Cy-Fair - Jersey Village Edition | June 2025

Autism therapy demand grows From the cover

What’s happening?

Autism services in Cy-Fair 1 Apara Autism Center 2 Autism Testing 4 Kids

Opened before 2020 Opened 2020-present

249

MASON RD.

Symptoms of autism vary in severity from person to person and can include delayed communication and learning skills, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. However, a child needs a diagnosis to access treatment for their autism symptoms, said Chris Tillotson, the CEO and founder of Autism Testing 4 Kids, which opened a location in Cy-Fair earlier this year. Getting diagnosed can take between 18 months and two years, he said. To meet a rise in need for autism services and assessments for students, CFISD has increased sta , Marchelle Peters, CFISD assistant superintendent of educational support services, said via a May 13 email. At least 15 businesses in the Cy-Fair area o er services for people with autism, including Restore ABA & Speech Therapy. The clinic opened last July and serves children 15 months old through teenagers, said Eno Acha, clinic director and qualied behavior analyst. “The demand for therapy, especially in the Cypress/Cy-Fair area, has ... grown tremendously … within the past few years,” Acha said. Yasmin Guerrero, a 3-year-old who was diagnosed with autism at age 2, has grown from being uninterested in speaking to others to being very social, her mom, McCaleb Guerrero, said. “I feel like people think that autistic kids are dumb, and they are far from it,” Guerrero said. “[They] just think about things a little bit di erent.”

3 Behavioral Innovations, Fry Road 4 Behavioral Innovations, Grant Road 5 Behavioral Innovations, Jones Road 6 Behavioral Innovations, Mason Road 7 Behavioral Therhappy 8 Cypress Mental Health 9 Greater Houston Counseling Services 10 MySpot 11 Reach Unlimited 12 Restore ABA & Speech Therapy 13 Rise With ABA 14 Therapy For Life 15 Thrive Speech Therapy

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99 TOLL

1960

3 9

7 8 12 15

LONGENBAUGH RD.

529

THIS LIST IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE.

Cy-Fair ISD students diagnosed with autism 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0 Public schools in Region 4: +167%

Increases in the number of children with autism since 2015 Cy-Fair ISD: +104% Public schools statewide: +164%

2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23

2024-25 2023-24

SOURCES: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY, VARIOUS LOCAL ABA CENTERS¢COMMUNITY IMPACT

Diving in deeper

Something to note

ABA therapy, specically Discrete Trial Training—which targets behavior changes using rewards and punishments—has garnered criticism about the method’s strict- ness, according to a 2012 study published on the National Library of Medicine’s website. Donnell said she believes ABA therapy has gotten a bad reputation because some providers don’t individualize their treatment plans. She said she strives to show the “compassionate side” of ABA therapy. “I really try and encourage … myself and the other analysts [to] ... learn that child ... and then prepare their day to grow that amazing individual person they are into an independent, functional individual person,” Donnell said.

Medical providers can treat autism symptoms through behavioral therapy, developmental therapy and classroom programs, among other methods, according to the CDC. Many local centers oer Applied Behavior Anal- ysis therapy for children with autism. The purpose of ABA therapy is to address unwanted or harmful behaviors, Acha said. However, families can face obstacles to receiv- ing proper treatment for their children, including the high cost of therapy without medical insur- ance coverage, Acha said. Without insurance, annual costs for intensive treatment ranges from $40,000-$60,000 per child, according to a 2012 CDC report from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network.

Treatment options The symptoms of autism spectrum disorder can be treated through a variety of methods, including:

Pharmacological Psychological Complementary and alternative

Behavioral Developmental Educational Social-relational

Applied Behavior Analysis is a type of behavioral therapy that:

Encourages desired behaviors Discourages undesired behaviors

SOURCE: U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTIONCOMMUNITY IMPACT

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM