ABA therapy in Colorado happens in three main places: your home, a provider’s clinic or over video. Some children do best in one setting. Many do well with a mix. The right choice depends on your child’s goals, your schedule and, in Colorado, how far you are willing to drive.
Our directory currently lists 29 providers offering in-home ABA, 25 running ABA centers and clinics and 17 offering telehealth. Some providers offer more than one.
How in-home ABA works
A behavior analyst (BCBA) assesses your child and writes the treatment plan. A technician, usually a Registered Behavior Technician, then comes to your home for sessions. The BCBA visits on a regular schedule to supervise and to coach you.
Because therapy happens where your child lives, goals often center on daily routines: getting dressed, mealtimes, toileting, bedtime, playing with siblings and handling transitions like leaving for school. Parents see the strategies used in real time and can practice them between sessions.
In-home ABA tends to suit:
- toddlers and young children who learn best somewhere familiar
- families working on routines that happen at home
- households without easy transportation or with younger siblings to care for
- children who find new buildings and new people overwhelming
Things to plan for: most providers want a parent or caregiver home during every session, you’ll need a space where your child can focus, and the provider has to serve your address. In-home teams set a travel radius, so a provider based in Denver may or may not reach you in Castle Rock or Brighton. Ask before anything else.
How center-based ABA works
Your child goes to the provider’s clinic, usually on a set weekday schedule. Technicians work one-on-one with your child, and a BCBA is often on site. Centers have materials and spaces that are hard to recreate at home, and they give children regular chances to practice skills around other kids.
Center-based ABA tends to suit:
- children getting ready for preschool or kindergarten
- kids working on social skills with peers
- families who want a predictable daytime routine
- homes where fitting in sessions would be hard
Things to plan for: drop-off and pickup, the clinic’s hours and sick policy, and the drive. Along the Front Range, a short trip on the map can turn long at rush hour or in snow. Do a test drive at the hour you’d actually go.
Ask to tour the center before enrolling. You should be able to see where sessions happen, meet the supervising BCBA and hear how the team keeps parents informed.
Where telehealth fits
Telehealth ABA is used most for parent and caregiver coaching, BCBA supervision and check-ins between in-person visits. Some older or more independent children also have direct sessions over video. It rarely replaces in-person therapy for young children, but it can keep a program moving through illness, travel or a snowed-in week, and it helps families far from a provider stay connected to a BCBA.
Ask whether your insurance covers telehealth ABA and how it’s billed before you plan around it.
Cost: does the setting change what you pay?
Usually not. Insurance covers ABA based on medical necessity, not the room it happens in, so your plan’s deductible and copays generally apply the same way to home and clinic sessions. Confirm with your insurer. If your child has Health First Colorado, see how Colorado Medicaid covers ABA; 26 providers in our directory offer in-home ABA and accept Medicaid, and 14 offer center-based ABA and accept Medicaid.
Outside the Denver metro
Choices narrow quickly as you leave the Front Range. Our directory lists 19 providers based in Denver and 13 in Colorado Springs, but 3 in Grand Junction and 3 in Pueblo. In smaller towns, a mix often works best: in-home sessions from a provider that travels, with BCBA supervision and parent coaching by telehealth.
If you live in the mountains or on the Western Slope, ask providers in the nearest city whether they travel to you, and ask about telehealth from the start.
You don’t have to pick only one
Many providers offer more than one setting, and some children move between them. A common path is in-home therapy for a toddler, then a switch to a center as preschool approaches. Some programs also send technicians into schools; ask whether sessions can follow your child between home, school and community.
Questions to ask, by setting
In-home providers
- Do you serve my address, and how far does your team travel?
- Will the same technician come each time? What happens if they cancel?
- How often will the BCBA visit, and will they coach me directly?
- Do you offer evening or weekend sessions?
Centers and clinics
- What does a typical day look like, and how much is one-on-one?
- How often is the BCBA on site with my child?
- Can I observe sessions or join parent training?
- What are your hours, holidays and sick policy?
Any provider
- Are you taking new clients, and how long is the wait?
- Have you applied for your Colorado ABA license under HB26-1425?
Compare providers by setting in your city: Denver in-home, Denver centers, Colorado Springs in-home, Colorado Springs centers or every Colorado city.