Alpaca Health matches Dearborn Heights families with independent BCBAs. In-home ABA therapy reaches across western Wayne County, from Dearborn Heights out to Inkster, Garden City, Westland, and Redford Township, and telehealth reaches any Michigan address. We verify your Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, TriCare, or Aetna benefits before you begin, we do not run a waitlist, and most families start the same week.
Clinically reviewed by
Samantha Ridout, M.Phil., BCBA, LBA-NYS· BACB certification #1-22-57709 · Last updated August 2026
Accepted insurance
Choose your Dearborn Heights BCBA for your child
Stephanie George is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and the owner of Kids Lead ABA Therapy in Shelby Township, where she provides child-led, assent-based ABA for families across the Detroit metro. Her focus is on building skills that carry over into everyday life at home, at school, and in the community.
Book a consultationView profileABA therapy options for Dearborn Heights families
In-school and in-daycare ABA: therapy integrated into your child's daily routine
Virtual ABA therapy: BCBA-coached telehealth sessions from home
Autism evaluations: ADOS-2 diagnostic assessments, coverage verified first
Parent training: twice-monthly Family Guidance sessions with your child's BCBA
Which setting fits your family? Say so at signup and we will tell you plainly what your address can support. In-home ABA therapy depends on where your matched clinician lives, so scheduling it in Dearborn Heights takes a little planning, while Virtual ABA therapy can begin at any Michigan 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 licensed provider who has availability now, not months from 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 care the same week
We introduce you directly to your provider, and they take it from there. Most families have their first meeting or assessment within the same week, whether that is in-home ABA therapy or a telehealth session.
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 confirms your exact benefits before you commit. Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network is the Michigan Medicaid gateway for Dearborn Heights, and it authorizes ABA therapy for Wayne County children under 21. Private plans follow their own track, and Medicaid works differently.
What our own data shows about ABA care across our network
Every number below comes from the sessions, claims, and prior authorizations that partner clinics ran on Alpaca Health between August 2024 and August 2026, across every state we serve. It describes families served by those clinics, not the US ABA market.
Families who owed nothing
69.5%
Share of families nationally whose settled claims carried no patient responsibility. Medicaid plans usually cover it by design, while commercial plans carry deductibles and copays.
Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026. 896 families across 77 clinics.
Median owed per hour of therapy, commercial plans
$2.71
Patient responsibility owed per delivered hour for families on commercial plans nationally. About four in ten owed nothing at all. Middle half of families: $0 to $12.18.
Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026. 448 families across 64 clinics.
Independent practices on Alpaca Health
95
Practices run by clinician owners across the country, together serving about 1,400 children with roughly 148,700 hours of therapy delivered in the window.
Alpaca Health platform records, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026.
Median days to a payer decision
16.4
Days from the moment a partner clinic submits a prior authorization to the moment the payer approves or denies it. Middle half of requests: 10 to 26 days.
Alpaca Health partner-clinic caseload, Aug 2024 to Aug 2026. 1,082 families across 81 clinics.
How prior authorizations ended nationally
- Approved69.3%
- Withdrawn before a decision13.8%
- No authorization was needed9.8%
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. 891 families across 78 clinics.
Where therapy hours were delivered
- At home64.9%
- In a clinic office13.3%
- By telehealth8.9%
- At school7.3%
- Other settings5.6%
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
72.4%
Telehealth is a small share of total hours nationally, 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. 783 families across 70 clinics.
These figures describe clients of Alpaca Health partner ABA clinics, on the payers Alpaca Health contracts with. They are not measurements of the US ABA market. 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 Dearborn Heights
Private insurance and Michigan Medicaid both wait on a medical diagnosis from a licensed physician or a licensed psychologist before either will authorize ABA therapy. The approved evaluation centers closest to Dearborn Heights sit in neighboring Dearborn and in Southfield, and Henry Ford Health adds a virtual one. The right one depends on your child's age and the plan on your card.
Start with Alpaca Health
Alpaca Health offers an ADOS-2 evaluation with no waitlist for children of all ages, the medical diagnosis insurers require before authorizing ABA therapy. Coverage is verified before you book.
Start your evaluationUnder age 3
Wayne RESA runs Early On, and a parent who spots early signs of autism can refer at 734-334-1393 with no diagnosis needed. Help Me Grow Wayne County answers at 313-410-4588.
Age 3 and up
Henry Ford Health's GROW Center evaluates any age and is a Blue Cross Blue Shield approved virtual center: 313-972-3060. Corewell Health's Center for Human Development in Southfield answers at 248-691-4744.
Michigan's autism coverage caps no longer apply
Last reviewed August 2026.
What insurers cannot do
- Age limits: State insurance regulators say the statute's printed age limits cannot be applied.
- Annual dollar limits: Cannot be applied to autism benefits either.
- Visit caps: No limits on mandated speech, physical, or occupational therapy visits.
What has not changed
- Diagnosis first: A licensed physician or psychologist must diagnose autism before coverage applies.
- Self-funded plans: Employer plans under federal ERISA rules are exempt; ask how yours is funded.
- Denials: Appeal any denial citing an age limit or annual cap.
Local programs and organizations that support families alongside ABA therapy.
Michigan's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. Free help with special education, IEPs, disability rights, and finding services, with Spanish and Arabic support lines.
Wayne County's public behavioral health authority and the way in to Medicaid-funded autism services. The access and crisis line runs 24 hours a day, every day.
Michigan's early intervention system for children from birth to age 3. Parents can refer directly, no diagnosis is required, and families have a right to a plan of services within 45 days.
Autism evaluations for children ages 2 to 17 at Henry Ford Health medical centers in Troy and Hamtramck, and virtually. Listed as a Blue Cross Blue Shield approved autism evaluation center.
Neurodevelopmental, psychological, and psychoeducational evaluations for autism, ADHD, and developmental delays. A Blue Cross Blue Shield approved autism evaluation center in Southfield.
Autism evaluations and family support for ages 2 to 18, with Detroit metro sites in Royal Oak, Warren, and Ann Arbor. The Royal Oak site is a Blue Cross Blue Shield approved autism evaluation center.
Autism evaluations, speech, occupational and sensory therapy, social skills groups, and school consultation for children and families in Auburn Hills.
Statewide autism nonprofit whose free MiNavigator service helps families identify resources. State funding for MiNavigator was eliminated in the most recent budget, so the organization says new requests may face longer delays.
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. Not us. We support the full pediatric age range, toddlers to age 21.
- 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 shouldn’t be the norm. At Alpaca Health, we help families connect with the right provider in just a few days.
- 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.
Will insurance cover ABA therapy in Dearborn Heights?
Most children in Dearborn Heights carry coverage, and the plan name decides what happens next. State-regulated private plans answer to Michigan's autism law, and the state insurance regulator has said insurers may not apply the age limit or the dollar caps the statute still prints. Self-funded employer plans sit outside it, so what ABA therapy costs can differ.
Alpaca Health checks your benefits first. Start your Dearborn Heights intake.
Does Michigan Medicaid pay for ABA therapy in Dearborn Heights?
Yes, for children who meet medical necessity. In Wayne County the authorization comes from Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network rather than from a Medicaid health plan, and the network covers ABA therapy for children under 21. A diagnosis from a licensed physician or psychologist has to be on file first.
Alpaca Health serves families across Michigan, and we will tell you plainly at signup which route your coverage follows.
Which Dearborn Heights school district evaluates my child?
That depends on your address. Crestwood School District covers the north side, Dearborn Heights School District No. 7 covers the middle, and Westwood Community Schools covers the southwest, with some blocks zoned to Dearborn Public Schools.
Whichever district you are in, its evaluation qualifies your child for an Individualized Education Program. Private insurance and Michigan Medicaid will not authorize ABA therapy without a medical diagnosis on file.
