Alpaca Health matches Shelby Township families with independent BCBAs you can meet by name on this page. In-home ABA therapy reaches across western Macomb County, from Shelby Township out to Utica, Sterling Heights, Macomb Township, and Washington 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
Choose your Shelby Township 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 profileIn-school and in-daycare ABA: therapy integrated into your child's daily routine
Virtual ABA therapy: BCBA-coached telehealth sessions from home
Autism evaluations: insurance-covered ADOS-2 assessments
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 Shelby Township families start with in-home ABA therapy, where the BCBA works on daily routines in the place they happen.
Alpaca Health runs no clinic in Shelby Township. Stephanie George, the BCBA featured on this page, is based in the township and runs her practice here, so in-home visits across western Macomb County do not start with a drive from another part of the metro. Some independent clinicians in our network see children in their own space, so ask about in-clinic time during matching.
Shelby Township's public schools belong to Utica Community Schools, and your BCBA can coordinate with the district on goals and classroom plans through in-school ABA therapy. Virtual ABA therapy reaches any Michigan address in the same week and keeps parent coaching on the calendar.
We accept most insurance providers and handle verification, prior authorization, and paperwork.
Don't see your plan? Check all accepted insurances
Shelby Township's median household income is $89,584, above the Macomb County figure of $76,399, so most families here reach ABA therapy through a private plan.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan asks for an evaluation, not a particular center: Its current document sets out two routes. You can use an approved autism evaluation center, or you can work with your pediatrician and an independent evaluator such as a child psychologist.
- No approved center sits in Macomb County: On the list revised November 2025, the approved centers are in Wayne, Oakland, and Washtenaw counties, plus a virtual option. A Shelby Township family that uses that route drives into Oakland County. The list changes, so confirm any center by phone.
- Michigan Medicaid runs through the county, not through the health plan: Macomb County Community Mental Health handles the autism benefit for county families. Its customer service line is 855-996-2264, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- TRICARE families go through the Autism Care Demonstration: Michigan sits in the TRICARE East region, and the demonstration runs through December 31, 2028 with no yearly or lifetime dollar cap on ABA.
Alpaca Health works with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, TriCare, and Aetna, and we confirm your benefits before you commit. Our guide to what ABA therapy costs explains deductibles and out-of-pocket limits.
ABA therapy insurance, Medicaid, and diagnosis 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 Shelby Township
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 first.
Shelby Township has no autism evaluation clinic of its own. The routes below sit elsewhere in the metro or reach you by video, and the right one depends on your child's age and the plan on your card.
Start with Alpaca Health
Alpaca Health offers an insurance-covered ADOS-2 evaluation with no waitlist, available for children of all ages. It produces the medical diagnosis private insurance requires before it will authorize ABA therapy, and families can complete the evaluation and the BCBA match in the same intake.
Start free diagnosisUnder age 3
Early On is Michigan's birth to three early intervention system, and in Macomb County the Macomb Intermediate School District runs it and accepts the referrals. No diagnosis and no doctor's referral are needed to start. Call Preschool and Assessment Center Services at 586-228-3321, or use the statewide 1-800-EarlyOn line.
Age 3 and up
Henry Ford Health's Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities evaluates children ages 2 to 17 at its Troy and Hamtramck sites and by video, which spares a Shelby Township family a longer drive. Call 313-972-9009 to ask about scheduling and about which site fits your child.
How to choose
A Utica Community Schools evaluation establishes special education eligibility, not the medical diagnosis private insurance and Michigan Medicaid require. Read the plan name on your card before you call: a self-funded employer plan can sit outside the Michigan autism law. If waits run long, Corewell Health’s Center for Human Development in Southfield is a second evaluation option.
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.
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.
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.
How much does ABA therapy cost in Shelby Township?
It depends on the plan on your card. Michigan's autism law reaches state-regulated private plans, and the state insurance regulator has told insurers they cannot apply the age limit or the annual dollar caps printed in the statute. Self-funded employer plans sit outside that law.
Alpaca Health verifies your benefits before you start. Check your Shelby Township coverage.
Does Alpaca Health serve Shelby Township?
Yes. Alpaca Health providers work across Michigan through in-home visits and telehealth, and Shelby Township sits inside that service area. Stephanie George, the BCBA featured on this page, is based in Shelby Township and runs her practice here, so in-home matching in western Macomb County does not depend on a clinician traveling from Detroit or Oakland County.
Can Utica Community Schools diagnose my child with autism?
No. A Utica Community Schools evaluation can qualify your child for an Individualized Education Program, which covers services at school. Private insurance and Michigan Medicaid still require a medical diagnosis before they will authorize ABA therapy.
Michigan moves faster than federal law here. The district has 10 school days to respond to a written request, and 30 school days from your consent to reach a decision.
