In-home ABA therapy in Duplin County

Autism therapy for rural Duplin County homes

Duplin County is farm country. Families here are often a long way from a pediatric specialist, and specialized autism services can be an hour’s drive or more. For a child who needs therapy several days a week, that kind of distance can rule ABA out altogether. We remove that barrier by sending the therapist to your home.

First, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) comes to see your child where they’re most comfortable. The BCBA watches how your child plays, communicates and handles everyday demands, then sits down with you to talk through what you’d most like to change. Together you set goals, and the BCBA writes them into your child’s plan.

Next, a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) begins one-on-one sessions in your home. Lessons fit around real routines: getting ready for the bus, mealtimes, playing outside, winding down for bed. Your BCBA supervises regularly, looks at what the data shows, and updates the plan as your child gains skills.

Parents are trained right along with the child, so strategies carry over between visits and into busy seasons like harvest. Most children have between 10 and 25 hours a week, depending on their needs and on what their insurance authorizes, and we build that schedule with your household’s work in mind.

Families in small towns sometimes worry about privacy. Our staff treat everything about your child’s care as confidential, and sessions happen inside your home, not in a waiting room down the street. You decide who in your circle knows about therapy and when.

Duplin County towns we serve

Our Wilmington team provides in-home ABA therapy in:

• Wallace
• Warsaw
• Rose Hill
• Magnolia

Wallace, at the county’s southern edge, is the closest Duplin town to Wilmington. Rose Hill and Magnolia sit just north of it along US 117, and Warsaw lies further north near I-40. Kenansville, the county seat, is in the middle of the county. Between them are farms, crossroads communities and homes set well back from the road. Planning therapy around those distances is what in-home ABA is for: your child stays home, and our RBT makes the trip.

Duplin’s points of pride are rooted in its history and its farms: Duplin Winery in Rose Hill, Liberty Hall in Kenansville, and the agricultural fairs and festivals that bring the county together. Busy community events like those can be overwhelming for some children, and preparing for them is something your BCBA can help with.

Live elsewhere in Duplin County? Call (910) 773-1234 with your address and we’ll tell you whether we serve it.

Medicaid and insurance in Duplin County

NC Medicaid covers ABA therapy for children under 21 through EPSDT, where it is billed as Research-Based Behavioral Health Treatment (RB-BHT). In Duplin County, that coverage comes through the Trillium Health Resources Tailored Plan or a Medicaid Standard Plan. North Carolina’s autism insurance law (SB 676) also requires many commercial health plans to cover ABA.

In Duplin County, families on a Medicaid Tailored Plan are covered by Trillium Health Resources, which also serves Pender, New Hanover, Brunswick and Onslow counties. Empire ABA accepts Trillium, the NC Medicaid Standard Plans and commercial insurance.

Some Duplin families have Medicaid, and others have coverage through work. Either way, our office checks your benefits before therapy starts, so you aren’t left guessing.

NC Medicaid plans we accept:

• Alliance Health
• AmeriHealth Caritas
• Carolina Complete Health
• Healthy Blue
• Partners Health
• Vaya Health
• WellCare
• Trillium Health Resources
• UnitedHealthcare Community Plan

Commercial insurance we accept:

• BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina
• Aetna
• Cigna Healthcare

First steps in Duplin County

1. Call or fill out the form. Tell our Wilmington team about your child.
2. Insurance check. We verify your benefits and submit the authorization.
3. BCBA assessment. Your Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) meets your child at home and builds an individualized plan with you.
4. Therapy begins. Your Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) starts sessions on a schedule that fits your family.

The people who will care for your child

Duplin County families are served by our Wilmington team. Your child gets a BCBA, who designs and oversees the plan and coaches you, plus an RBT, who visits your home for one-on-one sessions. An office team handles the calendar and the insurance side.

We’re a neurodiversity-affirming practice. We don’t demand eye contact or try to stamp out harmless stimming. Instead, we help your child build the communication, independence and safety skills your family has asked for.

Duplin County Schools and doctors

Children across the county attend Duplin County Schools. If school-based support is approved, we coordinate with your child’s teachers and IEP team so expectations line up at home and in class. Home sessions can be set for the hours after school.

An autism diagnosis is usually the first thing an insurer needs. Your family doctor or pediatrician is a good place to start the conversation. Once a clinician recommends ABA, their office can send the referral to info@empireaba.com or fax it to (910) 807-3380, and we’ll call you. If you don’t have a diagnosis yet, give us a call anyway; we can explain what your plan requires and help you find an evaluation.

Medicaid Tailored Plan

Trillium Health Resources

Public schools

Duplin County Schools

Main health system

ECU Health Duplin Hospital

Questions from Duplin County families