The Institute was founded in 1970 by Peggy W. Pulleyn and Pamela Machold, grandmother and mother of a young boy with autism. When they were unable to locate appropriate, non-institutional services in New Jersey, they launched a national search that culminated in the selection of a science-based intervention model--applied behavior analysis. PCDI was the first community-based program in the State that was specifically designed to provide intervention for children with autism.