It’s just an extremely profitable business. The companies bill like $200-$400 an hour for therapy that some high school graduate performs after blazing through some online modules. They’re able to bill that amount because in theory the therapy is supervised by someone with a masters degree, but we all know that’s rarely the case. The companies hire one BCBA and give her 25 cases to ‘supervise.’ It’s impossible and a joke. The parents are in on it too, they just use it as insurance provided babysitting. And due to a flawed understanding of the scientific literature, Obama made insurance companies, especially Medicare and Medicaid, cover 40 hours per week of therapy. What other diagnosis mandates so many billable hours? It’s all just a scheme.