Aveanna Occupational Therapist Charged in Abuse of Autistic Patient

SAN ANTONIO – A pediatric occupational therapist employed by one of the largest publicly traded home care companies in the country has been charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, a first-degree felony in Texas.

Lewis Trudell Barber, 56, was arrested Monday and booked into the Bexar County jail, KSAT reported, citing booking records and an arrest affidavit issued the same day. He has been charged and has not been convicted of any offense.

According to the affidavit as reported by KSAT, the child was 12 when she disclosed the alleged abuse to her doctor in September 2024, and the doctor reported it to Child Protective Services. She told investigators the alleged abuse occurred at multiple locations, including her home. Barber had been her occupational therapist since she was four years old, and the last therapy session took place on September 3, 2024.

The Employer and the Credential

The affidavit states that Barber was employed by Aveanna Healthcare at the time, providing outpatient therapy services. KSAT reported that it had contacted the company for comment. Aveanna has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Aveanna Healthcare Holdings trades on Nasdaq under the symbol AVAH and is headquartered in Atlanta. Its Private Duty Services segment, which generates most of its revenue, includes private duty nursing and pediatric therapy, and the company also markets applied behavior analysis services. That segment is principally reimbursed by Medicaid and Medicaid managed care organizations, which places this case inside the same payer system that funds ABA.

The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy lists Barber’s certification as suspended effective July 26, 2025. That is ten months after the disclosure described in the affidavit and thirteen months before the arrest.

Why the Timeline Matters to Providers

The sequence in this case- disclosure in September 2024, certification suspension in July 2025, arrest in August 2026- is the part with implications beyond one clinic. Certification boards, state licensure authorities, employers, and law enforcement each move on separate clocks, and none of them is obliged to wait for the others.

For an ABA or pediatric therapy operator, the practical questions are the ones a payer or a plaintiff will ask later. What triggers suspension of a clinician pending investigation. Whether credential status is monitored continuously or checked at hire and at renewal. How in-home services, delivered without colleagues present, are supervised. And what a company does in the interval between an allegation and a charge, which in this case ran nearly two years.

Barber remained in the Bexar County jail as of KSAT’s report on August 11. The charge carries a possible sentence of 25 years to life in Texas.

AT A GLANCE

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