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Doreen Granpeesheh

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Doreen Granpeesheh
BornApril 8, 1963
Tehran, Imperial State of Iran
NationalityIran
Alma materUCLA
Known forCenter for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)
Scientific career
FieldsClinical psychology
Behavior analysis
InstitutionsUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
ThesisThe effects of teaching common preschool games to autistic children on increasing peer interaction (1990)

Doreen Granpeesheh (Persian: درّین گران‌پیشه, April 8, 1963) is an Iranian-American psychologist and board certified behavior analyst who works with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

In 1990, Granpeesheh founded the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD).[1]

Granpeesheh co-created Skills—an online assessment and ABA treatment guide for children with ASD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[2][3][4]

In 2014, Granpeesheh published Evidence-Based Treatment for Children with Autism: The CARD Model[5] with co-editors Jonathan Tarbox, Ph.D., B.C.B.A.-D., Adel Najdowski, Ph.D., B.C.B.A.-D., and Julie Kornack.

Early Life

Granpeesheh was born in Tehran, Iran, and went to school in England and Switzerland. Her father was the advisor to Iran's ministry of finance before the Shah of Iran was overthrown. Her mother was a major in the Shah’s army. Because of the Islamic Revolution, her parents sent her to Los Angeles, California in 1978 where she completed high school at the age of fifteen. Her parents spent the following three years in hiding before they made their escape from Iran. [6][7]

Career

At age 16, Granpeesheh enrolled at UCLA in 1978. For twelve years she attended the university until 1990, obtaining her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Granpeesheh studied under Psychology Professor Ivar Lovaas, a pioneer in the autism studies who is widely credited with first applying applied behavioral analysis (ABA) to autism treatment.[8][5]

Lovaas established the Young Autism Project clinic at UCLA in 1962[9] and Granpeesheh's undertook supervised work under Lovaas mentorship where they were experimenting with behavior procedures to find a way to reduce the severely self-injurious behaviors of children living at the Autism Unit at Camarillo State Hospital. These studies greatly influenced Granpeesheh and also led to Lovaas publishing a seminal 1987 paper titled: “Behavioral Treatment and Normal Educational and Intellectual Functioning in Young Autistic Children"[5][8][10]

After graduating, in 1990 Granpeesheh, at Lovaas suggestion, took over the treatment of children who aged out the Young Autism Project and used the ABA autism concepts Lovaas pioneered to found an autism treatment clinic in Encion, California named Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)[8][5]. Initially, CARD was one of the only autism treatment providers to offer intensive early-intevention ABA treatments.[8][5] From 1990 to 1993 Granpeehseh grew the CARD business from 5 children to 25 children.[5][8]

In 1993, Catherine Maurice the mother of two children Granpeesheh had worked with published a book titled Let Me Hear Your Voicee. The book detailed how the author’s children overcame the symptoms of autism with ABA techniques, and it called out Granpeesheh by name. As a result of the book, demand for Granpeesheh's autism services increased.[5][8][11]

In the mid 1990s a group of families formed an internet group named the "ME-List" taking the name from Lovaas book "Teaching Devepmentally Disabled Children - The Me Book" 1981. One parent from this group contacted Granpeesheh and asked CARD to open a clinic in San Jose, CA. Granpeesheh agreed to open a new clinic if 25 familes would join. The man posted those terms online in an autism chat room on Prodigy and soon after Granpeesheh opened a clinic in San Jose.[5][8]

From 1993 to 2003 Granpeesheh opened ten more clinics all over the world including London and Australia.[5][8]

By 2014, Granpeesheh's CARD business had expanded to 1500 families in treatment and employed close to 2,000 employees, including therapists, care coordiantors, case managers and directors.[5][8]

CARD is now the third largest non-governmental organization contributing to autism research in the United States. Whille employed by CARD, researchers have published numerous academic papers.[5][8][12]

The Blackstone Group, a private equity firm, acquired CARD in 2018 for $700 million in equity. Blackstone owns 75% of CARD. Some of CARDs equity was gifted to long-time CARD employees who helpfed found CARD. Granpeeshe retains significant equity, but stated she plans to retire when CARD reaches 500 to 1000 clinics.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ "Our Founder". Center for Autism & Related Disorders. 2011. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  2. ^ "Meet Skills Founders & Leaders in ABA and Autism Therapy". Center for Autism and Related Disorders. 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  3. ^ "About: Corporate Leadership". Center for Autism and Related Disorders. 2008–2012. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  4. ^ "Skills Index". Center for Autism and Related Disorders. 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Granpeesheh, D., Tarbox, J., Najdowski, A., & Kornack, J. (2014). "Evidence-based treatment for children with autism: The CARD model". New York, NY: Elsevier.
  6. ^ "Doreen Granpeesheh". U.S. Virtual Embassy Iran. 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Behavior therapy". San Fernando Valley Business Journal. 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "CARD Founder Details Company's Path to Success". bhbusiness.com. 3 January 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  9. ^ Larsson, Eric V; Wright, Scott (2011). "O. Ivar Lovaas (1927–2010)". The Behavior Analyst. 34 (1): 111–114. doi:10.1007/BF03392239. PMC 3089401.
  10. ^ "Ole Ivar Lovaas dies at 83; UCLA psychology professor pioneered autism treatment". Los Angeles Times. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  11. ^ Maurice, Catherine (19 July 1994). Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph over Autism. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 9780449906644.
  12. ^ "Research Programs". Center for Autism and Related Disorders. 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  13. ^ Yuk, Pan Kwan (13 April 2018). "Blackstone acquires autism care specialist CARD". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  14. ^ "Blackstone to Buy Center for Autism and Related Disorders". Wall Street Journal. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
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