Starting ABA Therapy

Getting started with HL can be a simple process! Contact our Family Services Coordinator to get a better understanding of how HL can help you and your family see progress through intervention.

Once everyone agrees we are a good fit, you will work with the Family Services Coordinator to ensure we receive all the proper documentation needed that we are required to submit to your insurance carrier or other third-party funders for starting ABA therapy. While not all funders require the following, here is a list of documents we may need from you:

• Official diagnostic evaluation from a qualified health professional
• Prescription for services
• Completed HL new student forms
• Copy of the front and back of your insurance card(s)

Insurance Steps Handled by HL
HL does all the heavy lifting for insurance-funded services!

• We’ll verify the coverage and eligibility for services and provide you with this information, answering any questions you have along the way.
• We’ll obtain authorization(s) needed for starting and continuing services once all parties are ready to begin.
• We’ll handle claim submissions and set you up on our Parent Portal so you can see the process along with us!

For insurance-funded services, the initial intake evaluation is typically a 4 to 5-week process from the day HL requests authorization from your insurer to begin the intake to the day your insurer approves ongoing services with HL. During that process, a Clinical Supervisor will schedule 1-2 intake visits with you and your child at the location where services will be delivered.

Your Clinical Supervisor will meet with the client and any family members involved in their day-to-day care and task completion. During the intake process, the Clinical Supervisor reviews relevant records, conducts interviews, observes, and assesses the client to understand any and all concerns regarding behavior management, communication, and social skills. All gathered information is used to develop an individualized treatment plan and goals and objectives specifically designed to meet the needs of your child. Every client has different needs, and your Clinical Supervisor will recommend a custom plan on how to proceed with ongoing therapy and ultimately get from A to Z.

When all of the following have been confirmed, you will be contacted with a start date to begin programming: 

1. Securing ongoing authorization from the insurance carrier or school district.
2. Assignment of “best-fit” staff.

HL strives to find a “best-fit” team for each client to ensure success. In providing a team for your program, availability and geography are not the only determining factors of a good fit for your child and family. At HL, we try to take care to match our staff and clients on many dimensions, including relevant experience, personality, activity level, and interests.

Your clinical team will follow out the agreed-upon treatment plan through direct intervention from a trained and skilled clinician. The clinical team will ensure protocols are occurring, intervention standards are being met, and most importantly, progress is being made. All services will be maintained through daily session notes, daily data collection and analysis, close monitoring of goal progress and mastery, and reassessment to always have the most up-to-date goals in place.

Each client has their own virtual “program book” that allows team members and caregivers to view all information at any time, in real-time. A program book contains the skill acquisition programs and targets for each goal, graphs, raw data, program-specific modifications and instructions, and progress notes. At HL, It is important that all team members, especially the caregivers, are on the same page.