Alpaca Health matches San Antonio families with independent BCBAs. Get in-home ABA therapy across Bexar County, from Stone Oak to Alamo Ranch to Converse, or 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 San Antonio BCBA for your child
Stephanie Waldon, M.A., BCBA, LBA, is the founder of Phoenix Rising Behavioral Services. Stephanie serves as the United States Ambassador for the World Behavior Analysis Day Alliance and as Director of RBT Mentorship for the Behavior Technician Association.
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Stefanie Doran, BCBA, LBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, mom, veteran, and the founder of Pillars Behavioral Health. Stefanie has a special passion for helping children develop communication, particularly children who are minimally speaking or nonverbal.
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Sarah Mata, BCBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with Branch Out Behavioral in the Texas Hill Country. Sarah takes a naturalistic, play-based approach built on positive reinforcement and evidence-based strategies.
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Julia Conn, MA, BCBA, LBA, is the owner and founder of Little Bridge Behavioral Health. She has more than 17 years of experience working with individuals on the autism spectrum and is passionate about neuro-affirming practices and self-advocacy skills.
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Christina Nicholas-James, BCBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and the owner of Infinite Hope ABA. Christina specializes in working with individuals with high-intensity behaviors and in caregiver training, with experience across in-home, clinical, and residential settings.
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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.
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Sarah Liberty is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has worked in the field of behavior analysis for more than ten years, supporting children, teens, and adults across clinic, home, and community settings. She earned her Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis and spent eight years as an RBT before becoming a BCBA, giving her a strong foundation in both direct care and clinical decision making.
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Moriah Burton is a fun-loving Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with a deep passion for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and for helping children reach their fullest potential. Through Burton Behavioral Play and Growth Center, she believes meaningful progress begins with joy, connection, and genuine care.
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Lupe Castaneda is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has worked in the field of developmental disabilities for over 29 years. She began her career as an Adapted Physical Education Specialist in the Arlington ISD and became an Autism Specialist and Behavior Analyst after attending the University of North Texas in Denton and earning her BCBA certification.
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Ethan Brewer is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has spent more than ten years supporting children and teens with autism in both home and clinic settings. He earned his Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and currently serves as a subject matter expert for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
Book a consultationView profileABA therapy options for San Antonio 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 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 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. 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 San Antonio
ABA therapy requires a medical autism diagnosis before insurance or Medicaid will authorize it, so this step comes first. In San Antonio, the right evaluation route depends on your child's age, your insurance, and how your family prefers to work.
Start with Alpaca Health
Alpaca Health offers an ADOS-2 evaluation with no waitlist for children of all ages, the medical diagnosis insurance and Medicaid require. We verify your coverage first.
Start your evaluationNonprofit and hospital systems
The Autism Community Network runs multidisciplinary evaluations and requires a referral faxed from your child's doctor. University Health offers autism services, and UT Health San Antonio evaluates through psychiatry.
Private and telehealth practices
Developmental and behavioral pediatric practices evaluate children and teens using tools like the ADOS-2. A smaller set of telehealth practices tests over video, mostly for teens and adults.
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.
Early Childhood Intervention services 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 mental health crisis support for local residents, including mobile crisis teams.
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.
Does Medicaid pay for ABA therapy in Texas?
Yes, Texas Medicaid has covered ABA therapy since February 2022 for members under 21 with an autism diagnosis. The harder problem in San Antonio is finding a provider who takes it, since several of the largest do not. Alpaca Health accepts Medicaid, so start your match here.
Who can diagnose autism in San Antonio?
Local routes include the Autism Community Network, which runs multidisciplinary evaluations and needs a doctor's referral, University Health through its Institute for Public Health, UT Health San Antonio through child and adolescent psychiatry, and developmental pediatric practices.
Alpaca Health offers an ADOS-2 evaluation with no waitlist, and the result counts as the medical diagnosis insurance and Medicaid require.
