Meet Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh
Dr. Granpeesheh began her studies in autism as an undergraduate at UCLA earning a bachelor’s degree in 1984, and a master’s degree in psychology in 1987, followed by a Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA in 1990. While completing her degrees, Dr. Granpeesheh worked with Dr. Ivar Lovaas on the groundbreaking outcome study published in 1987 which showed a recovery rate of 47% among the study’s research participants. Dr. Granpeesheh built on Dr. Lovaas’s work, developing the CARD® Model, which is a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to treating autism.
In 1990, Dr. Granpeesheh founded the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, also known as CARD®. Under Dr. Granpeesheh’s 30 years of leadership, CARD® became one of the world’s largest providers of ABA-based treatment for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. With over 260 locations throughout the United States and internationally, CARD® employed over 6,000 highly skilled professionals and was a leading employer of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) providing behavioral treatment to thousands of families worldwide.
CARD®’s highly regarded behavior management and skill acquisition programs were the culmination of decades of research in the field of autism treatment. As part of the nation’s third largest non-governmental organization contributing to autism research, CARD® researchers published groundbreaking studies that contributed significantly to the field. In 2011, Dr. Granpeesheh founded the Autism Research Group, a nonprofit organization whose mission was to identify and conduct treatment research that improves the quality of life for individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
To increase access to evidence-based treatment, Dr. Granpeesheh founded Skills™, an innovative web-based platform that optimizes treatment programs for individuals with autism spectrum disorder by providing a comprehensive assessment and curriculum, positive support planning for challenging behavior, progress tracking, and treatment evaluation.
From 1990 to 2019, as CARD®’s CEO and chief clinician, Dr. Granpeesheh developed extensive state-of-the-art training programs for CARD®’s clinical employees, patient caregivers, and school personnel. As demand for CARD® training programs increased, Dr. Granpeesheh established the Institute for Behavioral Training which provides web-based and in-person training programs targeting the specific training needs of school districts, parents and caregivers, physicians, and autism treatment providers.
In 2005, Dr. Granpeesheh founded Autism Care Today (ACT), a nonprofit organization that builds awareness and provides grants to fund health care, housing, safety, and technology needs for autistic individuals and their families.
In 2008, Dr. Granpeesheh produced and co-directed the documentary “Recovered: Journeys through the Autism Spectrum and Back”, a film about 4 children diagnosed with Autism who, after three years of intensive intervention lost their diagnoses and now lead productive and healthy lives. This documentary received significant recognition including “Best Documentary” in the Director’s Chair Film Festival, official selection in the Victoria Independent Film Festival and special recognition in the ReelHeART International Film Festival of Toronto.
In August 2009, her research entitled “Retrospective Analysis of Clinical Records in 38 Cases of Recovery from Autism” was published in the Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, showing that recovery from autism is possible with early, intensive intervention using ABA. This study echoed the results of Dr. Lovaas’s earlier study and garnered Dr. Granpeesheh the prestigious George Winokur Clinical Research Award.
In 2014, Dr. Granpeesheh co-authored the book Evidence-Based Treatment for Children with Autism, a comprehensive description of the model of treatment she developed over her 30 years of leadership at CARD®. She has also authored over 50 peer reviewed publications on subjects concerning the diagnosis and treatment of Autism. Notably, in 2015, Dr. Granpeesheh co-authored a series of 4 articles that were published in the prestigious journal Pediatrics. These articles were the culmination of work from several think tanks concerning the early diagnosis and treatment of autism and continue to define the guiding principles of therapeutic process for medical and psychological professionals today.
Dr. Granpeesheh is co-founder of The Autism Media Network which hosts “Autism Live”, the number one video podcast in the field of autism education. Since 2012, Dr. Granpeesheh has broadcast the “Ask Dr. Doreen” show on the Autism Media Network, a weekly interactive web show providing support, resources, information, facts and inspiration to parents, teachers, and practitioners who work with individuals on the autism spectrum. Through the Ask Dr. Doreen Show, hundreds of families have been able to call in or write in and gain immediate guidance on various issues pertaining to their children. In 2022, Autism Media Network launched “Stories from the Spectrum” the first show to be entirely produced, directed by and featuring individuals on the spectrum of autism.
In 2020, the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis honored her by establishing the “Doreen Granpeesheh Fund for the Interdisciplinary Approach to the Treatment of Autism”, whose objective is to support educational pursuits that complement the behavioral treatment of autism with knowledge and expertise from related fields and with consideration of the individual as a whole while highlighting the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to the treatment of autism.
In 2018, Dr. Granpeesheh sold CARD® to the private equity company, Blackstone and stepped down as CEO. Unfortunately, in 2023, just five years after Dr. Granpeesheh’s departure, CARD® underwent a court ordered bankruptcy and in August of 2023, Dr. Granpeesheh was able to repurchase the company in auction, thereby resuming her position as CEO.
Since reacquiring CARD®, she has successfully stabilized the company and positioned it for renewed growth and expansion. Having recognized the critical need to improve caregiver knowledge, education and training, in 2024, Dr. Granpeesheh and colleagues developed Neurodivergent Parenting, a new technology powered by AI algorithms to deliver personalized, adaptive training for every parent.
Dr. Granpeesheh remains committed to increasing access to ABA and improving treatment efficacy by expanding the knowledge of behavior analysts to include a broad understanding of the diagnostic criteria, dietary protocols, and biomedical interventions currently in use for the treatment of autism. In addition, Dr. Granpeesheh is a member of the Finance Committee of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, sits on the board of advisors of the Board of Psychology of UCLA, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence.
Dr. Granpeesheh has been a member of numerous scientific and advisory boards including the US Autism and Asperger’s Association, The Autism File Journal, Autism 360-Medigenesis, the 4-A Healing Foundation and the Defeat Autism Now coalition. In addition, Dr. Granpeesheh served on the National Board of Directors of the Autism Society of America (ASA), the practice board of The Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), the Autism Human Rights and Discrimination Initiative Steering Committee, the Early Intervention Taskforce of the Senate Select Committee on Autism and Related Disorders, and the Oversight Committee of the Department of Developmental Disabilities.
