Alpaca Health matches Detroit families with independent BCBAs. In-home ABA therapy reaches across Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, from Detroit out to Southfield, Royal Oak, Warren, Sterling Heights, and Shelby 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 Detroit 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 profile
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 profileABA therapy options for Detroit 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? 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 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 we confirm your exact benefits before you commit to anything.
What Alpaca Health's 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 Detroit
Neither private insurance nor Michigan Medicaid will authorize ABA therapy until a licensed physician or a licensed psychologist has diagnosed autism, so this step comes before everything else.
Where you start depends on your child's age, the plan on your card, and how soon you need an appointment. The routes below are the ones that produce the medical diagnosis a plan will accept, and our autism diagnosis cost guide covers what each route costs.
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
Early On Michigan is the state's early intervention system for children from birth to age 3. A parent can refer directly, and no diagnosis is needed first.
Age 3 and up
The Henry Ford Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities evaluates children ages 2 to 17 in Troy, Hamtramck, or by video. It is a Blue Cross Blue Shield approved center.
Michigan's autism coverage caps no longer apply
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.
Oakland County's community mental health agency and the entry point for Medicaid autism services there. The non-crisis access line is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Macomb County's community mental health agency, covering Sterling Heights, Warren, and Shelby Township. Customer service registers your family and sets up a phone screening, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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.
The district's special education department, supporting more than 7,000 learners from birth to age 26. Runs autism spectrum disorder programs and the Early Intervention Diagnostic Center for children under 3.
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.
Can a Michigan insurer cap my child's autism benefits?
No. The age limit and the annual dollar limits still printed in Michigan's autism statute were written as something an insurer may elect rather than something it must apply, and the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services has told insurers they cannot apply either one. Insurers also cannot cap the number of visits for mandated therapies.
Self-funded employer plans are the exception, because they follow federal rules rather than Michigan's mandate. Ask your benefits team whether your plan is fully insured or self-funded, and we can verify the rest for you.
Where can my child get an autism evaluation in the Detroit area?
Children can get an ADOS-2 evaluation through Alpaca Health with no waitlist, and the result is the medical diagnosis private insurance requires.
For other ages, the Henry Ford Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities evaluates children 2 to 17 in Troy, Hamtramck, and virtually, and Corewell Health's Center for Human Development in Southfield evaluates children and teens. Children under 3 can start with Early On Michigan, which takes referrals straight from parents and asks for no diagnosis first.
Which Detroit metro communities do Alpaca Health BCBAs cover?
In-home sessions reach families across Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, including Detroit, Dearborn, Southfield, Royal Oak, Warren, Sterling Heights, and Shelby Township.
Telehealth reaches any Michigan address. Which clinician you work with depends on who has openings when you sign up, and we confirm that at signup.
