ABA Feeding Therapy
Alpaca Health matches families with independent BCBAs who work on eating and mealtimes, in every state we serve. Sessions target a very limited food range, refusing new foods, and difficulty sitting through a meal. We accept private insurance and Medicaid.
What ABA feeding therapy is
ABA feeding therapy works on eating when the difficulty is behavioral, once medical causes have been ruled out. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst writes the treatment plan, supervises it, and adjusts it as your child progresses. Foods are introduced in small graded steps at your own table, at your usual mealtimes. Most feeding programs also include ABA parent training, because you run most of the meals.
What happens in a feeding session
Sessions run for the length your plan authorizes and follow the same treatment plan each time. If your child was recently diagnosed, our guide on what to do after an autism diagnosis covers how care usually begins. Feeding work sits inside a wider plan, which our guide to an in-home ABA session walks through.
Setting up the meal
Your provider agrees which meal to use, what your child already accepts, and which single new food is the target.
The working block
The new food moves one step closer over the course of the meal, from the table, to the plate, to a touch, to a taste. The step only advances when your child is comfortable.
Recording data and adjusting
Your provider records what worked against the plan targets. When a target stops moving, the BCBA changes the plan.
Keeping it going between visits
You keep the same step at one meal a day until the next session, so the food becomes familiar.
Choose your feeding therapy provider today
Every provider in our network runs their own practice, and every one is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst licensed in the state where your child lives. We will match you with someone who has availability now and works on feeding.
What families and providers say about working with Alpaca Health
How feeding therapy works through Alpaca Health
Four steps from your first form to your first session, with no waitlist at any point.
1
Tell us about your child
Start with our short intake form. It asks for 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.
3
Get matched with the right provider
We match you with a licensed provider who has current availability. If you have someone specific in mind, tell us and we will try to make it work. The match 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.
What Alpaca Health's data shows about where care happens
These figures come from Alpaca Health platform data covering 1,082 clients across 118 independent provider practices between August 2024 and August 2026.
64.9% of all Alpaca Health therapy hours are delivered in the home, where meals happen.
77.0% of families have had at least one session delivered in the home.
1,082 children received care through Alpaca Health providers between August 2024 and August 2026.
37.2% of clients are aged 5 or under, the stage when feeding difficulties are most often raised.
Alpaca Health does not hold per-service figures for feeding work, so the numbers above describe the network rather than this program on its own.
64.9%
of all Alpaca Health therapy hours are delivered in the home, where meals actually happen.
1,082
children received care through Alpaca Health providers between August 2024 and August 2026.
118
independent provider practices deliver care through the network. Alpaca Health platform data, August 2024 to August 2026.
Where Alpaca Health delivers feeding therapy
Feeding therapy runs in every state we serve, almost always at home around your usual mealtimes.
Texas
Colorado
North Carolina
Hawaii
Michigan
Other settings
Why independent clinics matter
What independent means for your family
The providers we work with aren’t part of a large corporation. They’re small, fully independent clinics, founded and operated by the very clinicians who work with your child.
We do not tell them how to do their job.
Your child’s provider makes care decisions based on what is best for your family. Company policy, quotas and insurance rules do not drive those decisions. Clinical decisions stay between you and your provider.
What we do and what we do not do
We handle the behind-the-scenes work, which covers billing, scheduling and insurance paperwork, so providers can spend their time on care instead of admin.
We do not employ the providers and we do not direct their clinical work.
Our role is to make it easier for independent providers to help your child grow and learn.
Is ABA feeding therapy covered by insurance?
Feeding targets are billed inside your authorized ABA hours, and most major plans cover them, including Medicaid and private plans. Our guide to ABA therapy that accepts private insurance explains what to check on your policy. Our care team verifies your benefits before services start, explains any copays, and handles the authorization paperwork for you.
Confirm your coverage and authorized hours before therapy starts.
Manage prior authorizations for ABA codes when your plan requires them.
Give you a clear out of pocket estimate before the first session.
Frequently asked questions about ABA feeding therapy
Should we rule out a medical cause first?
Yes, and your BCBA will ask about it before starting. Reflux, swallowing difficulty, constipation, allergies and dental pain all change how a child eats, and none of them are behavioral. Speak to your pediatrician first, and bring any dietitian or feeding clinic reports to intake. Sessions happen where meals happen, which is why most of this work runs through in-home ABA therapy.
Does insurance cover feeding work inside ABA?
Feeding targets sit inside your ABA treatment plan, so they use the same authorized ABA hours. Some plans treat feeding as a separate specialty, and our guide to Medicaid coverage for ABA therapy explains how the rules differ. Alpaca Health verifies your benefits before services start, explains any copays, and handles the authorization paperwork for you.
Will my child be forced to eat?
No. Forcing food tends to make refusal worse and can put a child off a food for years. The work moves in very small steps, starting with having the food on the table, then on the plate, then touched, then tasted. Your child sets the pace, and a session that ends with a food only being tolerated nearby still counts as progress.
Who runs the sessions, and where do they happen?
A Board Certified Behavior Analyst writes and supervises the treatment plan, and sessions are delivered by the BCBA or by a behavior technician the BCBA oversees. Sessions run at your own table at your usual mealtimes, because that is the situation being changed. You can check the credentials of every BCBA in the Alpaca Health provider directory.
How long does it take to add a new food?
It varies a lot by child, and your BCBA should give you a realistic picture after the assessment rather than a fixed timeline. Progress is measured in steps toward a food, not only in whether it gets eaten, so you can see movement well before your child swallows anything new.
Is this about texture or about behavior?
Often both. Many children refuse foods because of how they feel in the mouth, and the refusal then becomes a habit that holds even after the sensory side eases. Your BCBA looks at both, and our guide to sensory diets covers the sensory side.
How much does feeding therapy cost?
Feeding work is billed inside your authorized ABA hours, so there is no separate charge for it. What you pay depends on your plan and your state, and our guide to how much ABA therapy costs breaks down the variables. Alpaca Health gives you an out of pocket estimate before the first session.
How quickly can we start?
Most families have their first session within the same week, and Alpaca Health does not keep a waitlist. After you submit the intake form, we verify your insurance and follow up within one business day, then match you with a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who covers your area.
Which states does Alpaca Health serve?
Alpaca Health serves families in Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Hawaii and Michigan. Your Board Certified Behavior Analyst needs to be licensed in the state where your child lives. Each state page lists the cities we cover.
Do we have to run the whole family's meals differently?
Usually not. Most plans change one meal a day to begin with, and leave the rest alone while your child gets used to it. Your provider will tell you which meal to use and what to serve alongside it. Younger children often start this work as part of ABA therapy for toddlers.
Start feeding therapy with Alpaca Health
Tell us about your child and we will confirm your insurance coverage and match you with a licensed BCBA who has availability now. Feeding sessions run at home, in every state we serve.