations have stabilized operations, expanded programs, improved recruitment and retention, and accelerated tech adoption, outside of a traditional model
