In-home ABA therapy in Durham County

ABA therapy built around your Durham household

No two Durham families run on the same schedule. Some parents work shifts at the hospitals, some work from home, and some are juggling two jobs and a toddler. In-home ABA is built to bend around that. Instead of arranging your week around clinic appointments, your child’s sessions happen at home at times we plan together.

Your child’s care is designed by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). The BCBA visits your home, gets to know your child’s strengths and challenges, and asks what would make the biggest difference for your family. Maybe it’s fewer meltdowns at bedtime, a way to ask for what they need, or being able to sit through a family meal. Those answers become the goals in your child’s plan.

A Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) then works one on one with your child, usually through play and everyday routines rather than drills at a table. The BCBA supervises the work, tracks progress, and adjusts the plan as your child learns. You’re part of it, too: regular parent training means you can use the same strategies on the days between sessions.

There’s no single right number of hours. Children in our care usually have between 10 and 25 a week, based on what they need and what insurance signs off on.

Families often ask what a session actually looks like. Picture your child’s RBT arriving after school with a bag of materials, but spending most of the time using what’s already in your home. They might practice asking for a favorite toy, taking turns in a board game with a sibling, or following a picture schedule to get ready for dinner. Small wins are tracked every session, so your BCBA can see what’s working and change what isn’t. Over weeks and months, those small steps add up to real changes in your household: smoother evenings, more ways for your child to tell you what they want, and more confidence for everyone.

Where we work in Durham County

Our Triangle team provides in-home ABA therapy in:

• Durham

The Museum of Life and Science, Sarah P. Duke Gardens and a night at the Durham Bulls ballpark are the Bull City outings families talk about. Each brings its own challenges, from crowds to fireworks, and preparing for them is the kind of real-world goal in-home ABA is well suited to.

We see families across the city and the rest of the county. If you’re unsure whether we reach your address, call (984) 224-0007. We also serve neighboring Wake, Orange and Johnston counties.

Paying for ABA in Durham 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 Durham County, that coverage comes through the Alliance Health Tailored Plan or a Medicaid Standard Plan. North Carolina’s autism insurance law (SB 676) also requires many commercial health plans to cover ABA.

If your child is on a Medicaid Tailored Plan, Durham County’s plan is managed by Alliance Health. We accept Alliance, the NC Medicaid Standard Plans, and commercial insurance from the companies listed below.

Insurance language can be confusing. You don’t need to figure out your plan before you call: our office will look up your child’s benefits and walk you through what they mean.

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

Four steps to start in Durham

1. Call or fill out the form. Tell our Triangle 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 your child will work with

Your child’s BCBA is the clinical lead: assessment, treatment plan, supervision and parent training. Your child’s RBT is the person in your home most often, running one-on-one sessions. Behind them, our office team manages scheduling and insurance.

We follow a neurodiversity-affirming approach. We won’t force eye contact or try to stop stimming that isn’t harmful. We build communication, independence and the skills your family has prioritized.

Durham Public Schools and referrals

If your child attends Durham Public Schools and school-based support is approved, we coordinate with their teachers and IEP team so goals at home and school line up. Home sessions can be scheduled for after school.

Durham is home to Duke University and its health system, and many local families start with a pediatrician or developmental specialist there or elsewhere in the county. For insurance to cover ABA, your child generally needs an autism diagnosis. Once a doctor has recommended ABA, the referral can come straight to us: email info@empireaba.com or fax (910) 807-3380. Waiting on that evaluation? You can still reach out now, and we’ll tell you what to have ready.

Medicaid Tailored Plan

Alliance Health

Public schools

Durham Public Schools

Main health system

UNC Health and Duke Health

Questions from Durham County families