ABA and autism therapy providers in Colorado, by county

How many ABA providers serve each county

Counted from the state's own list, by the places each provider names as its service area. A county page lists every one of them.

Every provider on the state list for these seven counties (170)

10 providers state on their own sites that they have no waitlist. Phone numbers appear only when the provider prints the same number on its own site. Listings are for information only and do not imply endorsement.

Finding an ABA provider that takes Health First Colorado

The state's Pediatric Behavioral Therapies provider list is the list of providers contracted with Health First Colorado, and HCPF says it is "adding additional providers each week."

• An autism diagnosis is not required: therapy "is available to all children currently eligible for Health First Colorado when the service is medically necessary."
• The provider assesses your child, writes a plan and asks the state for prior authorization. An approved request lasts up to six months.
• Each entry on the state list has an "Other Insurance Accepted" line, so you can check a private plan too.

Health First Colorado for a child with autism: applying, the CES waiver and appeals.

ABA at home, in a center, or both

The state list sorts providers into three groups: center and home based, center based, and home based. The CDC says autism treatments "can be given in education, health, community, or home settings, or a combination of settings."

Health First Colorado no longer covers 40 hours in a clinic when a child has school hours, unless the district shows the child cannot be served in a classroom (HCPF memo, April 2025).

BCBA and RBT: who does what

Questions to ask an ABA provider

• Are you on the state's Health First Colorado list, and will you file the prior authorization?
• Who is the supervising BCBA, and may I look them up on the BACB site?
• How often will the BCBA see my child and the RBT?
• Where do sessions happen: home, center, school or a mix?
• What ages do you serve, and is there a wait to start?
• How will you involve and coach us as parents?

That last one matters. Children's Hospital Colorado writes that "involving caregivers in treatment of autistic youth using coordinated skills training and coaching is critical for the maintenance of skills over time." The American Academy of Pediatrics calls for "shared decision making" with families in choosing interventions.

Private insurance and ABA in Colorado

• Every health benefit plan issued or renewed in Colorado must cover "the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders for a child."
• Treatment must be medically necessary and prescribed by a licensed physician or psychologist.
• Dollar limits, deductibles and coinsurance cannot be worse than for physical illness on the same plan.
• The state's insurance rule sets a minimum of 550 ABA sessions a year from birth through age 8 and 185 a year from 9 to 19, counted in 25-minute sessions, for the plans it covers.
• Short-term plans and individual grandfathered plans are not covered by the law.

What the research says about ABA

The CDC says behavioral approaches "have the most evidence for treating symptoms of ASD," and names applied behavior analysis as a notable one. For children 12 to 48 months, it describes the Early Start Denver Model, a play-based approach built on ABA principles.

Ask any provider how they measure progress for your child, and how often they review the plan with you.

Not diagnosed yet? Who to call first

• Under 3: Early Intervention Colorado, 833-733-3734. Free, no diagnosis needed.
• 3 and older: the county's case management agency for waivers, the school district's Child Find for school, and your child's doctor for a therapy referral. Each county page names them.

Questions parents ask about ABA providers in Colorado

Sources and dates

State provider list read 18 October 2026; other pages read 9 November 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

1. HCPF: Pediatric Behavioral Therapies provider list
2. HCPF: Pediatric Behavioral Therapies (families)
3. BACB: BCBA
4. BACB: RBT
5. BACB: RBT requirements (2026)
6. BACB: consumer resources
7. Colorado General Assembly: HB26-1425
8. Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 10 (insurance)
9. Colorado Division of Insurance, Regulation 4-2
10. CDC: treatment and intervention for autism
11. American Academy of Pediatrics, 2020 clinical report (abstract)
12. BMC Psychiatry 2023 meta-analysis (abstract)
13. Cochrane 2018 review (abstract)
14. Children's Hospital Colorado: autism spectrum disorder (for clinicians)