HANDS Center for Autism

"Absolutely awful experiences. Several therapists called out after we would Show up and/or canceled our sessions last minute. They called cps on us with false and ludicrous allegations behind our backs, wouldn’t apologize or make it right. Super toxic and gaslit response when we asked them why they did that. I will never bring my son back there again and wouldn’t recommend this clinic to anyone else."

"This clinic is the most ethical, reliable, and truthful clinic I have ever been to. As an RBT who is employed here, I can guarantee you everyone works hard behind the scenes to ensure each client gets the best treatment possible. When I started here, the owners of this company were out on the floor working with us, giving bathroom breaks, and physically cleaning up messes to make our lives easier. They left their office door open to all staff who had questions, and still do. Your child will receive the best care, because the staff receives the best care. I have seen phenomenal progress first hand in clients on a DAILY basis. Please listen when I say that this is the BEST place to take your child! I have seen the way other ABA companies role, and hands does it right."

"Popped by here (I was passing by) just to see if they wanted/needed volunteers in any kind of way and if so, what were the deets on it (pamphlet, quick high-level description, etc.). I wasn't greeted well at all. Both receptionists stared at me like they didn't understand what I was doing there. I even greeted them kindly upon entry and "What?" was the response. Like... what if I was stopping by to inquire about a child??? Is this how you treat people who want to utilize your services? Unacceptably unprofessional. Additionally, the receptionists didn't seem to know whether or not they had volunteer opps (odd) and said they were going to get a manager. The manager never came. Instead, the receptionist returned with their generic website written on a sticky note (as if I couldn't Google the website? Sweetie...) and told me to look up employment opportunities there but she didn't know if there were any volunteer opportunities on the site. So, neither you nor the manager know about volunteer opportunities? Copy. I wasn't looking for employment. Just wanting to volunteer to support a business with a seemingly lovely mission. I had a simple question: Do you have/accept volunteers or not? I truly respect if a business is busy and unable to provide any in-depth info — but that could just be plainly stated. It felt like they handled me with 0 people or professional skills and if I did have a child that I may be seeking services for, I would have been 100% turned off by their approach — which is unfortunate. Happy to see in the reviews that parents are having positive experiences w/ the growth of their children. I do hope that their front-of-house staff would treat people better in the future. From volunteer work to investment interest, you never know WHO is actually gracing the threshold of your establishment."

"***(Head up: This is a detailed review)*** As I heard one mom put it this morning, "my experience here has been hands down, nothing short of stellar." I found myself nodding in agreement because that has been my experience thus far. I'm not one to leave a review after having a few "good" moments. I waited a year and this is what I have found: First, ABA is a very controversial topic among the Autism community. I found about 95% of people had some pretty bad experiences and absolutely would not recommend it and the 5% only recommended it, if you were able to find a really good therapist that worked well with your kid(s) (per Reddit). Taking that into consideration, I prayed that I would be among the 5% and not traumatize my child for the rest of his life. However, finding that "good therapist" or a facility that met our needs was a challenge within itself. We (my husband & I) were looking for a place that offered cameras (for security), parent involvement (how can I take what he's learning and do it at home), steps to progression (how are you going to help my son obtain life skills while keeping him true to his personality and not try to change him but help change his behaviors), and compassionate, understanding, & patient people. So I'm not asking for a lot right? Right! After searching the Raleigh/Cary area where we lived, and faced many disappointments, we came across HANDS. At first call, no one picked up the phone. Before jumping to conclusion, I drove by the next day and dropped in. I like the simplicity of the waiting room, nothing outrageous. I inquired about information and was given Anh's information. They explained the reason no one picks up is because there's no receptionist but I could leave a message and someone would get back to me. I have tried this several times and it works. Not only did Anh answer all our questions but she also invited us for a tour, which we happily accepted. This facility had what we were looking for. Cameras? Check. Parent involvement? Check. Next steps, required bringing our son for an evaluation so a plan can be formulated. Check. It took us about a month to get our son enrolled. It took about three weeks for our son to push us out the door and runaway to go "play". Listen parents, I treat my kid like he has six sense. If he smells anything remotely fishy and makes a beeline for the door and grabs my hand to leave, I trust him and we will never return. Kids know when somethings wrong but there was none of that here. In fact, I was surprised and almost hurt that he frantically waved me away to go play. When he came home, he asked to go back the next day! Meanwhile, I was testing the limits of my power. How often can I see my kid in action? As long as I reached out and requested to see the cameras, Delesta or the BCBA Tech (Katie - she's amazing), would let me know when they had availability. They often were able to fit me in that same week and sometimes the same day. I did this until I was comfortable, knowing my kid was safe. If I had any concerns about what I witnessed, I could always bring it up and it was addressed either immediately or within the week. I came in for parent meetings almost every two weeks because I want to be as much hands on as I possibly can; to better understand my son and how to help him in his daily life. I do believe they offer an hour or two once a month if you think twice a month is excessive. Over time, I have found the staff at HANDS has been compassionate, more patient than I could have imagined, extremely understanding, & very communicative. After one year, between Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, and ABA, we have seen our son grow, especially in speech and working out his aggression of frustrations. I too, have learned much about what I can do to help my son feel validated and communicative. I have also learned how to handle myself when my son isn't having a good day .Thank you, doesn't quite sum up my gratitude. I highly recommend this place and hope you have just as good of an experience as I do. All the best, Ruthie"

"HANDS down, no. The ownership and intake team are in way over their heads and they are taking on more than they can handle. Last year when they were newly operating, I gave them grace and chalked up the excuses to them getting their feet on the ground. However after experiencing a similar situation this year there is zero excuse for their disfunction. I had saved all of our ABA hours to enroll my son full time after the school year and was guaranteed a spot. After reaching out multiple times starting back in May I kept getting the run around; they eventually stopped responding all together even after going in person to see what the problem was. Furious and disappointed are understatements. Given the industry they are in SHAME ON THEM. Fortunately my son is thriving without ABA, but I know a lot of families who have a different situation. Its not an easy or quick process to get services somewhere else and they should be ashamed that they deprived my son (whom I told would be returning!) of therapy 2 YEARS IN A ROW! I will say they have had very impressive BCBAs since opening but a lot of left and the turn over is huge. Not a surprise... Shame on you HANDS. Get your act together, time is precious for these kiddos! I would not recommend. However if you choose to proceed have a back up plan!"