In-home ABA therapy in Orange County, North Carolina

In-home ABA for town and rural Orange County

Orange County mixes college towns with farmland. A family near downtown Chapel Hill and a family on a rural road outside Hillsborough have very different days, but both often face the same problem: getting a child to therapy several times a week. In-home ABA brings the therapist to your door, whether that door is in town or out in the county.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) teaches skills by breaking them into small, achievable steps and building on what motivates your child. At Empire, that teaching happens one on one with a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), in your home, during the activities your child already does each day.

A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is responsible for your child’s care from the first visit. The BCBA completes the assessment, writes the treatment plan with your input, supervises sessions, and reviews progress with you. Parent training is built in, because the strategies work best when the whole household uses them.

Weekly hours are individual. Anywhere from 10 to 25 is common, with the final number guided by your child’s needs and what your insurer approves. We’ll agree on a schedule that fits school and family life.

Communities we serve in Orange County

Our Triangle team provides in-home ABA therapy in:

• Chapel Hill
• Carrboro
• Hillsborough

Chapel Hill and Carrboro run together in the southeast corner of the county, with the university at the center of daily life. Hillsborough, the county seat, is a smaller historic town to the north, surrounded by rural roads and farms. Families in the two areas often lead quite different lives, and in-home ABA adapts to both. For a family in a Chapel Hill apartment, sessions might focus on routines in a small shared space and getting out the door for school. For a family on a few acres outside Hillsborough, goals might include staying safe outdoors or handling long car rides. Either way, your child’s plan is written around your home and your days.

Morehead Planetarium on the UNC campus, the trails along the Eno River near Hillsborough, and Franklin Street on a game day all say Orange County. Quiet trails and dark planetarium shows suit some children, while game-day crowds challenge most. Your BCBA can help your child prepare for whichever ones your family loves.

Live elsewhere in Orange County, NC? Call (984) 224-0007 with your address and we’ll tell you whether we can come to you.

Medicaid and insurance in Orange 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 Orange 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.

In Orange County, the Medicaid Tailored Plan is managed by Alliance Health, the same organization that covers Wake, Durham and Johnston counties. We accept Alliance, the NC Medicaid Standard Plans, and the commercial plans below.

University and hospital employers in the area offer a range of health plans. Whatever your coverage, we’ll check it for you before therapy begins.

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

How to begin in Orange County

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.

Who you’ll work with in Orange County

Families in Orange County are served by our Triangle team. Your child has a BCBA who leads their plan and an RBT who provides one-on-one sessions at home. You’ll see the BCBA often: for supervision visits, for parent coaching, and whenever it’s time to set new goals.

We are a neurodiversity-affirming practice. We respect how your child communicates and moves through the world, we don’t force eye contact or stop harmless stimming, and we focus on goals your family chooses.

Two school districts, one team

Orange County has two public school districts: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Orange County Schools, which serves Hillsborough and the rest of the county. Whichever your child attends, when school-based support is approved we coordinate with their teachers and IEP team.

The county is also home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the UNC TEACCH Autism Program. Many families begin with their pediatrician or a developmental evaluation. Coverage for ABA nearly always depends on a formal autism diagnosis. When a clinician has recommended ABA, their team can send us the referral by email to info@empireaba.com or fax to (910) 807-3380, and we’ll contact your family.

Medicaid Tailored Plan

Alliance Health

Public schools

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Orange County Schools

Main health system

UNC Health and Duke Health

Questions from Orange County families