ChoicePoint Autism Therapy is a clinician-owned ABA practice in Chicago, founded by Dr. Carly Lapin, BCBA-D, for families who want ABA done well, not at scale. Two services live under one umbrella: in-clinic ABA therapy for children with autism, and direct toilet training consulting available right now.
ChoicePoint was built by a clinician who spent years watching ABA practices drift in the wrong direction. As private equity bought up Chicago's ABA market over the past decade, decisions that used to be made by clinicians started being made by investors. Caseloads grew. Quality slipped. Children waited longer. Families were quietly told that this was just how it had to be.
Dr. Carly Lapin disagreed.
ChoicePoint exists because the children who walk through these doors deserve a clinic where the founder is still doing the work. Where treatment plans are built around the child in front of us, not a billing target. Where every decision (clinical, operational, even what color the sensory gym is painted) is made by someone who actually understands what that decision means for a six-year-old learning to communicate, regulate, and grow.
This isn't a chain. It isn't investor-backed. And it never will be.
.svg)
.webp)
.svg)
Dr. Carly Lapin is the founder and clinical director of ChoicePoint Autism Therapy, a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D), and a Licensed Behavior Analyst in Illinois. She holds a PhD in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School, a Master of Science in Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas, and a Bachelor's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from The University of Kansas.
Her research shapes both ChoicePoint services today. Her master's thesis formalized a method for measuring and improving rapport between therapists and children with autism. Her doctoral work developed the rapid toilet training method she now runs personally through ChoicePoint's three-day intensive.
Before founding ChoicePoint, Dr. Lapin served as Director of Clinical Outreach at The Place for Children with Autism, Chief Executive Officer of Rise Up For Autism, and most recently as Director of Growth and Development at the Illinois Autism Center. She has also taught in Pepperdine University's online Master's program in Applied Behavior Analysis.
ChoicePoint was founded at a pivotal moment in Dr. Lapin's career: step away from a field she values deeply, given the concerning trends she experienced locally, or build a model aligned with the standards she believes in. She chose to build.
.webp)
Rachael Llanes is the Vice President of Clinical Operations at ChoicePoint Autism Therapy, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), and a Licensed Behavior Analyst in Illinois and Massachusetts. She holds a Master of Education in Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis from Endicott College and a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Health Sciences from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Rachael spent more than 14 years in public school special education, most recently as Program Director for Applied Behavior Analysis for Boston Public Schools, and that experience is at the heart of ChoicePoint's school readiness programming. She knows firsthand what a classroom asks of a young learner: following group instructions, moving between activities, waiting for a turn, telling a teacher what they need, and handling the noise and pace of a school day. At ChoicePoint, she builds those skills into therapy from the very beginning, so children walk into school ready to learn alongside their peers.
Today, Rachael oversees clinical programming, staff training, and supervision at ChoicePoint, making sure every child receives care that is individualized, compassionate, and grounded in data. When she began looking for her next chapter, ChoicePoint's mission drew her in right away. She believes young learners deserve a clinic that prepares them not just for the classroom but for meaningful, fulfilling lives beyond it, and she is thrilled to bring that work to Chicago families.
Outside of work, Rachael loves baking, drawing, exercising, and playing with her cattle dog, Sassy. Of all the titles she holds, her favorite is "Teta Rachael" to her niece and baby twin nephews.
Every detail here is built around how children with autism actually learn. These are the five parents notice first.
ChoicePoint will never be the biggest ABA practice in Chicago. That isn't the goal. The goal is to be the practice where children make the kind of progress their families thought might not be possible, supported by clinicians who are still in the work because they care about it, not because a quota tells them to be.
If you've been researching ABA in Chicago and the answers haven't matched what your child actually needs, we'd be glad to talk.
The answers below cover what families ask most about how ChoicePoint is structured, what makes a clinician-owned ABA practice different, and Dr. Lapin's background as the founder. If you'd rather talk through your situation directly, Dr. Lapin returns every intake call personally within 1-2 business days.
