Colorado ABA Finder
A hallway with a child's jacket, a backpack and a therapy folder on the benchIllustration

How to start ABA therapy in Colorado with Health First Colorado, the state's Medicaid

Start by calling two or three providers from the state's Medicaid list in your city; the provider you choose assesses your child and files the prior authorization, and sessions begin once the state approves it.

Does Colorado Medicaid cover ABA therapy for your child?

Yes, when it's medically necessary. Health First Colorado's children's benefit covers applied behavior analysis and other behavioral therapy for members age 20 and under, and the state's page says no diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is required. A child with autism, ADHD or a developmental delay can be assessed. If a parent's private insurance comes first, Medicaid picks up what it leaves.

The provider shows medical necessity in the prior authorization request; you don't have to prove anything yourself. The full coverage rules, quoted from the state, are in the coverage guide.

Before you call: three things to have ready

  • Your child's Health First Colorado ID number, and the name of any other insurance.
  • Any evaluation, diagnosis letter or pediatrician note you already have. None is required, but it speeds the assessment.
  • A clear picture of when sessions could happen: after school, mornings, weekends. Providers staff by time slot.

Step 1 to start ABA therapy: pick two or three Medicaid ABA providers and call them

Use your city page on this site. The top cards are providers on the state list whose websites we have read; the full list under them has every provider the state ties to your city. Call more than one. The state list says who is enrolled, not who has an opening.

Ask each one the same four questions: do you have an opening for a child this age in my town, when could the assessment happen, do you come to the home, and who writes the plan.

Step 2: the assessment, the treatment plan and the prior authorization

The provider you choose meets your child, writes a treatment plan and files a prior authorization request with the state's review vendor. You do not file anything. The reviewer checks medical necessity and tells the provider how many hours are approved.

If the reviewer wants more documents, the provider has four business days to send them or the request is denied for lack of information. Keep your phone on.

Step 3: therapy sessions start, in the home or at a center

Once approved, sessions run under that authorization for up to six months. Before it ends, the provider files a new request. Parent coaching is part of the plan; ask how much of it you get and when.

If your child is under 3

Call Early Intervention Colorado as well, at 833-733-3734. The state program serves children from birth until the third birthday, through a county agency, and the evaluation is free. It runs alongside ABA; you do not have to choose.

In-home ABA or a center: decide before you call

Most providers on the state list come to the home, and many run a center as well. Home sessions put a behavior technician on your floor, with you in the room, working the treatment plan into real routines. A center gives a structured day with peers and a team under one BCBA. Neither is better for every child; a provider that offers both can tell you which it'd start with and why.

Decide the hours you can actually do, too. Morning slots are easier to get than after-school slots almost everywhere in Colorado.

What the first month looks like

After the assessment and the approval, the BCBA walks you through the treatment plan: the goals, the hours a week, who the technician is and how often the BCBA supervises. Parent training is part of the plan from the start. Expect the first sessions to be slow; the technician is learning your child, and your child is learning that this person is fun.

If nobody has an opening

An assessment now is still worth doing, so the prior authorization is ready when a slot opens. A center may have room when the home-visit teams don't, or the other way round. Providers that cover the whole county often have a technician a town over. And the state adds providers to its list every week, so a call back in a month isn't wasted.

“The impact has now reached a dire state”

Ken Winn, president of Colorado Association for Behavioral Analysis, a nonprofit member organization. Outside voice, not part of this site. The Colorado Sun, 24 July 2023. He was describing provider closures tied to Medicaid rates, which is the background to most waitlists.

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.

Questions about starting ABA therapy in Colorado on Medicaid

Do I need a referral from my pediatrician?

The state's page does not require one. The provider assesses your child and files the request. A pediatrician's note still helps, because the request has to show medical necessity.

How long from the first call to the first session?

The state does not publish a timeline, and this site does not guess one. The parts you control are the speed of the first calls and answering the provider during the document window. Ask each provider for its own typical timing and write the answers down.

Can I switch providers later?

Yes. A new provider does its own assessment and files its own request. Tell the old provider so the authorizations do not overlap.

Sources

Every quote on this page was matched word for word against the source on 18 October 2026.