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About the Pingree Center

Learn About Our Treatment Center For Autism

Highly regarded on state, national and international levels, the Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center of Learning provides state-of-the-art intervention for children and adolescents with autism, with a new Adult Autism Center that opened in April 2021.

Through a contract with the University of Utah, our specialized school for autism is actively involved in research projects to improve and understand the treatment of autism. They have received national recognition for this work.

The Butterfly Symbol

The butterfly symbolizes playfulness, joy, love, and cheerfulness — qualities that those impacted by autism aspire. That is why we chose this symbol. We are constantly inspired by individuals with autism.

Our History

Late 1970's

The Pingree Center was founded. Carmen Pingree spearheaded the movement to fund a preschool, because she was a parent of a child with autism, and noticed the severe lack of autism services in Utah.

2002

On November 21, thanks to many in the community, a k-12 service school became a reality. Over 700 people helped celebrate the opening of the new Carmen B. Pingree Center for Children with Autism.

2015

The Do Your Blue campaign (originally called Blue your ‘Do) was started to raise money for student scholarship funds and support about Autism Awareness Month. To get involved, supporters can visit certain local salons to get a blue hair streak or purchase a limited-edition blue item at participating establishments.

1998

David and Susan Spafford created a vision for an autism elementary school. The school was envisioned to serve nearly 250 children with autism. The Spaffords began by establishing a $10 million endowment with an additional $1 million generously provided by Valley Behavioral Health.

2014

The Center changed its name to the Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center of Learning, to reflect Center as a place of learning for not only the children, but also their families, the staff, university students, and the community.

June 2020

We will be opening Utah’s first Adult Autism Center. Children on the autism spectrum age out of government support between the ages of 18-22. There is a huge lack of quality autism services in Utah for adults. Our Adult Autism Center will offer daily skills and vocational training.

Late 1970's

The Pingree Center was founded. Carmen Pingree spearheaded the movement to fund a preschool, because she was a parent of a child with autism, and noticed the severe lack of autism services in Utah.

1998

David and Susan Spafford created a vision for an autism elementary school. The school was envisioned to serve nearly 250 children with autism. The Spaffords began by establishing a $10 million endowment with an additional $1 million generously provided by Valley Behavioral Health.

2002

On November 21, thanks to many in the community, a k-12 service school became a reality. Over 700 people helped celebrate the opening of the new Carmen B. Pingree Center for Children with Autism.

2014

The Center changed its name to the Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center of Learning, to reflect Center as a place of learning for not only the children, but also their families, the staff, university students, and the community.

2015

The Do Your Blue campaign (originally called Blue your ‘Do) was started to raise money for student scholarship funds and support about Autism Awareness Month. To get involved, supporters can visit certain local salons to get a blue hair streak or purchase a limited-edition blue item at participating establishments.

June 2020

We will be opening Utah’s first Adult Autism Center. Children on the autism spectrum age out of government support between the ages of 18-22. There is a huge lack of quality autism services in Utah for adults. Our Adult Autism Center will offer daily skills and vocational training.

Our Philosophy

Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center of Learning is Utah’s premier program for the treatment of children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We are proud to provide a nationally recognized, cutting-edge, and evidence-based autism treatment center. We use the international gold-standard of care, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), to implement autism therapy for children. At the Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center of Learning, we value your child having an effective and enriched experience, that’s why we ensure that all of our therapists are ABA certified. The Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center of Learning has Board Certified Behavioral Analysts (BCBA) who are trained to provide and supervise behavioral analysis. Established practices are in correlation with our scientific findings.

Life Changing Results

The Pingree Center delivers real results that can transform the life of your child. Families have experienced life-changing special moments with their children like:

  • Looking into your eyes and saying, “I love you, mom.”
  • Smiling at you for the first time
  • Telling you they hurt rather than hitting you
  • Asking, “Mom, can I play with my friends?”
  • Getting hugs or kisses for the first time

Our autism treatment center uses structured learning environments, motivational strategies, autism therapists, and the collection and monitorization of data to make sure our children are making progress. Our staff develops individualized plans for each child to help them get the support they need based on their abilities, interests, strengths, and any areas requiring support. Check out our programs to learn more!

What Makes Our Center Different

Strongest attributes

The empathy and compassion we have for children who are diagnosed with autism (or other mental health diagnoses) cannot be overstated. We have a trustworthy reputation in our community, helping children increase their social and communication skills while simultaneously reducing the amount of behavioral problems encountered. This is accomplished through a variety of therapeutic services, including occupational and speech services in a constructive setting.

Staff Training

Therapist at our center are all ABA certified. Our staff completes 40 hours of online videos, along with receiving 2 weeks of intensive training from experienced members of our team. After this, we continue to provide ongoing information and instruction to staff members for the remainder of their time at Pingree. Our team approach allows for a strong interdisciplinary staff who make specialized decisions, with a continuous goal to always provide the highest quality ABA services.

Current and Future Plans

We are always making changes to improve our current offerings or create new services altogether. Currently, we have expanded our services beyond our facility by offering in-home ABA therapy for children with autism. Moving forward, we are expanding autism services for children to adults with autism. We are opening a new autism treatment center that will specifically target this need in the community later this year (2020).

Partners in Success

Community Partners & Sponsors: Operated by Valley Behavioral Health, the Pingree Center is a successful example of a private/public partnership.

Center Affiliates: We have some of the most prominent researchers in the field of autism in Utah on our advisory council. We rely on the expertise of our advisory council as well as key faculty members from the University of Utah to our autism school program.

Contact Us

Get in touch with us today.

Call us at:
(801) 581-0194

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