10 Best ABA Therapy Providers in Fort Collins, CO (2026)
Compare 12 ABA providers serving Fort Collins. Explore the full ranked list and find a provider that feels right for your child.
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Other ABA Providers in Fort Collins
Action Behavior Centers - Fort Collins
ListedAt our Fort Collins center, we provide center-based ABA for children ages 18 months to 8 years and evaluation support for ages 18 months to 6. Weekday sessions focus on practical skills, with goals built around each child and family. We help families with insurance paperwork and explain financial-assistance options for eligible out-of-pocket expenses.
- Center-based
BlueSprig Autism - Fort Collins
ListedBlueSprig provides individualized ABA therapy at 1613 Prospect Park Way, Suite 110, in Fort Collins. Early-intervention programs serve ages 0 through 6, while continuing-client programs extend through age 18. Care may take place at the center, at home, at school, or in community settings and can address communication, independence, daily living, learning, and safer participation.
- Center-based
- In-home
- Telehealth
- Early intervention
Fort Collins family guide
ABA Therapy in Fort Collins, CO: What Families Should Know
ABA therapy in Fort Collins comes through clinics, in-home teams that travel across Larimer County, and caregiver coaching, and some families also drive south toward Loveland or the Denver metro for more autism services. Children under 3 start with Foothills Gateway, Larimer County’s early intervention program, and children 3 to 5 can get a free Child Find evaluation through Poudre School District. Health First Colorado covers ABA for members 20 and under with prior authorization, and Colorado law requires state-regulated commercial plans to cover autism treatment for a child, including ABA.
ABA therapy options in Fort Collins
Center-based ABA
A clinic off Harmony Road means a very different commute for a family in Wellington than for one near Old Town or in Timnath. Time the drive on College Avenue or I-25 at the after-school slot you would actually use, and ask how many families are waiting for that same hour.
In-home ABA
In-home providers set their own travel radius around Fort Collins, and LaPorte, Bellvue, or homes up the Poudre Canyon can fall outside it. Give each provider your exact address and ask which technician would be assigned and how winter weather cancellations are made up.
School and daycare support
With the program’s permission, some providers observe or support a child at preschool or daycare. If your child attends a Poudre School District preschool classroom, ask how the ABA team will line up goals with the district’s IEP team.
Telehealth parent coaching
Video caregiver sessions help families in Red Feather Lakes, Wellington, and other edges of the county keep momentum between in-person visits. Ask that parent coaching goals appear in the written treatment plan with their own weekly hours.
Autism evaluations
Fort Collins families can start with Colorado State University’s Psychological Services Center, which offers autism assessments on a sliding scale, or Children’s Hospital Colorado Developmental Pediatrics. Put your name on more than one evaluation list, because the first opening rarely comes from the first place you call.
How to start ABA therapy in Fort Collins
- 1
Confirm the diagnosis and coverage
Insurers and Colorado Medicaid authorize ABA after a licensed physician or psychologist diagnoses autism. Call the member number on your card and ask whether ABA needs prior authorization.
- 2
Compare Fort Collins providers
Use the provider list on this page to check settings, ages served, and insurance. Shortlist two or three that fit your schedule and location.
- 3
Ask the intake questions that matter
Ask about current intake timing, in-network status for your exact plan, who writes the treatment plan, and how parent training works.
- 4
Get matched if you want help
Tell us your child's age, coverage, and preferred setting. We share options in and around Fort Collins that fit. It is free for families.
Does insurance cover ABA therapy in Fort Collins?
Medicaid in Larimer County
Health First Colorado covers ABA through its Pediatric Behavioral Therapies benefit for members 20 and under when it is medically necessary, and an autism diagnosis is not required. A contracted provider assesses your child and submits a Prior Authorization Request to the state’s utilization management vendor; each approval lasts up to six months. Since the July 1, 2025 regional change, Larimer County members belong to Region 2 of the Accountable Care Collaborative, run by Northeast Health Partners (800-541-6870), for care coordination. Call the Health First Colorado Member Contact Center at 800-221-3943 with eligibility or enrollment questions.
Private insurance
Colorado’s autism mandate, C.R.S. 10-16-104(1.4), requires state-regulated health plans to cover assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of autism for a child, including applied behavior analysis. Self-funded employer plans follow federal ERISA rules instead, so ask HR whether your plan is fully insured or self-funded.
Plans Fort Collins families often ask about:
- Health First Colorado (Northeast Health Partners, Region 2)
- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Colorado
- UnitedHealthcare
- Cigna
- Aetna
Colorado’s autism insurance law (C.R.S. 10-16-104(1.4))
What state-regulated insurers cannot do
- Exclude autism treatment, including ABA, from a state-regulated health plan.
- Deny, refuse to renew, or restrict coverage because a child has an autism diagnosis or uses autism services.
- Set dollar limits, deductibles, or coinsurance for autism care that are less favorable than those for physical illness generally.
- Add authorization requirements that work to exclude autism treatment.
- Count therapy that is medically necessary for autism against the general 20-visit therapy limit in C.R.S. 10-16-104(1.7).
What still applies
- A licensed physician or licensed psychologist must prescribe or order treatment, based on a treatment plan from a comprehensive evaluation.
- Plans can still review medical necessity and require prior authorization that applies to other care.
- Your plan’s normal deductibles, copays, and coinsurance still apply.
- Self-funded employer plans follow federal ERISA rules, not the Colorado mandate.
Getting an autism diagnosis in Fort Collins
In Fort Collins the path splits at age 3. Toddlers are referred to Foothills Gateway through Early Intervention Colorado, which evaluates development without waiting for a diagnosis. Older children usually need a medical or psychological autism evaluation for insurance, and Poudre School District runs a separate, free Child Find evaluation for school services.
Under age 3
Foothills Gateway Early Intervention (Larimer County)
Foothills Gateway runs Larimer County’s Early Intervention program for children from birth to age 3. Refer by calling 833-REFER-EI, emailing GetStartedwithEI@state.co.us, or using the online form; local questions go to eireferral@foothillsgateway.org. The main office is at 301 W. Skyway Drive in Fort Collins (970-226-2345).
Evaluation
Colorado State University Psychological Services Center
Offers assessments for social challenges and autism at 700 South Mason Street, on a sliding scale based on income and household size. Graduate clinicians work under licensed CSU faculty. Call to ask about current assessment openings.
Evaluation
Children’s Hospital Colorado Developmental Pediatrics (with JFK Partners)
Developmental pediatrics evaluates children from infancy through adolescence and holds clinics across the Children’s Colorado system. JFK Partners autism diagnostic assessments are scheduled through this same line. Ask your pediatrician about a referral.
School districts serving Fort Collins families
Public schools evaluate children from age 3 at no cost through Child Find. ABA providers can coordinate with your child's IEP team. Compare special needs schools in Fort Collins too.
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Poudre School District Child Find (ages 3 to 5)
Poudre School District serves Fort Collins along with Timnath, Wellington, and LaPorte. For a child 3 to 5, contact the PSD Child Find team at 970-490-3040 or childfind@psdschools.org to request a developmental screening and evaluation at no cost.
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Poudre School District (enrolled students)
For a child already in a PSD school, send a dated written evaluation request to the principal and the school’s special education team and keep a copy. The Child Find coordinator can answer general questions about the process.
Autism in Fort Collins by the numbers
- 1 in 31
- 8-year-olds identified with autism across 16 CDC monitoring sites
- About 2,170
- Estimated autistic children in Larimer County
- 28,064
- Children under 18 living in Fort Collins
- 3.2%
- Fort Collins children under 18 with a disability
- 95.2%
- Fort Collins children under 19 with health insurance
- 5.7%
- Fort Collins residents age 5 and up who speak Spanish at home
- $85,070
- Median household income in Fort Collins
- 8.7%
- Fort Collins children under 18 living below the poverty line
CDC Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 2022 data published in 2025.
An estimate: 67,339 county residents under 18 divided by 31, not a count of diagnoses.
Census disability questions cover hearing, vision, cognitive, mobility, self-care, and independent living, so this is broader than autism.
Ask providers whether they have Spanish-speaking BCBAs or technicians.
Many of these children qualify for Medicaid or CHIP, which cover ABA.
Sources: CDC ADDM Network (2022 surveillance year, MMWR April 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B01001, B18101, B27010, C16001, B19013, B17020) for Fort Collins city and Larimer County. The county autism figure is an estimate, not a count.
Fort Collins local numbers
What ABA therapy costs in Fort Collins
Private-pay ABA in Colorado typically runs $135 to $200 an hour. The table multiplies that range by weekly hours (hours x 52 weeks / 12 months) to show a monthly bill before insurance. This is an illustration, not a quote: your bill depends on authorized hours, the mix of technician and BCBA time, and what your plan pays.
| Hours per week | At $135/hr | At $200/hr |
|---|---|---|
| 10 hours | $5,850/mo | $8,667/mo |
| 20 hours | $11,700/mo | $17,333/mo |
| 30 hours | $17,550/mo | $26,000/mo |
Estimate your cost with insurance using your deductible, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket maximum.
Colorado Medicaid ABA rate
Colorado Medicaid pays an ABA provider $17.20 for each 15-minute unit of technician-delivered ABA (CPT 97153), or $68.80 an hour, and $25.80 per unit when a BCBA or other qualified professional adjusts treatment (CPT 97155). This is what Medicaid pays providers, not a price families pay.
- 97153 per 15 minutes (One statewide rate)
- $17.20
- 97155 per 15 minutes (One statewide rate)
- $25.80
- Effective
- Oct 1, 2025; unchanged on the July 1, 2026 fee schedule
Fee-for-service rate from the Health First Colorado fee schedule, July 2026. Managed care plans negotiate their own rates with providers. Compare states in our Medicaid ABA spending and rates by state report.
How long is the ABA wait in Colorado?
In January to March 2022, TRICARE families in Colorado waited an average of 7 days from a verified referral to their first ABA appointment, 21 days shorter than TRICARE's 28-day access standard for specialty care. This figure covers military families only, comes from one 2022 snapshot, and does not promise a wait for any family today. See every published ABA wait time.
Source: Defense Health Agency, TRICARE Comprehensive Autism Care Demonstration report to Congress, Table 3 (April 2023; data January 1 to March 31, 2022).
Fort Collins kids compared with Colorado and the US
| Measure | Fort Collins | Colorado | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children under 18 with a disability | 3.2% | 3.9% | 4.9% |
| Children under 19 with health insurance | 95.2% | 94.8% | 94.5% |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 8.7% | 11.1% | 16.1% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (ACS 2024 5-year), tables B18101, B27010, and B17020, via Census Reporter. Census disability questions cover hearing, vision, cognitive, mobility, self-care, and independent living, so the disability rate is broader than autism.
Colorado autism identification vs the US
Colorado public schools served 10.30 children per 1,000 ages 5 to 21 under the IDEA autism category in 2024-25, about 1 in 97, below the national rate of about 1 in 64. School identification counts only children served in special education under the autism category, so it runs lower than the CDC's clinical estimate of 1 in 31 eight-year-olds. Compare autism rates in every state.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IDEA Section 618 child count, school year 2024-25, divided by Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population ages 5 to 21.
Fort Collins autism resources for families
Advocacy & navigation
PEAK Parent Center
Colorado’s federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. Free help with Child Find, IEPs, and special education rights.
Early intervention
Foothills Gateway
Larimer County’s early intervention program for children under 3, and the local agency for developmental disability services. Main office at 301 W. Skyway Drive, Fort Collins.
Diagnosis & evaluation
CSU Psychological Services Center
Sliding-scale autism and child behavioral assessments in Fort Collins, provided by supervised doctoral trainees.
Autism support
Autism Society of Colorado
Statewide nonprofit offering family support, events, and resource referrals. Call or email to schedule time with staff.
Medicaid
Northeast Health Partners (Health First Colorado Region 2)
The regional organization for Larimer County Health First Colorado members since July 1, 2025. Call for care coordination and help finding behavioral health providers.
Medicaid
Health First Colorado Member Contact Center
Eligibility, enrollment, and benefit questions, including how the Pediatric Behavioral Therapies benefit works.
More questions about ABA therapy in Fort Collins
Who coordinates Health First Colorado care in Larimer County now?
Larimer County moved from Rocky Mountain Health Plans to Northeast Health Partners when the Accountable Care Collaborative changed regions on July 1, 2025. Northeast Health Partners handles care coordination for Region 2 and can help you find behavioral health providers. ABA itself still needs a Prior Authorization Request from your contracted provider, and each approval lasts up to six months.
Does my Fort Collins child need an autism diagnosis for Medicaid ABA?
Not for Health First Colorado. The state’s Pediatric Behavioral Therapies benefit is open to eligible children when therapy is medically necessary, and it does not require an autism diagnosis. Commercial plans are different: under C.R.S. 10-16-104(1.4), a licensed physician or psychologist orders treatment based on a comprehensive evaluation, so private-insurance families usually still need a diagnostic report.
Is there a lower-cost autism evaluation option in Fort Collins?
Yes. Colorado State University’s Psychological Services Center offers autism assessments on a sliding scale, with a full evaluation priced by household income and size. Graduate clinicians do the testing under licensed faculty supervision. Families with Health First Colorado or commercial coverage can also ask Children’s Hospital Colorado Developmental Pediatrics about referral and scheduling.
How many hours of ABA therapy does a child need each week?
It depends on the treatment plan. Focused programs that target a few skills often run 10 to 25 hours a week, while comprehensive programs for young children can run 30 to 40 hours. The supervising BCBA recommends hours after an assessment, and your insurer or Medicaid plan authorizes them.
What is the difference between a BCBA and an RBT?
A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) holds a graduate degree, assesses your child, writes and adjusts the treatment plan, and supervises the team. A Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) delivers most one-to-one sessions under that BCBA's supervision.
How long does ABA therapy take to show results?
Families often see early changes in the first few months, and the BCBA reviews progress data against goals at least every six months, which is also when most insurers reauthorize hours. Ask any provider how they share progress data with parents.
Do I need a referral to start ABA therapy?
Most plans require an autism diagnosis and a prescription or referral for ABA from a physician or psychologist, followed by prior authorization. Some commercial plans skip the referral step, so check your policy before your first intake call.
Reviewed 2026-10-22 against linked state and provider sources.
Nearby therapy options
Compare ABA therapy near Fort Collins
Families often compare nearby cities when commute, availability, services, or age fit differ.
Planning guides
Plan your next ABA provider call in Fort Collins
Use these guides before you ask about intake, insurance, school coordination, parent training, or waitlists.
Colorado Medicaid ABA therapy guide
How Health First Colorado covers pediatric behavioral therapy, the PAR process, and how to find a contracted provider.
Colorado CES Waiver guide
Waiver eligibility, covered services, and how to apply through a case management agency.
How to choose an autism therapy center
Questions to ask about BCBA supervision, intake, setting, parent training, and waitlists.
ABA therapy cost by state
Private-pay ranges, insurance mandates, and current Medicaid ABA rules for every state.
IEP process guide
Use this when therapy decisions overlap with school evaluations, supports, or placement.
Working in ABA?
See current ABA therapy jobs in Colorado on Special Needs Jobs, our job board for RBTs, BCBAs, and behavior technicians.
Why Choose ABA Therapy in Fort Collins?
Fort Collins sits in Larimer County, and families here often compare ABA providers in Loveland, Windsor, Timnath and Wellington too. Most local searches ask one question first: which ABA providers accept Health First Colorado, the state's Medicaid program. The answer starts with how Colorado pays for ABA, which works differently from other behavioral health care.
Comprehensive Autism Therapy Services in Fort Collins
Health First Colorado pays for ABA through its Pediatric Behavioral Therapies benefit, with prior authorization, while Northeast Health Partners, the Larimer County regional organization, handles most other behavioral health care. Early Intervention Colorado serves children under 3, and Poudre School District runs Child Find from age 3. Read the Colorado Medicaid ABA therapy guide, compare Loveland and Greeley, and use the ABA intake checklist.
When exploring special needs educational programs alongside behavioral therapy, families in Fort Collins often find that coordinated services produce the best outcomes.Understanding Insurance Coverage for ABA Therapy in Fort Collins
Colorado's autism insurance law, first enacted in 2009 as SB 09-244 and now codified at C.R.S. 10-16-104(1.4), requires all health benefit plans issued or renewed in Colorado to cover the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorder for children. Covered treatment includes applied behavior analysis, behavior training and behavior management, psychiatric, psychological, and pharmacy care, and speech, occupational, and physical therapy from qualified autism services providers. A licensed physician or licensed psychologist must prescribe or order the treatment, under a treatment plan built from a comprehensive evaluation. The statute bars dollar limits, deductibles, or coinsurance for this coverage that are less favorable than those for physical illness generally, and plans may not exclude autism or add authorization requirements that operate to exclude it. Coverage is in addition to any services a child receives through an IFSP or IEP. Self-funded employer plans follow federal ERISA rules instead, so confirm your plan type with your employer. Health First Colorado, the state's Medicaid program, covers ABA as a pediatric behavioral therapy for members 20 and younger when the services meet the EPSDT medical necessity criteria. Denver-area and statewide therapy centers assist with prior authorization and claims. Families seeking additional support may find valuable resources through Colorado's special needs resource directory.
Colorado Autism Support Programs and Regulations
Early Intervention Colorado, run by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, is the state's IDEA Part C program for children from birth through age two with developmental delays or disabilities. Anyone with a concern can make a referral, and the local early intervention program arranges an evaluation and, for an eligible child, an Individualized Family Service Plan. As the third birthday approaches, the team plans the move to preschool special education. For children three through five, the local school district's Child Find team handles screening and evaluation under Colorado Department of Education rules, and eligible preschoolers receive services through an IEP. Colorado Universal Preschool, also run by the Department of Early Childhood, offers free preschool hours in the year before kindergarten. Many Denver and Front Range ABA providers coordinate with early intervention and school districts so handoffs to school-based services go more smoothly. When exploring specialized educational programs to complement ABA therapy, Fort Collins families have access to a comprehensive network of support services.
Selecting the right ABA therapy provider in Fort Collins is an important decision that can significantly impact your child's progress. The 12 therapy providers serving the Fort Collins area each bring unique strengths, from specialized early intervention programs to school-based services and intensive behavioral support. Many Fort Collins providers offer comprehensive parent training, ensuring that therapeutic strategies extend seamlessly into daily life. With Colorado's strong insurance protections and regulatory framework supporting autism treatment, families in Fort Collins can confidently access high-quality, evidence-based ABA therapy services designed to help children reach their full potential.
Frequently Asked Questions About ABA Therapy in Fort Collins
Which Fort Collins ABA providers accept Medicaid?
How does Health First Colorado approve ABA for an autistic child?
Does Colorado law require private insurance to cover ABA?
How long are ABA wait lists in Fort Collins?
Should we choose in-home or center-based ABA in Fort Collins?
How do we get an autism diagnosis in Fort Collins to start ABA?
Where do we start in Fort Collins if our child is under 3?
How does ABA fit with Poudre School District?
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