Home-Based Services
In-Home ABA Therapy
In-home therapy includes home and community sessions with the learner, consultation with daycare, school, and any outside providers, and attendance at team and IEP meetings.
Working across all of those settings is how a skill generalizes. A skill a learner uses in only one room, with only one person, has not generalized yet. Generalization across people and settings is one of the core dimensions of ABA. See ABA Information to learn more.
Home services target functional life, daily living, and community-based skills.
A home program may be comprehensive or focused. What it covers comes from the learner's assessment rather than from where sessions happen. See the types of ABA we provide.
Language & Communication
- Shaping sound approximation into full vocal words
- Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
Social Skills
- Community outings: social skills groups, play groups, and library story hours
- Video modeling
Life Skills
- Activities of Daily Living: toilet training, hand washing, teeth brushing, positive exercise and eating habits
- Age- and cognitively appropriate chores: clean-up, packing snack or lunch, folding laundry, watering plants
Community Safety
- Safety in and around the community: "stranger danger," automobile safety, safety signs, knowing name/address/phone number
Caregiver Support
- Caregiver training built into every treatment plan
- Coaching on behavior strategies in daily routines, so progress continues between sessions
Coverage
Insurance & ARICA
ARICA requires health insurers in Massachusetts to cover the diagnosis and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Services are covered when medically necessary and prior-authorized by your plan. Referral requirements, copays, and age limits differ from plan to plan. See Insurance & Coverage for the details on yours, and read more about the law at the Autism Insurance Resource Center.
- MassHealth
- Blue Cross Blue Shield MA
- Tufts Health Plan
- Health New England
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
- Aetna
- Evernorth Behavioral Health (Cigna)
- Optum
- United Behavioral Health
- WellSense
- Carelon Behavioral Health
We can assist with out-of-network and private pay situations. Please contact us if your health plan is not listed here, and see Insurance & Coverage for plan-by-plan details.
Getting Started
The Intake Process
- Intake form. You tell us about the learner and your goals.
- Eligibility and authorization. We verify your benefits and obtain your insurer's authorization for an assessment.
- Assessment. A BCBA meets your family, reviews records, observes the learner directly, and completes standardized assessments.
- Treatment plan. An individualized plan with measurable goals is built from the assessment data and submitted to your insurer for authorization.
- Team match. We match a behavior technician to the learner's needs, with caregiver training built into the plan.
- Services begin. Progress is measured continuously, and plans are reviewed with your insurer at least every six months.
Our goal is a face-to-face intake meeting within two business days of authorization approval. If a wait is unavoidable, we will tell you where you stand and help you explore alternatives through your health plan. The statewide Behavioral Health Help Line at 833-773-2445 can also help you find services, 24 hours a day, in more than 200 languages.
Insurance-funded ABA cannot be authorized without a diagnosis. If the learner does not have one yet, we can point you toward qualified clinicians in the area who can provide an evaluation.