IllustrationABA therapy waitlists in Colorado: why they happen and how Denver, Aurora and the rest of the state find an opening
Colorado ABA waitlists come from too few technicians for the children who qualify and Medicaid rates providers say are hard to live on; the way around them is to call several providers, ask for assessment and start dates separately, and widen your settings.
Why the wait exists
Providers say it in public. In November 2025 the state proposed Medicaid rate cuts for behavioral therapy, and families and providers pushed back at the Capitol.
“Providers like me across the state are barely hanging on. All of this red tape means less care, fewer providers, and children waiting longer or never getting treatment at all.”
The state's side
The state's Medicaid director gave a reason for rising costs in the same week.
“The drivers of these increases we're really looking at are the infusion of private equity into the BA (Behavioral Analysis) space, by purchasing up centers and other practices”
The numbers underneath
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Health First Colorado members age 20 and under | 517,065 (quarter ending 30 September 2026) | HCPF caseload report |
| Providers on the state's behavioral therapy list | 186 (18 October 2026) | HCPF provider list |
| Medicaid rate for CPT 97153, per 15 minutes | $17.20 from 1 July 2026 (was $18.17) | HCPF fee schedule |
| Children identified with autism, national | 1 in 31 eight-year-olds (2022) | CDC ADDM |
Each figure is quoted from the source linked at the bottom of this page.
What a no-waitlist line means
It means the provider wrote it on its website on the day we read it. It may be true for one city and not another, for a toddler and not a teenager, for a center and not for home visits. This site quotes the line and dates it, and never turns it into a promise.
The two dates that matter are the assessment date and the start date. A provider with no assessment wait may still have a wait for regular sessions, because sessions start only after the state approves the prior authorization.
Six ways to shorten the wait
The families who get in fastest call three providers instead of one, and they ask each the same questions so the answers can be compared. They get the assessment done now, even when sessions would start later, because the authorization is then ready the day a slot opens.
They're flexible on the setting: a center with an opening beats a home visit on a list, and the other way round. They're flexible on hours, since afternoon slots fill first and a morning or weekend slot may be free. They ask providers that cover the whole county, not only the city. And they call back in a month, because the state says it adds providers to its list every week.
Who you're waiting for: the BCBA, the RBT and the treatment plan
A waitlist is almost always a staffing list. The board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) does the assessment and writes the treatment plan; there are far fewer of them than children who qualify. The registered behavior technician (RBT) delivers most of the hours, and a provider can only open a slot when it has an RBT free in your area at the time you can do sessions.
That's why a provider can have no wait for an assessment and a real wait for sessions, and why evening slots fill first. The Colorado Association for Behavior Analysis, in a FAQ for Medicaid families, has put the state's need at roughly 7,500 Medicaid children against about 5,600 RBTs; it's an organisation page without a named author, so we print it as their estimate, not a fact.
ABA therapy in Denver, Aurora and across the Front Range: where the wait is shortest
The Denver metro has the most providers on the state list by far: 102 are tied to Denver and 50 to Aurora, against 26 for Pueblo and 23 for Thornton. More providers doesn't guarantee a shorter wait, but it means more phone calls can be made in an afternoon, and more chance that one of them has an RBT free on your side of town.
In-home ABA tends to open sooner than a center seat, because a home slot needs one technician and a car, not a classroom. Providers that cover the whole Front Range sometimes have an opening in Lakewood or Westminster when Denver proper is full. Ask about the next town over, and about mornings.
School is its own waitlist
Getting ABA inside a school building depends on the district, not on Medicaid. Chalkbeat found Denver Public Schools granted three of 28 requests in the 2023-24 school year; Jeffco, Douglas County and Cherry Creek granted all of theirs.
“a show to get to a no”
Find a provider in your city
Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Fort Collins, Lakewood, Boulder, Pueblo, Greeley, Longmont, Thornton, or the whole state list with filters.
Frequently asked questions about ABA waitlists in Colorado
How long are ABA waitlists in Colorado?
Nobody publishes a statewide number, and this site doesn't invent one. Providers quote their own wait times, and they change monthly. The city pages here list every provider the state ties to a city so you can ask more of them.
Can I be on two waitlists?
Yes. Being assessed by one provider doesn't stop another from assessing your child. Tell each one when you choose, so the prior authorizations don't overlap.
Does a private-pay or private insurance family skip the line?
Some providers reserve slots by payer, and some don't. Ask directly. The state list only tells you who is enrolled with Medicaid.
What are the next steps while we wait?
Get the assessment done so the authorization is ready. If your child is under 3, start early intervention through the state line at 833-733-3734. Ask your pediatrician for a developmental note. And keep a short list of three providers with the date each one said to call back.
Sources
- Colorado Association for Behavior Analysis: FAQ for Colorado Medicaid families and providershttps://coaba.org/faq-for-colorado-medicaid-families-providers/
- CBS Colorado, 18 November 2025https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-families-providers-medicaid-autism
- KUNC, 19 November 2025https://www.kunc.org/news/2025-11-19/parents-advocates-warn-of-dire-consequences-from-proposed-budget-cuts-to-therapy-for-kids-with-autism
- HCPF caseload reportshttps://hcpf.colorado.gov/premiums-expenditures-and-caseload-reports
- HCPF provider rates and fee scheduleshttps://hcpf.colorado.gov/provider-rates-fee-schedule
- Health First Colorado: provider listhttps://hcpf.colorado.gov/pediatric-behavioral-therapies-provider-list
- CDC: autism data and statisticshttps://www.cdc.gov/autism/data-research/index.html
- Chalkbeat Colorado, 2 October 2024https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2024/10/02/some-students-denied-therapy-services-for-autism-at-dps-schools/
Every quote on this page was matched word for word against the source on 18 October 2026.