No list of the best autism providers in Longmont can name one provider that fits every child. To find the right one for your child, compare all the verified local options and what each one does well, then ask the questions that show whether a provider fits.
Key Takeaways
- Three local ABA options plus free evals: Longmont has two center-based programs (Action Behavior Centers and Behavioral Innovations), an in-home provider with verified Colorado Medicaid acceptance (Lacuna Autism Services), and free autism evaluations at Action Behavior Centers.
- Best depends on fit: the right provider comes down to setting, ages, and insurance, so compare all three against your child's goals before joining a waitlist.
- Cost follows credential: ABA runs roughly $50 to $85 per hour for therapy from a registered behavior technician and $120 to $200 for BCBA services at 2026 private-pay rates, with insurance paying far less and Health First Colorado (Medicaid) covering it with no copay for children who qualify.
- In-home option: if local programs are full, match with a BCBA through Alpaca Health for in-home or telehealth ABA with Medicaid and 100+ plans accepted.
Longmont Autism Providers Compared
Each listing was verified on the provider's own website in July 2026. Networks and openings change, so confirm when you call.
| Provider | Location and setting | Ages | Insurance notes | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Action Behavior Centers | 1921 Corporate Cir, Suite 3G; center-based ABA plus no-cost ADOS-2 evaluations | 18 months to 8 years (evals to 6) | 120+ plans; Health First listed | (720) 405-6201 |
| Behavioral Innovations | 1880 Industrial Cir, Suite E; center-based ABA, autism testing, social skills groups | 18 months to 10 years | Optum, Aetna, Humana, BCBS, Cigna, TRICARE and more; ask about Medicaid | (720) 642-7019 |
| Lacuna Autism Services | In-home and community sessions across Longmont; clinic at 1801 Lefthand Cir listed as opening soon | Call to confirm | Colorado Medicaid plus Cigna, Aetna, United, BCBS, TRICARE and more | (720) 414-2135 |
| Kid Skills Pediatric Therapy | Northwest Longmont clinic and farm; pediatric occupational therapy (not ABA) | All ages | Call to confirm your plan | (303) 515-7143 |
Action Behavior Centers
The largest center-based option in town, on Corporate Circle, serving kids 18 months to 8 years, weekdays. They publish a no-cost autism evaluation program, including the ADOS-2, for ages 18 months to 6 years at the Longmont location, and they list Health First among 120+ accepted plans. If you suspect autism but don't have a diagnosis yet, that free evaluation can shorten your wait by months.
Behavioral Innovations
A structured, center-based ABA program on Industrial Circle with a wider age band than most (18 months to 10 years), plus autism testing and social skills groups. Hours run weekdays 8 to 6. Their published insurance list is commercial-heavy (Optum, Aetna, Humana, BlueCross BlueShield, Cigna, Magellan, TRICARE), so Medicaid families should ask directly before intake.
Lacuna Autism Services
The main in-home option based in Longmont. Sessions currently happen in your home and out in the community, with a Lefthand Circle clinic listed as opening soon (call for current status). Lacuna verifies Colorado Medicaid on its own site along with nine commercial insurers, and offers a free insurance benefits check, which makes them the fastest insurance answer on this list.
Kid Skills Pediatric Therapy
Kid Skills is an occupational therapy practice and does not provide ABA. It has a clinic on a six-acre property in northwest Longmont, plus in-home and school-based sessions. If sensory processing or motor skills are the pressing challenge, OT can run alongside ABA.
Children's Hospital Colorado
For complex needs, dual diagnoses, or a hospital-grade diagnostic evaluation, Children's Hospital Colorado's developmental pediatrics teams (Anschutz campus and network locations) remain the regional referral center. Expect longer waits than local options; many families start local therapy while a hospital evaluation is pending.
You don't have to figure this out alone.
Alpaca Health matches your family with a vetted, in-network BCBA. We handle the insurance paperwork so you can focus on your child.
Get matched with a BCBA →
How to Pick the Best Provider for Your Child
If you want more detail, you can read our guide to choosing an ABA provider. The best choice for your child depends on the answers to five questions:
- Setting. Center-based (Action Behavior Centers, Behavioral Innovations) suits kids who thrive on structure and peers. In-home (Lacuna Autism Services, Alpaca Health matches) targets the routines where hard moments happen. Neither is clinically superior across the board.
- Ages and fit. Age bands differ: to 8 at Action Behavior Centers, to 10 at Behavioral Innovations. For older kids and teens, in-home care is often the realistic option in Longmont.
- Credentials. Confirm a Board Certified Behavior Analyst designs and supervises the program; verify on the BACB website. Ask how often the BCBA directly observes your child.
- Insurance, in writing. Get a written benefits check naming your plan, deductible, and per-session cost. If you want the exact questions to ask, you can read our guide to picking the right ABA therapist.
- Parent involvement. Expect scheduled parent training and progress data you can read. If a program can't show you its data, treat that as a warning sign.
What ABA Costs in Longmont
ABA is billed by the credential of the person delivering it. Direct one-on-one therapy from a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) usually runs about $50 to $85 per hour, and assessment, treatment planning, and supervision by a BCBA about $120 to $200 per hour. Those are 2026 private-pay estimates; a full program mixes both, and insurance rates come in lower. Health First Colorado (Medicaid) covers ABA with no copay for members 20 and younger who need it. What your family pays depends on your plan, your authorized hours, and the provider's staffing, and you can read the full breakdown in our ABA cost guide. If you're going without insurance, you can also read about private-pay ABA.
How coverage works. Health First Colorado (Medicaid) covers medically necessary ABA for eligible children (healthfirstcolorado.gov; the state's behavioral therapy page links its list of contracted agencies). Colorado's autism insurance mandate (SB 09-244) requires many state-regulated private plans to cover autism diagnosis and treatment. ABA through Health First Colorado depends on eligibility and prior authorization (approval before therapy starts).
Local Support While You Decide
Whichever provider you choose, it's worth calling the Autism Society of Boulder County, which maintains a filterable Longmont resource directory (therapy, recreation, adult services, support groups). Boulder County's Children with Special Needs Program (515 Coffman St, Longmont, 303-678-6064) is worth a call too, since it provides free care coordination. For school evaluations and IEPs, start with SVVSD special education. If you want the full local picture, from advocacy to adult services, you can read our Longmont resources guide.
How Alpaca Health Helps Longmont Families
Alpaca Health matches your family with an independent, in-network BCBA. Care happens in your home or by telehealth, and Alpaca Health accepts Health First Colorado (Medicaid) plus more than 100 insurance plans, with the benefits check and paperwork handled for you. If Longmont's center programs are full, your child is older than their age bands, or in-home simply fits better, get matched with a BCBA.
Choosing the Best Longmont Autism Provider for Your Family
In Longmont, the best fit might be Action Behavior Centers if you want a center program that also offers free evaluations, Behavioral Innovations for a wider age range and testing under one roof, Lacuna Autism Services or Alpaca Health for in-home care with verified Medicaid acceptance, and Kid Skills when OT belongs in the plan. Call your top two, ask the five questions above, get insurance answers in writing, and let your child's goals decide.
You don't have to figure this out alone.
Alpaca Health matches your family with a vetted, in-network BCBA. We handle the insurance paperwork so you can focus on your child.
Get matched with a BCBA →Frequently Asked Questions
Who offers free autism evaluations in Longmont?
Action Behavior Centers publishes a no-cost autism evaluation program, including the ADOS-2, for children 18 months to 6 years at its Longmont location. School-based evaluations through St. Vrain Valley Schools are also free, though schools assess educational eligibility rather than issuing a medical diagnosis.
Which Longmont ABA providers accept Medicaid?
Lacuna Autism Services verifies Colorado Medicaid on its own site, and Action Behavior Centers lists Health First among its accepted plans. Behavioral Innovations' published list is commercial-only, so ask them directly. Cross-check any provider on the state's official pediatric behavioral therapies provider list, and remember Alpaca Health also accepts Medicaid for in-home and telehealth ABA. Get matched here.
Is center-based or in-home ABA better?
Neither is better for every child. Centers offer structure, peer interaction, and tighter supervision; in-home care builds skills inside your real routines and removes the commute. Your child's goals should guide the choice, since school-readiness and peer skills point to a center and daily-living and behavior-at-home goals point to in-home care.
How long are ABA waitlists in Longmont?
They move constantly, so ask each provider "if intake finished today, when would sessions start?" and get a date. If the answer is months out, join multiple lists and consider starting in-home care in the meantime, so your child doesn't lose developmental time on a waitlist.
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