Tearful, joyful parents welcome law change to make behavioral analysis therapy more widely available for those with autism

"It's been immeasurable," she said. "[We've seen] just tremendous changes in safety awareness and ability to communicate just basic needs, pain, that type of thing. I want to cry because it's just been so valuable to us."

Nico is one of the lucky ones. Until now, it’s been hard to get behavioral analysis therapy in North Carolina because the state required certified therapists to be supervised by a specialized psychologist. That limited the number of ABA therapists, especially in rural areas. The new law gets rid of that requirement, allowing therapists to be licensed and practice on their own.

"There are only a few hundred therapists in North Carolina, yet there are 65,000 kids with autism," said Rep. Zack Hawkins, D-Durham, a sponsor of the bill and the father of two boys with autism.

Hawkins' sons, ages 5 and 6, have been in behavioral analysis since they were toddlers.

"What it’s meant to us is the ability for our sons to know how to play, to know how to understand how games work. They know how to interact with their peers, and that's absolutely, that's enormous when it comes to the formative years," he said.

Hawkins' wife, Tracey, says it’s allowed their younger son, Adam, to navigate preschool.

"It really helped him to understand his behaviors and the triggers that can lead up to those meltdowns," she said.

By opening the doors to more of these therapists, they say, the new law should help many more families see the same kind of progress.