May Institute was founded in 1955 in the seaside village of Chatham, Massachusetts, by Dr. Jacques M. May and his wife, Marie-Anne. Their vision was to help children with disabilities, including their twin boys with autism, lead the fullest lives possible.
Today, the Institute (annual budget, $100M) is one of the largest organizations of its kind in the world, with centers from Maine to Florida and Massachusetts to California. Each year, May Institute provides behavioral services to more than 26,000 children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities, brain injury, mental illness, and behavioral healthcare needs. The Institute’s 2,200 employees include more than 40 licensed and credentialed doctoral-level professionals with significant experience in behavior analysis–a concentration of expertise that rivals that of many universities. These senior-level experts are joined by over 50 staff with BCBA and BCABA certification.
May Institute is unique in the extent to which it has systematically utilized the principles and methods of behavior analysis in its administrative organization and management practices. The majority of its executive and senior management staff, and over 90% of its senior clinical staff, hold doctoral-level degrees and/or BCBA certification and are highly experienced in behavior analysis.
Specialized programs for children and adolescents include six private schools for students with autism, a school for students with brain injury, and 22 community-based group homes. The Institute operates 77 group homes and 25 supported living apartments for adults with autism, developmental disabilities, or psychiatric disorders, and seven regional day treatment and vocational rehabilitation programs. Its 38 behavioral health programs for children and adults include clinics, hospital-based programs, and community drop-in centers. May Institute also provides home-based and early intervention services to well over 500 families and consultation to more than 200 public school systems annually.
The Institute’s publication record over the past 25 years includes over 340 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and books. Its professional staff have conducted over 1,700 invited presentations to international, national, and regional audiences. In 1998, the Institute established an APA-accredited internship program with an applied behavioral track, and has since trained 67 pre-doctoral clinical psychology interns and 36 post-doctoral fellows. In partnership with May, Northeastern University offers a Master of Science degree in applied behavior analysis, which has been granted to over 740 graduate students to date.
Perhaps the Institute’s most enduring contribution to the field has been its instrumental role in bringing behavior analysis into the public domain on an unprecedented scale, helping to bridge the gap that might otherwise exist between a research-based methodology and the mainstream application of that methodology. After five decades of unsurpassed expertise and exceptional care, May Institute continues to profoundly impact the lives of the children and adults it serves.Back to Enduring Programmatic Contributions in Behavior Analysis Award