During the 2021-22 Fiscal Year, the ACE® ABA Software System (ACE®), which provides access to NECC’s curriculum for individuals with autism worldwide, celebrated the milestone of surpassing 10,000 learners around the world. Since 2009 when the ACE® was first offered as a commercial subscription service, the award-winning curriculum has impacted the lives of more than 25,000 children with autism in 48 U.S. states/territories and 18 countries.
“Individuals with autism learn best through individualized lesson plans and instruction, and the curriculum bank on the ACE® is a culmination of over 45 years of contributions by NECC’s BCBAs, special educators, speech and language pathologists, and occupational therapists,” said Nicole Ciotti Gardenier, MS, CAGS, BCBA, LABA, executive director of the ACE® ABA Software System.
According to Gardenier, developing and running a strong ABA program takes time and requires a high level of expertise—resources many public schools and private agencies don’t have—which is why the ACE® is so widely used across the globe. “We know that schools and agencies are often short on time, and the more than 2,000 lessons available on the ACE® cuts out the time special educators spend creating individualized curricula,” said Gardenier.
“The ACE® has really been a game changer for our program,” shared a public-school user.
The ACE® also includes the tools required for good instruction like assessments and reporting, allowing educators and BCBAs to streamline the ABA program process. The client support comprised of master’s and doctoral-level BCBAs and special educators, is uniquely qualified to provide high-quality training and support to clients worldwide. NECC holds a patent for the ACE®, which was completely developed by NECC staff, and the software is continuously improving.
“It is impressive what the development team has done,” said one private agency user. “ACE® is incredible. I love it.”
This story originally appeared in the FY 2021-22 Annual Report.