In-home ABA therapy throughout Pender County

A coastal county and a rural county in one

Pender County is really two places. Along US 17, Hampstead and Surf City feel like coastal suburbs, with many parents commuting into Wilmington. West of the interstate, around Burgaw, Rocky Point and Maple Hill, it’s farmland, pine woods and long stretches between towns. Neither half has many options for autism therapy close by, which is why our therapists travel to families instead of the other way around.

Care begins with a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) coming to your house. The BCBA gets to know your child in a familiar setting, asks about the hardest parts of your day, and turns what they learn into a written plan. Goals are concrete: using words or pictures to ask for a drink, sitting through a haircut, tolerating a new food, walking safely to the car.

A Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) carries out that plan with your child one on one. Most of the teaching looks like play, and it happens around the routines your family already has. The BCBA visits to supervise, reviews progress data, and raises the bar as skills click.

You learn alongside your child. Regular parent training sessions with the BCBA show you how to prompt, reinforce and keep things calm, so you’re ready for the stretches between visits. Expect a weekly schedule in the 10-to-25-hour range, with the exact number set by your child’s needs and insurance approval.

Summer can change everything near the beach. Traffic on the island picks up, kids are out of school, and visiting relatives fill the house. Because sessions are scheduled with you, the plan can shift for the season: more morning sessions in July, after-school sessions again in the fall.

Pender County communities we visit

Our Wilmington team provides in-home ABA therapy in:

• Hampstead
• Burgaw
• Rocky Point
• Surf City
• Maple Hill

Burgaw is the county seat, with its historic square and courthouse. Rocky Point sits just off I-40 between Burgaw and Wilmington. Maple Hill, in the far northeastern corner near the Onslow line, is about as rural as the county gets. Over on the coast, Hampstead stretches along the sound, and Surf City straddles the bridge onto Topsail Island. Driving from one end of Pender to the other can take most of an hour, so a clinic-based schedule tends to fall apart fast. At-home sessions put the travel on our team.

Pender has its own landmarks. There’s the bridge over to Topsail Island at Surf City, the courthouse square in Burgaw, and Moores Creek National Battlefield out near Currie, where school groups and families walk the trails. A trip to any of them can become a goal: getting in and out of the car calmly, walking alongside a parent, or staying regulated somewhere new.

Somewhere in between? Call (910) 773-1234 with your address and we’ll confirm whether we can come to you.

Trillium and insurance coverage in Pender 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 Pender 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.

Pender County’s Medicaid Tailored Plan is managed by Trillium Health Resources, which also covers New Hanover, Brunswick, Duplin and Onslow counties. We accept Trillium, the NC Medicaid Standard Plans and commercial insurance.

Many coastal Pender families have employer coverage through jobs in Wilmington. Whatever card is in your wallet, our office will check what it covers for ABA before your child’s first session.

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 Pender 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.

Your Pender County care team

Families in Pender County are cared for by our Wilmington team. Every child has a dedicated BCBA, responsible for the plan, supervision and your parent training, and a dedicated RBT who provides sessions at home. Behind the scenes, our office team takes care of scheduling and authorizations.

Our ABA is neurodiversity-affirming. Eye contact is never forced, harmless stimming is left alone, and we build the skills your family says matter most.

Pender County Schools and local referrals

Pender County Schools serves both the coastal and inland parts of the county. Once school-based support is approved, we coordinate with your child’s teachers and IEP team so home and classroom goals reinforce each other. Home sessions can fit around early bus pickups and after-school hours.

To cover ABA, most insurance plans need an autism diagnosis first. Your pediatrician, whether in Pender County or in Wilmington, can refer your child to us once ABA has been recommended. Doctors and care managers can send referrals to info@empireaba.com or fax them to (910) 807-3380. Waiting on an evaluation? Reach out anyway, and we’ll help you get ready.

Medicaid Tailored Plan

Trillium Health Resources

Public schools

Pender County Schools

Main health system

Novant Health Pender Medical Center

Questions from Pender County families