At-Home ABA Therapy In Georgia
ABA therapy where it actually needs to happen: in your home, around your child's real day. Where the morning routines, the meltdowns, and the small wins all happen, not in a clinic room across town.
Mastermind brings BCBA-led, in-home care to families with children on the autism spectrum across Georgia. Savannah to Warner Robins to the rural counties in between.
We Accept Most Insurances
How In-Home ABA Works in Georgia
Georgia is geographically big and demographically split. Atlanta and its near-suburbs operate like a major metro. Drive 90 minutes in any direction and the landscape changes — fewer providers, longer drives to a pediatric specialist, county seats serving as the only real service hub for a 50-mile radius.
Our Mastermind Behavior in-home ABA therapy model is built for exactly that. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst completes the assessment in your home, watches what happens in actual settings (the carpool drop-off meltdown, the iPad transition, the way bedtime falls apart), and a Behavior Technician runs direct sessions in your house — usually 10 to 30 hours a week, with weekly BCBA supervision and parent training built in.
Quick coverage check
Which best describes your situation?
Insurance and Coverage in Georgia
Quick answer
Most GA families are covered. Medicaid covers 25–40 hrs/week with no dollar cap. Private plans covered through age 20 (federal parity may waive caps). We verify your specific plan completely free.
| Coverage element | Georgia detail |
| State mandate | Ava's Law (HB 429, effective July 1, 2015), amended by SB 118 (signed 2018, effective January 1, 2019) — codified at O.C.G.A. § 33-24-59.10 |
| Coverage | Diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy, plus speech, OT, PT, and counseling for autism spectrum disorder |
| Annual dollar cap | $35,000/year for ABA services (Federal MHPAEA parity may make this unenforceable on plans subject to parity — verify per plan) |
| Age limit | Coverage mandated through age 20 (i.e., individuals 20 and under) |
| Plans covered | Individual grandfathered plans; fully insured large group plans; fully insured small group grandfathered plans |
| Plans not covered | Self-funded employer plans (federal MHPAEA parity may apply if the plan covers mental health); individual non-grandfathered and small group non-grandfathered plans |
| Medicaid | GA Medicaid (DCH) covers ABA for individuals under 21 since January 1, 2018, via EPSDT. Up to 40 hours/week for under-6, 25 hours/week for ages 6–20. Requires DSM-5 ASD diagnosis from a licensed professional and prior authorization through the assigned Care Management Organization. |
| Medicaid CMOs | Peach State Health Plan, CareSource, Amerigroup (Anthem), WellCare |
| BCBA licensure | Georgia Behavior Analyst Licensing Board operational; behavior analysts are required to be state-licensed. Our BCBAs serving GA families hold both BACB certification and a current GA license. |
| Major private insurers covering ABA | Anthem BCBS GA, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Ambetter |
| Other programs | Katie Beckett Medicaid Waiver, Family Support Services, Georgia TEFRA — alternative pathways for children with disabilities whose family income exceeds standard Medicaid limits |
What this means for your specific plan
Private (fully insured) plan in Georgia — Ava's Law applies; ABA covered up to age 20 with a $35,000 annual cap. Federal MHPAEA parity may render that cap unenforceable depending on plan structure. We verify exact coverage during the free benefits check.
Self-funded employer plan — Ava's Law doesn't apply, but federal Mental Health Parity does. If the plan covers mental health, ABA is generally covered on parity terms. Many large GA self-funded plans cover ABA; check the SPD or HR.
Georgia Medicaid — comprehensive coverage through your CMO. Up to 40 hrs/week under age 6, up to 25 hrs/week ages 6–20. DSM-5 diagnosis and prior auth required, but no $35K cap. For most GA families, Medicaid is the broader benefit.
Income over Medicaid limits — look at the Katie Beckett Waiver, TEFRA, and Family Support Services. Pathways designed for children with significant disabilities whose family income exceeds standard Medicaid eligibility. We'll talk you through it on the consultation call.
What to Expect — The Clinical Model
The path from your first call to a BT in your living room runs five steps:
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1Free consultation.
A 20-minute call where we listen to what's going on, walk through your coverage options, and tell you honestly whether ABA is the right fit.
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2BCBA assessment.
The BCBA runs standardized assessments — typically the Vineland alongside a skill-based assessment like the VB-MAPP or AFLS — to determine your child's current skill level and overall level of functioning. Done in your home, in real settings, not in a clinic with toys we brought in.
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3Individualized treatment plan.
The BCBA pulls together the standardized assessments, parent interview, and direct observation to build a plan with specific goals — skill acquisition and, where applicable, behavior reduction — to work toward over the next six months. At the six-month mark we reassess and continue.
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4In-home sessions.
A Behavior Technician runs sessions in your house, usually 10 to 30 hours a week. The BCBA supervises directly, reviews data, and adjusts the plan as your child progresses.
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5Parent training.
Built in from the start. The point isn't to make ABA happen for one hour a day — it's to give you the tools so the techniques keep going during the carpool, at Publix, at grandma's on Sunday.
A few details specific to GA practice:
- Georgia Medicaid requires a documented DSM-5 ASD diagnosis from a licensed physician, psychologist, or designated qualified professional before ABA can begin. Wait times for developmental peds in GA can run six to nine months — we'll talk you through diagnostic resources on the consultation call.
- CMO prior authorization is its own multi-step process. Initial authorization typically covers the assessment and a discrete number of treatment hours; reauthorization happens every six months based on data and progress.
- Behavior Analyst licensure is required to practice ABA in Georgia. Verifying that your provider's BCBAs are state-licensed is a meaningful question to ask, and the answer should be yes.
Early Intervention Contacts by County
Quick answer
For a child under three, Georgia's early intervention program is Babies Can't Wait, and the door into it is Children 1st, the public health single point of entry for children up to five. Referrals go to the Children 1st office for your health district, which sets up a free developmental screening. The statewide referral line, 1-800-229-2038 (Parent to Parent of Georgia), reaches the program from anywhere in the state.
Georgia runs public health through 18 districts rather than county by county, so the contact for your family depends on which district your county belongs to. Babies Can't Wait serves children from birth to three with developmental delays or qualifying diagnoses, regardless of income. Evaluation and service coordination are free; some services use a sliding fee scale. At age three, responsibility moves to the local school system.
| County | Who to call | Phone |
| Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Paulding, Polk, Walker | Northwest Health District, Babies Can't Wait Northwest (Rome) health district | 706-802-5072 |
| Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, White | North Health District, Babies Can't Wait North (Gainesville) health district | 1-800-204-8731 alt 770-535-6907 |
| Cobb, Douglas | Cobb & Douglas Public Health, Children 1st Cobb-Douglas health district | 770-514-2759 |
| Fulton | Fulton County Board of Health, Children 1st Fulton health district | 404-612-8770 |
| Clayton | Clayton County Health District, Children 1st Clayton health district | 678-610-7259 |
| Gwinnett, Newton, Rockdale | Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale Health, Children 1st East Metro / GNR (Lawrenceville) health district | 770-339-5048 |
| Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Fayette, Heard, Henry, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup, Upson | District 4 Public Health, Children 1st District 4 (LaGrange) health district | 706-298-7760 |
| Bleckley, Dodge, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Pulaski, Telfair, Treutlen, Wheeler, Wilcox | South Central Health District, Children 1st South Central (Dublin) health district | 478-274-7717 |
| Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Hancock, Houston, Jasper, Jones, Monroe, Peach, Putnam, Twiggs, Washington, Wilkinson | North Central Health District, Children 1st North Central (Macon) health district | 478-751-6359 alt 478-751-6303 |
| Burke, Columbia, Emanuel, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro, Warren, Wilkes | East Central Health District, Children 1st East Central (Augusta) health district | 706-667-4757 |
| Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Webster | West Central Health District, Babies Can't Wait West Central (Columbus) health district | 706-327-0189 alt 706-307-6365 |
| Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Tift, Turner | South Health District, Babies Can't Wait South (Valdosta) health district | 229-245-6565 alt 229-293-6286 |
| Baker, Calhoun, Colquitt, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas, Worth | Southwest Health District, Children 1st Southwest (Albany) health district | 229-299-4447 |
| Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh | Coastal Health District, Babies Can't Wait Coastal (Savannah) health district | 912-644-5806 alt 912-644-5804 |
| Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Bulloch, Candler, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Evans, Jeff Davis, Pierce, Tattnall, Toombs, Ware, Wayne | Southeast Health District, Babies Can't Wait Southeast (Waycross) health district | 1-800-429-6307 alt 912-287-4843 |
| Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Walton | Northeast Health District, Children 1st Northeast (Athens) health district | 706-227-7191 |
Verified September 2026. Offices move and numbers change; if a line does not connect, use the statewide referral line above. District boundaries from the Georgia Department of Public Health. Program description from DPH, Babies Can't Wait.
Areas We Serve in Georgia
Active service corridors in Savannah / Coastal Georgia and Macon / Warner Robins, with in-home delivery to families across the rest of the state. Tap any town below to see what in-home ABA looks like locally.
ABA services in Georgia
All four are delivered in your home by a BCBA-led team, anywhere we serve in Georgia.
You're not just choosing a therapy provider. You're choosing a partner.
We walk alongside families, not ahead of them. If you're ready to explore what in-home ABA could look like for your family, let's talk.
