Standish is the seat of Arenac County, a city of about 1,600 people where US-23 meets Cedar Street a few miles inland from Saginaw Bay. Alpaca Health runs no clinic here. Michigan-licensed BCBAs in our network serve Standish through secure video and through in-home visits as availability in the Saginaw Bay region allows, and your therapist can coordinate with Standish-Sterling Community Schools on classroom goals.
Clinically reviewed by
Samantha Ridout, M.Phil., BCBA, LBA-NYS· BACB certification #1-22-57709 · Last updated July 2026
Choose your Standish 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 during signup. Alpaca Health runs no clinic in Standish, so nothing here depends on a building's opening hours. Virtual ABA therapy reaches every address in Arenac County, usually within the same week.
The BCBAs featured on this page work across Michigan under state licensure, and the nearest is based in the Detroit metro, so telehealth starts soonest for most Standish families. In-home ABA therapy follows as provider availability in the Saginaw Bay region allows, and the BCBA travels to you. Distance is the real constraint in Arenac County, so we tell you at signup which option can start first.
Children in town attend Standish-Sterling Community Schools, the only district serving Standish. Your BCBA can coordinate with the district on goals and classroom plans through in-school ABA therapy.
We accept most insurance providers and handle verification, prior authorization, and paperwork.
Don't see your plan? Check all accepted insurances
Median household income in Standish is $35,114, well below the Arenac County median of $56,989 and the Michigan median of $71,149, so Medicaid carries more of the ABA load here than it does in wealthier parts of the state.
- Michigan splits the autism benefit by card type: State-regulated private plans cover ABA directly, while Michigan Medicaid routes it through county community mental health instead of through your Medicaid health plan.
- Arenac County families start with Bay-Arenac Behavioral Health: Its Arenac Center sits on West Cedar in Standish, and Access Services takes the first call at 1-800-448-5498 on weekdays.
- Ask your employer how the plan is funded: Self-funded employer plans follow federal rules rather than Michigan's autism mandate, and the answer changes what your coverage has to include.
- Bring three things to every coverage call: Have the insurance card, your child's date of birth, and any diagnostic report ready before you dial.
Alpaca Health verifies your exact private benefits before you commit to anything. For how the coverage rules work across the state, see our guide to ABA therapy in Michigan.
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 Standish
Neither private insurance nor Michigan Medicaid will authorize ABA therapy until a licensed physician or psychologist has diagnosed autism, so this step comes first. Alpaca Health offers an insurance-covered ADOS-2 evaluation for children of all ages, with no waitlist. Standish has no evaluation clinic of its own, so the local routes below run through Arenac County and Bay City.
Under age 3
Bay-Arenac ISD Early On provides free early intervention evaluations for children from birth to age three across Bay and Arenac counties. A parent can refer directly, and no diagnosis is needed to start. Call (989) 667-3240 or email earlyonreferral@baisd.net.
Start free diagnosisMichigan Medicaid
Michigan routes the Medicaid autism benefit through county community mental health rather than through a Medicaid health plan. For Arenac County that agency is Bay-Arenac Behavioral Health, which runs its Arenac Center at 1000 West Cedar in Standish. Call Access Services at 1-800-448-5498, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Age 3 and up
Families on private plans usually see a developmental pediatrician or a licensed psychologist. Saginaw Psychological Services evaluates children for autism from its Bay City office on Westside Saginaw Road and appears in the Bay-Arenac Behavioral Health provider directory. Reach the practice at (989) 799-2100.
How to choose
A Standish-Sterling Community Schools evaluation establishes special education eligibility, not the medical diagnosis insurance and Michigan Medicaid require. Hospital clinics usually want a referral from your pediatrician, so request it early: waits in the Saginaw Bay region can run months.
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.
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.
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 Standish?
It depends on the card you hold. Michigan Medicaid covers ABA for children under 21, and the state insurance regulator has told insurers they cannot apply age limits, annual dollar limits, or visit caps to autism coverage on state-regulated private plans.
Alpaca Health verifies your private benefits before you start. See what ABA therapy costs, or check your Standish coverage.
Does Alpaca Health serve Standish?
Yes. Alpaca Health providers work across Michigan through telehealth and in-home visits, and that includes Standish and the rest of Arenac County. The BCBAs featured on this page are based in the Detroit metro, so for most Standish families the first sessions run over secure video, with in-home visits arranged as availability allows.
Can Standish-Sterling Community Schools diagnose my child with autism?
No. A district 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 from a licensed physician or psychologist before they authorize ABA therapy.
Standish families usually get that medical diagnosis through Bay-Arenac ISD Early On before age three, or through a developmental practice in the Bay City and Saginaw area after that.
