FOR RELEASE—The leading provider of developmental care for neurodiverse children, Positive Development is thrilled to announce two state-of-the-art facilities have officially opened to serve more families. Positive Development added locations in Lakewood and Cherry Hill and is now serving clients in five sites across New Jersey.

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“The latest CDC research estimates one in 36 children are now being diagnosed with autism and will need developmental support and services, an increase of over 80% in the last 10 years,” said Mike Suiters, Co-founder and CEO of Positive Development. “There are too few quality providers available to meet this growing need, especially those that accept Medicaid patients. We're tackling this challenge head-on and are excited to offer families access to our support system and personalized care programs in two more locations across the state.”

Growing Autism Care Access

In April 2021, Positive Development opened its first New Jersey center in Parsippany. “It’s exciting to see how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time, and how our company is changing the lives of so many people here in New Jersey,” said Natalie Kitts, Clinical Director for Positive Development’s Parsippany center. “We strive to make our developmental care centers the kind of place where authentic, talented and passionate people can have a positive impact on children, their families and the community.”

Adding the Lakewood and Cherry Hill locations are the physical extensions of one of the company’s core values: Being growth minded. In addition to growing to meet the access challenge, Positive Development also strives to keep quality and outcomes front and center for all involved.

"At Positive Development, we believe that all families who are navigating an autism diagnosis, regardless of where they live or what tax bracket they’re in, should have access to developmental care, and we’re so fortunate New Jersey families in both Lakewood and Cherry Hill have a new, trusted alternative," said Rich Maston, General Manager – Eastern U.S. for Positive Development.

Significant Job Opportunities for Local New Jersey Economies

The Positive Development Lakewood and Cherry Hill locations have also created both meaningful part-time and full-time work for individuals with a variety of different backgrounds – with the goal of eventually supporting hundreds of local jobs. Those jobs including everything from part-time Developmental Autism Specialists who may also be juggling a bachelor’s or master’s degree program, to full-time licensed clinical staff such as Occupational Therapists, Speech/Language Pathologists or Mental Health clinicians.

“What these two new locations opening in New Jersey signify to me is opportunity,” said Dr. Susan Smith-Foley, Clinical Director for Positive Development’s Lakewood and Cherry Hill centers. “Not only opportunity to create capacity for much-needed autism care and opportunity for more families to access that care, but also opportunity for folks in the area to build and grow their careers. It’s an exciting time to be part of the Positive Development team.”

Looking ahead, Positive Development plans to continue expanding its developmental care model to additional locations in Newark and New Brunswick.