Alpaca Health matches Dallas families with independent BCBAs: DFW clinicians based in Coppell, Rowlett, Arlington, and Fort Worth who come to your home across the metroplex, with telehealth anywhere in Texas. We accept Medicaid and private insurance, we do not run a waitlist, and most families know their coverage and match options within days.
Clinically reviewed by
Samantha Ridout, M.Phil., BCBA, LBA-NYS· BACB certification #1-22-57709 · Last updated August 2026
Accepted insurance
Choose your Dallas BCBA for your child
Tyanna Moore, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, is the founder of Moore Connected Consulting, with more than 15 years of experience across home, clinic, school, and community settings. Her approach is assent-based, culturally responsive, and family-centered.
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Frances Okonkwo, MA, BCBA, LBA, IBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with S.E.E.D.S International ABA Services. She looks at the whole person rather than just the diagnosis, and meets each individual where they are.
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Annette Okonofua, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, is the owner of Skillbridge ABA Therapy LLC, a trauma-informed clinician with over 7 years of experience across school, clinic, and home settings in the DFW area.
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Irmelle I. Norvil, M.S., QBA, LBA, is the founder and owner of INN Behavioral Centers Inc., delivering individualized, culturally responsive ABA therapy and hands-on parent training for children ages 2 to 12 across North Carolina, Texas, and Colorado.
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Dr. Lisa Drumb, PhD, BCBA, LBA, is a clinical leader and educator with over a decade of experience in Applied Behavior Analysis and special education. She serves as Vice President of Clinical Operations and teaches ABA at Capella University, where she mentors future behavior analysts.
Book a consultationView profileRonte Johnson, MBA, MS, BCBA, LBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with extensive experience supporting children and families through high-quality, evidence-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services.
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Quentessa Matthews is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and the founder of Quintessential ABA, where she provides warm, compassionate, evidence-based ABA therapy to children and families throughout Fort Worth and the surrounding areas.
Book a consultationView profileMary Pitt is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a leader at Plum Behavioral, dedicated to supporting families through a parent-first approach to autism therapy. With over 20 years of experience in clinics, homes, and schools, Mary is committed to helping parents feel confident and capable throughout the therapy process.
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Heather Miller is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and the Owner of BrightMinds Texas ABA. Her commitment to compassionate and effective therapy is deeply personal: she is also a parent of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
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Connie L. Green, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, is the founder of Thrive and Shine ABA Services in Coppell, Texas, where she supports children, teens, and adults in home, community, and transitional settings. She focuses on young adults building independence.
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Kylie Hatch is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and educator who has worked across public schools, homes, and clinics for more than 15 years, helping children and teams build lasting systems of support.
Book a consultationView profileABA therapy options for Dallas families
In-daycare and in-school ABA: therapy at daycare or school where the facility and your plan allow it
Virtual ABA therapy: telehealth parent coaching and BCBA sessions, where your plan covers them
Autism evaluations: ADOS-2 diagnostic assessments where available, coverage verified first
Parent training: regular family guidance sessions with your child's BCBA, where your plan covers them
Which setting fits your family? Tell us during signup and we will say plainly what is available at your address. Most families start with in-home ABA therapy, and virtual ABA therapy reaches any Texas address the same week.
How ABA therapy works through Alpaca Health
Four simple steps from your first form to your first session. No waitlists, no phone tag, no guesswork.
1
Tell us about your child
Start with our short intake form. You share the basics: your child's age, your availability, your insurance, and any autism diagnosis you already have. That is all we need to understand where your family is starting from.
2
We verify your insurance
After you submit the form, we verify your insurance and follow up within one business day to confirm the details. No long waits, no phone tag.
3
Get matched with the right provider
We match you with a BCBA who has availability now. Prefer someone specific? Tell us, and we will try to make it work. Either way, the fit is built around your child's needs and your family's schedule.
4
Start ABA therapy
We introduce you directly to your provider, and they take it from there. Most families begin within a few weeks, with in-home ABA therapy or a telehealth session where your plan covers it.
We accept most insurance providers and handle verification, prior authorization, and paperwork.
Don't see your plan? Check all accepted insurances
Alpaca Health accepts the plans shown above, and we confirm your exact benefits before you commit to anything. Families who want the coverage mechanics in more depth can read about ABA therapy costs in Texas.
What Alpaca Health's data shows about ABA care in Texas
Every number below comes from the sessions, claims, and prior authorizations that partner clinics ran on Alpaca Health between August 2024 and August 2026. It describes families served by those clinics, not the ABA market in Texas.
Families who owed nothing
29%
Share of Texas families whose settled claims carried no patient responsibility. Most Texas families at partner clinics are on commercial plans, which carry deductibles and copays that Medicaid plans do not.
Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026. 307 families across 36 clinics.
Median owed per hour of therapy, commercial plans
$5.00
Patient responsibility owed per delivered hour for Texas families on commercial plans. About three in ten owed nothing at all. Middle half of families: $0 to $15.45.
Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026. 307 families across 36 clinics.
On Texas Blue Shield commercial plans
46.4%
Share of Texas families at partner clinics whose primary payer is Texas Blue Shield. TRICARE West Region covers another 13.7 percent.
Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026. 169 families across 31 clinics.
Median days to a payer decision
14.1
Days from the moment a partner clinic submits a prior authorization to the moment the payer approves or denies it. About a third of decisions took longer than 14 days. Middle half of requests: 8 to 25 days.
Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026. 364 families across 38 clinics.
How Texas prior authorizations ended
- Approved56.3%
- No authorization was needed23.3%
- Withdrawn before a decision13%
Share of prior authorization requests by outcome. Outcome groups with too few families behind them are not shown, so these shares do not add to 100. 302 families across 36 clinics.
Where therapy hours were delivered in Texas
- At home72.1%
- By telehealth9%
- In a clinic office7.2%
- Other settings6.2%
- At school5.6%
Share of delivered therapy hours by the place of service billed on each signed session note. Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026.
Families who had at least one telehealth session
62.1%
Telehealth is a small share of total hours in Texas, and most families used it at least once. It fills gaps around illness and travel rather than replacing in-person work.
Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026. 226 families across 30 clinics.
These figures describe clients of Alpaca Health partner ABA clinics, on the payers Alpaca Health contracts with. They are not measurements of the ABA market in Texas. A figure appears only when at least 25 families from at least 3 clinics sit behind it.
Start ABA therapy nowGetting an autism diagnosis in Dallas
Neither private insurance nor Texas Medicaid will authorize ABA therapy until a doctor or psychologist has made a medical autism diagnosis, so this step comes before everything else.
Dallas has more evaluation options than almost anywhere else in Texas, and the right one comes down to your child's age, the plan on your card, and how much of a team you want involved. Some families do better with a full hospital evaluation, others with a single practice they can reach by phone. The three routes below cover where most Dallas families start.
Start with Alpaca Health
Alpaca Health offers an ADOS-2 evaluation with no waitlist. An ADOS-2 is one part of an autism diagnosis, so we confirm what your plan requires before you book.
Start your evaluationUnder age 3
Early Childhood Intervention serves birth to 36 months. In Dallas County The Warren Center runs it, also does autism assessments, and takes referrals at 972-490-9055.
Age 3 and up
The UT Southwestern and Children's Health Center for Autism Care is referral-gated: your pediatrician completes a referral form and faxes it to 214-867-5389.
Recent Texas policy changes
April 2025: simpler renewal paperwork
- Authorization periods: Medicaid ABA runs on an initial plan, then extensions every 90 days.
- What changed: Since April 1, 2025, the prescriber's signature is no longer required on 90-day extensions.
- For families: Your provider files these forms, not you.
September 2025: higher Medicaid payment rates
- Rate increase: Effective September 1, 2025, Texas raised Medicaid payment rates for ABA.
- Current amounts: The Health and Human Services Commission publishes the HHSC rate tables.
- Why it matters: Better rates can bring more providers to Texas Medicaid.
Local programs and organizations that support families alongside ABA therapy.
Therapy, skills training, and parent coaching for children birth to 3 with developmental delays.
Public school district serving local families. Contact for IEP and special education accommodation support.
Free 24/7 phone, text, and chat support for anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Call or text 988.
24/7 crisis services for residents of Dallas, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro, and Rockwall Counties experiencing mental health or substance use emergencies.
Why independent clinics matter
In-home ABA that fits your life
- The providers we work with bring therapy to you, wherever your child is most comfortable.
- That might mean home, daycare, school, or virtual sessions. Our flexible care model ensures that therapy integrates into your family’s daily routine, rather than disrupting it.
- Our network is made up of independent, local clinicians who prioritize collaboration, not control, so you stay in charge of your child’s care.
Support for the full pediatric age range
- Many ABA centers stop care when a child turns 8. BCBAs on Alpaca Health support the full pediatric age range, from toddlers until age 21, where coverage allows.
- Your child deserves more than short-term support. With Alpaca Health, they can build a long-term relationship with a provider who understands their growth over time and adapts care as their needs evolve.
- We also support your whole family with educational events and resources, including parent webinars, advocacy toolkits, and grant guides.
More care. Less wait.
- Waiting months for ABA therapy shouldn’t be the norm. Alpaca Health connects families with independent BCBAs who are taking new families, and most families begin within a few weeks.
- We work exclusively with independent providers, which allows us to stay flexible and waitlist-free. That means faster assessments, quicker treatment starts, and the end of years-long waits.
- Ready to get started? We’ll handle the paperwork, help coordinate referrals, and walk you through every step.
Which Medicaid plans cover ABA therapy in Dallas?
Coverage runs through Texas Health Steps. In the Dallas service area, STAR members are enrolled with Molina Healthcare of Texas, Parkland Community Health Plan, or Wellpoint, and STAR Kids members are with Aetna Better Health or Wellpoint.
Most Dallas families get stuck at the next step, which is finding a provider who takes the plan. Alpaca Health does, so start your match here.
Which BCBAs would come to my home in Dallas?
Our BCBAs live around the metroplex in Coppell, Rowlett, Arlington, and Fort Worth, and they drive to Dallas homes instead of asking you to drive to a center.
Which clinician you get depends on who has openings in the month you sign up, and telehealth covers any Texas address if the driving does not work out. We tell you which one applies to your address at signup rather than after you have filled out paperwork.
How do I get my child tested for autism in Dallas?
Children can get an ADOS-2 evaluation through Alpaca Health with no waitlist. It is one part of an autism diagnosis, so we confirm what your plan requires before you book. For Texas Medicaid, a developmental pediatrician, neurologist, psychiatrist, licensed psychologist, or interdisciplinary team must make the diagnosis.
For children under 3, Early Childhood Intervention through Metrocare Services or The Warren Center is the usual entry point. For older children, the UT Southwestern and Children's Health Center for Autism Care needs a pediatrician referral, and private Dallas psychology practices test with the ADOS-2.
What happens if no BCBA near me has an opening?
At many Dallas centers you would join a waitlist, which is why waitlist stories fill the North Texas parent groups. Alpaca Health works the other way around. We look at which BCBAs near your address have openings now and match you to one of them.
If nobody near you has room, we tell you that directly instead of adding your child to a list and going silent for months.
