Cincinnati: ABA therapy center expanding

Oct 1, 2025, WLWT5 Cincinnati: Cincinnati autism therapy center expands despite looming Medicaid cuts

https://www.wlwt.com/article/cincinnati-autism-therapy-center-expands-looming-medicaid-cuts/68133227

DELHI TOWNSHIP, Ohio —

Angel Terry walks her 5-year-old daughter, Giulianna, into the new Ruby ABA center on Cincinnati’s West Side.

It's an expansion of the autism therapy clinic they once traveled all the way to Evendale to reach. Now, it’s right down the street from their home in Delhi Township.

"I didn’t have transportation, so I was having to get Lyft for almost a year to get my baby to school," Terry said.

Giulianna, who is autistic and nonverbal, has been part of Ruby ABA for about a year.

Every session has made a difference for her. "I have dreams about her talking to me all the time," Terry said. "And it’s like, finally, she’s saying things to me. She’s able to communicate with me."

Inside the new clinic, therapy teams work to strengthen communication through play and structured learning. All of it is designed to tap into Giulianna's potential and build functional skills.

"She wouldn’t even be able to tell me if she was hungry or wanted juice," Terry said. "Now, she talks so much better."

Caleb Danishefsky, Ruby ABA’s director of operations, said it's been a long road to open up this location. "It’s something that we were dreaming about and working towards for quite some time now," he said.

When the clinic first explored expansion earlier this year, uncertain Medicaid and federal funding created questions about whether a larger site was feasible. "Do we really have the ability to invest and put forth another place and expand access to care in a little bit more of an uncertain macro environment?" Danishefsky said.

Ultimately, the team decided an expansion could happen, just on a smaller scale. "What we settled on was creating a somewhat smaller facility, but still expanding the access to care."

For families who previously struggled to reach services, proximity is everything. "Opening up the access to care to families that previously just simply would not have the ability to receive that care," Danishefsky said.

Proximity is already changing daily life for Giulianna and her mom. With therapy closer to home, Terry knows her daughter's progress is just beginning.

Ruby ABA leaders say they hope the West Side clinic inspires more providers to bring services to neighborhoods that have historically lacked access. Expanding care, they say, can change the trajectory of children’s lives.