How Much Does ABA Therapy Cost?

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often need extra support to thrive independently, and ABA therapy is a research-backed way to provide this additional care. Applied Behavioral Analysis, or ABA, is offered by professionals like BehaviorSpan, where it is covered by insurance. However, this coverage varies across the country. What does ABA therapy include, and how much does it cost? This article breaks down coverage, factors that affect the cost, and tips on how to make ABA therapy more affordable for your family.

What makes ABA therapy worth the financial commitment?

Caring for a child with additional needs often brings extra costs, including therapy. With many options available, choosing where to invest can be overwhelming. Understanding what ABA therapy involves can help families decide if it’s worth the expense.

What does ABA therapy include?

Research shows that early ABA therapy leads to better developmental outcomes for children with autism. In fact, decades of research show that early intervention takes advantage of young children’s heightened brain plasticity, when they’re most receptive to learning and forming new neural connections in children with ASD. 

What makes this type of care so impactful? When you work with an ABA professional, you have a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), trained at a master’s level to assess and create an individualized treatment plan for your child’s unique needs. 

The BCBA supervises a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) or a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), who will implement the therapy plan directly with you and your little one. In some centers, paraprofessionals and other trained staff support the therapy process in various ways.

Working together, this team provides:

• Direct one-on-one therapy at a center or in your home (as determined by your child’s assessment and care plan, developed with the BCBA and you)

• Access to multidisciplinary support

• Skill development appropriate to the child’s level, with milestones in place to continue to aim for

• Behavior reduction strategies in various settings

• Parent and caregiver training to keep the strategies used in ABA consistent

• Progress monitoring to ensure growth occurs, or adjust the treatment plan for challenges and changes

We often hear that it takes a village to raise a child. For little ones with ASD, when the village includes ABA therapists, it becomes a little easier for everyone to understand how to help the child and do their part.

What families can typically expect to pay

So what does this effective, in-depth treatment cost you? 

As a parent, you want what’s best for your child, but there’s a very real financial burden to consider. Statistics estimate that the additional cost of a child with ASD versus a neurotypical child can be between $17,000 and $21,000 per year. 

But ABA therapy may not have to be an added expense you have to manage on your own. There are several ways your child’s therapy may be covered, either in part or in full.

Does Insurance Cover ABA Therapy?

Over twenty years ago, getting an insurance company to cover something like ABA therapy would have been nearly impossible. However, since the mid-to-late 2000s, federal and state mandates for autism services have significantly revamped how insurance companies handle ABA treatment.

In fact, in many states, like Colorado, Medicaid covers 100% of care, and most children with an autism diagnosis qualify for Medicaid. To put this in perspective, at BehaviorSpan, our services are completely covered by Medicaid, and 100% of our students use this insurance, helping parents offset the cost of treatment.

If you have private insurance through an employer or self-coverage, your policy is likely to include ABA, as many insurers now cover it. Coverage details vary by plan, provider, and location. 

What to look for in your autism health insurance plan

Federal mandates require insurance companies to cover autism treatment, but there isn’t a strict guideline that everyone must adhere to. What one company covers, another may exclude or limit. Watch for the following fine print in your insurance plan:

• An age cutoff (many companies end coverage for dependents at 21, but children with ASD often need care beyond that time)

• An annual or lifetime limit on dollars covered

• Maximum therapy hours per week, month, or year

• Requirements to use in-network providers or obtain pre-authorization before treatment

Until you need to use it, you may not know the full scope of your autism care insurance coverage. Dig into the details with your insurer to ensure you understand which therapies are covered, how to obtain pre-authorization if necessary (the center may do this for you, but not always), age and dollar limits, and the appeal process if a treatment is denied.

Keep in mind that your copays, session limits, deductible, and authorization processes may not be enough for your child’s care, in which case, you may have to pay out-of-pocket or find other ways to offset the extra cost.

What Factors Affect the Cost of ABA Therapy?

Each child’s therapy plan looks different, depending on the assessment, the family's goals and situation, and the BCBA's decisions. Some children can attend 10-20 hours per week, while others need a full-time program. These and other factors determine the overall cost of ABA therapy. If insurance does not cover your child’s treatment entirely, or you’re paying out-of-pocket, it’s important to understand these variables.

Each child’s severity of autism is unique and affects the treatment plan intensity, as do the following:

• Supply and demand of ABA therapists in your area

• Geographic location, with high-cost-of-living cities often having higher ABA costs

• Hours of therapy required per week/length of time spent with the specialist versus the assistant

• Experience levels of the ABA therapist (more experienced and highly qualified therapists can charge higher hourly rates)

• Home, school, or center-based therapy

Prices often vary across the state and may even differ within your city or county. For cost estimates, it’s best to call the centers you’re considering working with and speak with your insurer to determine insurance coverage. Note that until the therapist assesses your child and understands the severity of their needs, they won’t be able to give you exact pricing.

How Can I Make ABA Therapy More Affordable?

ABA therapy is billed per hour, and, as mentioned earlier, these rates vary by location and other factors. According to a 2023 article in Autism Parent Magazine, the average hourly rate was $120. If your insurance provider doesn’t cover 100% of the care your child needs, it’s not always necessary to go out-of-pocket.

Other options for ABA therapy funding

From state-funded programs to private pay discounts, there’s a range of opportunities to help you offset your child’s autism treatment costs. Here, we’ve broken down the most common and accessible options into categories.

State-funded programs

Some states are making significant advances in providing affordable care for children with autism, while others have legislation that remains woefully outdated or nonexistent. States for Autism shares the facts behind each state’s support, resources, and advocacy.

“Autism-friendly” states are those that include coverage for ABA therapy, have no caps on benefits or age limits, include mental health services, and cover physical, occupational, and speech therapy. These places often have state-funded resources such as university-affiliated research programs, clinical trials, and Medicaid and waiver programs.

Colorado’s Medicaid program, which, as noted earlier, covers 100% of care, is also on the list for developing the Autism Waiver Program and establishing a standard for regional Autism Centers of Excellence. If your state doesn’t have the friendly label yet, it may be due to limitations such as insufficient funding for special education, long waitlists for services, or a lack of specialized providers in rural areas.

School-funded ABA therapy

School-funded ABA therapy may be provided as part of your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). When that happens, it’s funded by the district's special education budget.

Even if you have Medicaid, it can’t be used to cover ABA therapy in school because, legally, this would be double-billing. As a result, schools are not legally obligated to allow ABA access unless the IEP team determines it is necessary. In that case, a school-employed resource provider is used, and services are limited to school hours. The type of care the child receives varies, as legislation is still conflicted on the line between educational and medical services for children with ASD.

Scholarships for ABA therapy

Autism scholarships increase the ability of families to afford care for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Scholarships are national and state-by-state and change each year, such as NAA’s Give A Voice program, Florida’s Gardiner Scholarship, and the Autism Hero Project in Illinois.

The eligibility criteria vary for the scholarships, but most include:

• The need for an official autism diagnosis

• An age restriction (will depend on the type of scholarship)

• State or country of residency

• Potentially evidence of the family’s financial need

• Proof of school enrollment

Some awards require documentation of engagement with treatment plans, while others recognize that the funds are necessary to start therapy.

ABA financial assistance programs

Nonprofit ABA financial assistance programs such as ACT Today, the United Healthcare Children's Foundation (UHCCF), and the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation are vital sources of funding that help families obtain ABA therapy. This form of financial aid steps in to cover gaps in bills or services that insurance doesn’t pay. Grants can be used for treatment options, medical services, and supportive needs. Learn more about these grants and other autism support resources at AutismSpeaks.org.

Private payment

When you don’t have health insurance to help offset your child’s ABA therapy annual coverage costs, some ABA therapy providers will negotiate their hourly rates or use sliding scales to determine payment plans for the number of hours versus monthly costs. Your out-of-pocket expenses may also be covered by your Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

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Conclusion

Whether ABA services are delivered in-home or at a center, consistent sessions with a trained professional are backed by research as one of the most effective autism treatments. While the cost of ABA therapy may seem high initially, your actual out-of-pocket expenses will vary based on several factors.

If you’re in Aurora or Denver, Colorado, BehaviorSpan’s professional BCBAs are happy to help you determine a care plan and address the costs of your child’s therapy sessions. Contact us today to get started guiding your child to the best future possible. Call 720-206-9644.

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