Alpaca Health matches Detroit families with independent BCBAs you can meet by name on this page. 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 July 2026
Meet the BCBAs serving Detroit
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 profileIn-school and in-daycare ABA: therapy integrated into your child's daily routine
Virtual ABA therapy: BCBA-coached telehealth sessions from home
Free autism evaluations: ADOS-2 assessments for children 18 months to 6 years
Parent training: twice-monthly Family Guidance sessions with your child's BCBA
Which setting fits your family? Tell us at signup and we will say plainly what is available at your address. Most Detroit families start with in-home ABA therapy, where the BCBA works on daily routines in the place they happen.
School and daycare hours are the other half of the day. Alpaca Health coordinates in-school ABA therapy with Detroit Public Schools Community District once the district agrees to it, and the same arrangement works in daycare and community settings for younger children.
Some independent clinicians in our network see children in their own space, so ask about in-clinic time during matching. Virtual ABA therapy reaches any Michigan address in the same week and keeps parent coaching on the calendar when driving across the metro does not work.
We accept most insurance providers and handle verification, prior authorization, and paperwork.
Don't see your plan? Check all accepted insurances
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network cover a large share of the Detroit metro. Here is what the plan's own current document says.
- A comprehensive diagnostic evaluation is required, an approved center is not: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan documents two ways to get one. You can use an approved autism evaluation center, which arranges every part of the evaluation for you, or you can work with your pediatrician and independent evaluators such as a developmental pediatrician, child psychologist, or pediatric neurologist.
- Where those approved centers actually sit: On the plan's current list, revised November 2025, they are in Wayne County, Oakland County, and Washtenaw County, plus one virtual option. A Macomb County family using that route drives into Oakland County or takes the virtual or independent-evaluator option instead. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan revises the list, so confirm any center by phone before you schedule.
- Prior authorization comes after the evaluation: You hand the results to your ABA provider, who submits the request to Blue Cross Behavioral Health. A later re-evaluation is optional rather than required.
- Your behavior analyst has to hold a Michigan license: Since January 2020, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network reimburse only behavior analysts licensed by the state.
- TRICARE families go through the Autism Care Demonstration: Michigan sits in the TRICARE East region, and ABA runs through the demonstration for qualifying family members of active duty members, retirees, and certain Guard and Reserve members. It is authorized through December 31, 2028, and ABA under it carries no yearly or lifetime dollar cap.
Alpaca Health works with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, TriCare, and Aetna in Michigan, and we confirm your exact benefits before you commit to anything. For how the state's two coverage routes differ, see the Medicaid and insurance section below.
ABA therapy insurance and Medicaid in Michigan
Michigan has two coverage routes for ABA therapy, and the one your family is on changes who you call and what you can expect.
The dollar caps and the age-18 cutoff printed in the statute can no longer be applied, under guidance from the state insurance regulator. Alpaca Health verifies your private benefits before you start.
Private and employer plans: Michigan law under MCL 500.3406s
- Coverage is required, and ABA is named in it: State-regulated health plans must cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder, and the statute lists applied behavior analysis inside behavioral health treatment.
- The caps printed in the statute cannot be applied: The age limit and the annual dollar limits printed in the statute were written as something an insurer may elect, and the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services has told insurers they cannot apply either one.
- Visit limits are out too: Insurers cannot cap the number of visits for any mandated therapy, which includes speech, physical, and occupational therapy.
- A licensed physician or psychologist has to make the diagnosis: Michigan law requires the autism diagnosis to come from one of them, and treatment has to be prescribed or ordered by one of them as well.
- Repeat testing has a limit: A plan can request updated ADOS results no more than once every three years, alongside an annual developmental evaluation.
- Self-funded employer plans sit outside the mandate: Those plans follow federal ERISA rules instead. Ask your HR team whether your plan is fully insured or self-funded.
Michigan Medicaid: ABA through the community mental health system
- The autism benefit does not run through your Medicaid health plan: Michigan handles behavioral health separately, through regional Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans that work with the Community Mental Health agency in your county. Children enrolled in a Medicaid health plan still get this benefit through that route.
- Start with your county community mental health line: Call and ask for an autism assessment. Screening needs no prior authorization, and a parent, caregiver, teacher, or pediatrician can start it.
- Coverage runs to the 21st birthday: ABA is covered under EPSDT, the federal Medicaid benefit for children, for children assessed with autism spectrum disorder and found eligible by a qualified licensed practitioner.
- The evaluation is worth doing either way: Michigan Medicaid policy states that the comprehensive evaluation and needs assessment is meant to happen whether or not the child ends up with an autism diagnosis.
- MIChild children use the same route: MIChild is Michigan's Children's Health Insurance Program, administered as a Medicaid program, so ABA reaches MIChild children through the community mental health system as well. Its premiums ended on January 1, 2024.
Getting 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.
18 months to 6 years: free ADOS-2 with Alpaca Health
Alpaca Health offers a free ADOS-2 diagnostic evaluation with no waitlist for children 18 months to 6 years old. The result is the medical diagnosis private insurance requires before it will authorize ABA therapy. Families can complete the evaluation and the BCBA match in the same week.
Start free diagnosisUnder age 3: Early On Michigan
Early On Michigan is the state's early intervention system for children from birth to age 3. A parent can refer directly, no diagnosis is needed first, and families have a right to a plan of services within 45 days. In Detroit, Detroit Public Schools Community District runs the Early Intervention Diagnostic Center, which follows up on Child Find referrals and completes evaluations at home or at the center.
Older children and teens: Henry Ford Health and Corewell Health
The Henry Ford Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities evaluates children ages 2 to 17 at its Troy and Hamtramck medical centers and virtually, and states on its own site that it is a Blue Cross Blue Shield approved autism evaluation center. Corewell Health's Center for Human Development in Southfield runs neurodevelopmental, psychological, and psychoeducational evaluations and carries the same designation.
How to choose and what to expect
- Check the age range before you call: Henry Ford Health's autism center sees children 2 to 17, Corewell Health's Ted Lindsay Foundation Hope Center evaluates children up to age 14, and Early On Michigan stops at age 3.
- Confirm the practice is contracted with your exact plan: A clinic that says it takes insurance may still not be in network with the plan printed on your card.
- With Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan you have two routes, not one: An approved autism evaluation center is one option, and your pediatrician working with an independent evaluator is the other. Both end with the same prior authorization request.
- Join more than one list: Waits at hospital systems run long, so hold more than one appointment and keep whichever comes up first.
- Know what a school evaluation does: Detroit Public Schools Community District evaluates at no cost, and that establishes special education eligibility rather than the medical diagnosis insurance and Michigan Medicaid require.
How autism diagnosis works in Michigan
Neither private insurance nor Michigan Medicaid will authorize ABA therapy until a licensed physician or a licensed psychologist has diagnosed autism. Where you start depends on your child's age and on the plan you carry.
Under age 3: start with Early On Michigan
Early On Michigan is the state's early intervention system for children from birth to age 3, run by the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential. A parent can refer directly, no diagnosis is needed first, and families have a right to a plan of services within 45 days of a referral.
Reviewing the early signs of autism can help you decide whether to call. Referral contacts by county are listed on the Early On Michigan site.
Age 3 and up: medical and school routes
- Medical route: A developmental pediatrician, child psychologist, pediatric neurologist, or child psychiatrist can diagnose autism, and that is the diagnosis a plan needs before it will authorize ABA. Waits can run months, so join more than one list and ask to be called about cancellations.
- School route: Under Child Find, Michigan districts must evaluate a child suspected of having a disability at no cost. A district has 10 school days to respond in writing to your request and 30 school days from your consent to tell you whether your child is eligible, which is faster than the 60 calendar days federal law allows.
- The two are not interchangeable: A school eligibility decision supports an Individualized Education Program (IEP), but it does not produce the medical diagnosis a plan needs. Once that diagnosis is in hand, see what to do after an autism diagnosis.
Neighborhoods and communities we serve in Detroit
In-home ABA therapy means the BCBA comes to your house, so the service area follows where our clinicians live and travel. Telehealth covers every Michigan address.
Where in-home matching reaches
- Detroit and Wayne County: Homes across the city, plus Dearborn, Hamtramck, Grosse Pointe, and Southgate.
- North into Oakland County: Southfield, Royal Oak, Troy, Farmington Hills, and West Bloomfield.
- Northeast into Macomb County: Warren, Sterling Heights, Clinton Township, Shelby Township, and Center Line.
If your community is not named
In-home availability changes with where our clinicians are based in a given month, and telehealth reaches every Michigan address, so ask about your community even if it is not listed here.
Michigan's autism coverage caps no longer apply
Michigan's mandate arrived through Public Acts 99 and 100 of 2012, with coverage beginning October 15, 2012. The statute wrote its age limit and annual dollar maximums as options an insurer may elect, not requirements, and they can no longer be applied.
In 2022 the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services issued Bulletin 2022-10-INS, and its consumer guidance states that insurers cannot subject autism benefits to age limits or annual dollar limits. Reviewed July 2026.
What insurers cannot do
- Apply an age limit: The Department of Insurance and Financial Services states that autism coverage cannot be subject to the age limits printed in the statute.
- Apply an annual dollar limit: The same guidance says annual dollar limits cannot be applied to autism benefits.
- Cap your visits: Insurers cannot limit the number of visits for any mandated therapy, including speech, physical, and occupational therapy.
What has not changed
- The diagnosis requirement stands: A licensed physician or a licensed psychologist still has to diagnose autism before coverage applies.
- Self-funded plans stay exempt: Employer plans governed by federal ERISA rules are not bound by Michigan's mandate, so ask your benefits team how your plan is funded.
- The old limits still appear in the statute: The age-18 language and the dollar figures remain printed in MCL 500.3406s, and current guidance from the Department of Insurance and Financial Services says they cannot be applied.
If a plan denies coverage based on an age limit or an annual autism cap, appeal it. Our guide to ABA therapy costs shows what families pay with and without coverage. Alpaca Health verifies your benefits and handles prior authorization before therapy starts.
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.
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.
ABA therapy, assessment, social skills, and family support for ages 2 to 18, with Detroit metro sites in Royal Oak, Warren, and Ann Arbor. Royal Oak is listed by Blue Cross Blue Shield as an approved autism evaluation center.
ABA therapy, The PLAY Project for ages 18 months to 8 years, speech, occupational and sensory therapy, social skills groups, and school consultation 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, 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, 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 18 months to 6 years old can get a free 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.
