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Littleton provider comparison, facts checked September 14, 2026

How Budding Futures compares with eight other ABA providers in Littleton

Littleton has several ABA centers of its own, and families here also weigh options in Centennial and Highlands Ranch. This page puts Budding Futures next to eight other ABA providers that serve Littleton families, one question at a time: where therapy happens, which ages each one takes, Health First Colorado, parent training and availability. If you already know you want therapy at home, our page on in-home ABA therapy in Littleton covers how it works there.

Budding Futures ABA publishes this comparison. We list ourselves first because we can describe our own program in the most detail. The order is not a ranking, and every fact about another provider comes from that provider's own website or the state Medicaid list.

A young child playing with a bead abacus and toys
15 providers

on Health First Colorado's behavioral therapy list name Littleton in their service area. This page compares the ones parents are most likely to call.

The comparison at a glance

Each row is one provider and each column is one thing parents compare. Budding Futures is the first row because we publish this page. Tap a name to jump to its full write-up, or read the sections below for one question at a time.

"Not stated" means the provider's website did not say, not that the answer is no. "On the state list" means the provider appears on Health First Colorado's Pediatric Behavioral Therapies provider list. Checked September 14, 2026.
ProviderSettingAgesUnder 3Parent trainingHealth First ColoradoAvailabilityFits families who
1. Budding Futures ABA
Publisher of this guide
In-homeSchool
18 months to 18 years
From 18 months
Built into every plan, 10 to 20% of hours
On the state list
Says no waitlist
want therapy at home, starting as young as 18 months
2. Action Behavior Centers
Center
18 months to 8 years
From 18 months
BCBA family sessions twice a month
On the state list
Says no waitlist
want a center for a child 18 months to 8
3. Behavioral Innovations
CenterTelehealth
18 months to 10 years
From 18 months
Built into every plan
On the state list
Not stated
want a center that can diagnose and treat a child 18 months to 10
4. Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)
In-homeCenterSchoolDaycare or community
From 18 months
From 18 months
Online Skills for Parents program
On the state list
Says no waitlist
want a national provider with center, home and school options
5. Success On The Spectrum
In-homeCenterSchoolDaycare or community
Up to 18 years
Yes
Required weekly BCBA meetings
Not stated
Not stated
want to watch sessions live from a parent viewing room
6. Willow ABA Services
CenterTelehealth
From 2 years
Yes
A telehealth caregiver program
On the state list
Not stated
want clinic ABA plus a video caregiver program
7. Key Autism Services
In-homeCenterSchoolDaycare or communityTelehealth
From 6 months
From 6 months
Weekly parent and caregiver training
On the state list
Not stated
want in-home ABA that can start in the first year of life
8. BlueSprig Autism
In-homeCenterSchoolDaycare or communityTelehealth
Birth to 18 years
Yes
Yes
Website says yes
Not stated
want an age-banded center program with a start in the first years
9. Soar Autism Center
Center
Not stated
Not stated
Not stated
Not stated
Not stated
want ABA, OT, speech and diagnostics under one roof

Home or center: where each provider works

Five of the nine providers here offer ABA in your home: Budding Futures ABA, Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), Success On The Spectrum, Key Autism Services and BlueSprig Autism. Eight run a center: Action Behavior Centers, Behavioral Innovations, Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), Success On The Spectrum, Willow ABA Services, Key Autism Services, BlueSprig Autism and Soar Autism Center. Several do both, so ask which setting has openings for your child's age.

Budding Futures ABA does not run a center at all. With that provider, sessions happen at home and, depending on the provider, in daycare, the community or at school. Budding Futures works in homes across Colorado and inside schools when the district allows it.

Which setting fits your child

If this sounds like your childLook atWhy
Most struggles happen at home: meals, sleep, potty training, getting dressedIn-homeThe therapist works on the routine in the place it happens.
Your child is 18 months to 3 and not in daycareIn-home or a toddler centerBoth work. Home keeps a young child in a familiar place; a center adds other kids.
You want peer play and a classroom-style dayCenter-basedCenters can run groups and practice-classroom programs a home cannot.
You need several hours of care away from home while you workCenter-basedA center schedule doubles as structured time out of the house.
A new adult at home is likely to upset your childCenter-based to startHome is some children's one safe space. Starting elsewhere can be gentler.
Your child is in preschool or school and struggles thereA provider that works with schoolsAsk whether they can support your child at school where the district allows it.

"I could see different kids having different experiences with in home vs center."

a parent on r/Autism_Parenting, on Reddit

Ages each provider takes, and who starts under 3

Budding Futures ABA, Action Behavior Centers, Behavioral Innovations, Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), Success On The Spectrum, Willow ABA Services, Key Autism Services and BlueSprig Autism say they work with children under 3. Some centers stop at age 5, 8 or 10, so the upper age matters too if your child is already in school. Soar Autism Center does not publish an age range, so ask on the first call.

  • Budding Futures ABA: 18 months to 18 years
  • Action Behavior Centers: 18 months to 8 years
  • Behavioral Innovations: 18 months to 10 years
  • Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD): From 18 months
  • Success On The Spectrum: Up to 18 years
  • Willow ABA Services: From 2 years
  • Key Autism Services: From 6 months
  • BlueSprig Autism: Birth to 18 years
  • Soar Autism Center: Not stated

For a child under 3, Colorado's free Early Intervention program can run alongside ABA, and with your permission the two teams share goals. Here is how that works with Budding Futures: early intervention ABA in Littleton.

Health First Colorado and insurance, provider by provider

Budding Futures ABA, Action Behavior Centers, Behavioral Innovations, Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), Willow ABA Services and Key Autism Services appear on Health First Colorado's Pediatric Behavioral Therapies provider list. BlueSprig Autism says on its own website that it takes Health First Colorado. Success On The Spectrum and Soar Autism Center do not say either way.

If your child has Health First Colorado, the state's behavioral therapy benefit does not require an autism diagnosis when therapy is medically necessary. Littleton is in Arapahoe County, with edges in Jefferson and Douglas counties, where Medicaid is managed regionally by Colorado Access. With private insurance, ask each provider to check your exact plan before the first session, because the same carrier can cover ABA differently from one employer plan to the next.

Parent training: who builds it in

Eight of the nine providers describe parent training or parent involvement on their websites. The wording differs from site to site, so the list below uses each provider's own description.

  • Budding Futures ABA: Built into every plan, 10 to 20% of hours
  • Action Behavior Centers: BCBA family sessions twice a month
  • Behavioral Innovations: Built into every plan
  • Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD): Online Skills for Parents program
  • Success On The Spectrum: Required weekly BCBA meetings
  • Willow ABA Services: A telehealth caregiver program
  • Key Autism Services: Weekly parent and caregiver training
  • BlueSprig Autism: Yes
  • Soar Autism Center: Not stated

At Budding Futures, parent coaching takes 10 to 20% of therapy hours and is written into every plan, so the skills your child learns with the therapist keep working at dinner and bedtime.

Availability and waitlists as published

On their websites, Budding Futures ABA, Action Behavior Centers and Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) say there is no waitlist. The other six do not publish anything about availability.

Openings change month to month, so ask two questions on the first call: is there a wait for the assessment, and is a therapist free at the hours your child needs.

What the nine providers publish, counted

Take children under 38 of 9
Offer therapy in your home5 of 9
Offer therapy at a center8 of 9
Describe parent training on their site8 of 9
Publish anything about a waitlist3 of 9
Appear on the Health First Colorado provider list6 of 9

Counts include Budding Futures. "Publish anything about a waitlist" means the site says there is, or is not, a waitlist; three say there is none. Separately, 15 providers on the state's Pediatric Behavioral Therapies list name Littleton in their service area, and 17 more name only the county.

The providers, one by one

Each write-up covers setting, ages, parent involvement, insurance and availability, using only what the provider publishes. Budding Futures comes first because this is our site and we can describe our own program in the most detail. The rest follow in no particular order.

1Budding Futures ABA

Fits families who want therapy at home, starting as young as 18 months

Budding Futures brings ABA therapy to your home. There is no clinic to drive to. A registered behavior technician comes to your house, and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) plans and supervises the work. We work with families in homes across Littleton, Columbine and Ken Caryl.

What therapy looks like for a young child

Our youngest clients are 18 months old, and we stay with families through age 18. With toddlers, most of the work is play. A therapist might build first words around bubbles, a snack or a favorite song, because that is where a two-year-old is paying attention. Therapy is built on play and assent. Breaks are part of the plan, and punishment-based techniques are not.

Parent coaching and the same therapist

Parent coaching is part of every plan, usually 10 to 20% of the hours. You learn the same prompts and routines the therapist uses, so progress keeps going after the session ends. The same technician works with your child session after session.

Who runs your child's plan

Clinical oversight is closer than the minimum rules require. A BCBA supervises about 20% of therapy hours, four times the BACB floor, under our Clinical Director, Rachel Blackburn, BCBA. Assessments use VB-MAPP and ABLLS-R, and session data goes into CentralReach the same day.

School, insurance and start times

For school-age kids we also work with schools. We reach out, ask for access and share goals with teachers when you say yes. Some districts let an outside therapist in and some do not. More on how that works: school-based ABA in Littleton.

Budding Futures accepts Health First Colorado (Medicaid) as Provider Types 83 and 84, plus Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Anthem BCBS and TRICARE. We check your benefits for free before therapy starts. We do not balance-bill families, and most Health First Colorado families pay $0 out of pocket. We have no waitlist. Intake usually takes a couple of weeks, and therapy starts once the insurance approval is back.

Setting
In-home, School
Ages
18 months to 18 years
Under 3
Yes
Parent involvement
Built into every plan, 10 to 20% of hours
Health First Colorado
On the state provider list
Availability
Website says no waitlist
Location
Therapists come to homes across Littleton

2Action Behavior Centers

Fits families who want a center for a child 18 months to 8

Action Behavior Centers runs center-based ABA for children 18 months to 8 years old. Its site says in-home therapy is only offered in Texas, so in Colorado this is a center program. Each child's BCBA leads Family Guidance sessions twice a month, the company offers autism diagnostic evaluations, and its site says there is no waitlist. Its center closest to Littleton is at 5 W Dry Creek Circle, Littleton, CO 80120.

Worth a call if you want a structured center with other kids, your child is under 9, and you may also need a diagnosis.

From Action Behavior Centers's website (source 1, source 2, source 3), checked September 14, 2026.

Setting
Center
Ages
18 months to 8 years
Under 3
Yes
Parent involvement
BCBA family sessions twice a month
Health First Colorado
On the state provider list
Availability
Website says no waitlist
Nearest location
5 W Dry Creek Circle, Littleton, CO 80120

3Behavioral Innovations

Fits families who want a center that can diagnose and treat a child 18 months to 10

Behavioral Innovations runs one-to-one, center-based ABA for children 18 months to 10 years, with parent training as a standard part of the program. It offers diagnostic evaluations, accepts Medicaid and has Spanish-speaking staff. An intake advocate checks insurance the same day you reach out. Its center closest to Littleton is at 8151 Southpark Lane, Suite 100, Littleton, CO 80120.

Worth a call if you want testing and therapy from one provider and a quick insurance answer.

From Behavioral Innovations's website (source 1, source 2, source 3), checked September 14, 2026.

Setting
Center, Telehealth
Ages
18 months to 10 years
Under 3
Yes
Parent involvement
Built into every plan
Health First Colorado
On the state provider list
Availability
Not published
Nearest location
8151 Southpark Lane, Suite 100, Littleton, CO 80120
A therapist giving a child a high five at a play table

5Success On The Spectrum

Fits families who want to watch sessions live from a parent viewing room

Success On The Spectrum offers ABA at its centers, at home and at school, up to age 18. Parents can watch sessions live from a viewing room, and weekly parent training with a BCBA is required. It also offers diagnostic services. Its center closest to Littleton is at 8601 W Cross Drive, Littleton, Colorado 80123.

Worth a call if seeing every session matters to you and you can commit to a weekly meeting.

From Success On The Spectrum's website (source 1, source 2, source 3), checked September 14, 2026.

Setting
In-home, Center, School, Daycare or community
Ages
Up to 18 years
Under 3
Yes
Parent involvement
Required weekly BCBA meetings
Health First Colorado
Not stated
Availability
Not published
Nearest location
8601 W Cross Drive, Littleton, Colorado 80123

6Willow ABA Services

Fits families who want clinic ABA plus a video caregiver program

Willow ABA Services runs one-to-one clinic ABA from age 2, with a Littleton location. It offers a telehealth Caregiver Support Program that meets once or twice a week, including for families who are waiting to start. Its center closest to Littleton is at 8000 S Lincoln St. STE 10, Littleton, CO 80122.

Worth a call if you want caregiver support by video while you wait or between visits.

From Willow ABA Services's website (source 1, source 2, source 3), checked September 14, 2026.

Setting
Center, Telehealth
Ages
From 2 years
Under 3
Yes
Parent involvement
A telehealth caregiver program
Health First Colorado
On the state provider list
Availability
Not published
Nearest location
8000 S Lincoln St. STE 10, Littleton, CO 80122

7Key Autism Services

Fits families who want in-home ABA that can start in the first year of life

Key Autism Services works with children from 6 months old, at home and at its Centennial center, which has 14 therapy rooms, a sensory gym and a mock classroom. Parents get weekly training sessions. It accepts Medicaid and major commercial plans.

Worth a call if your child is very young and you want in-home therapy with a center option in the metro.

From Key Autism Services's website (source 1, source 2, source 3), checked September 14, 2026.

Setting
In-home, Center, School, Daycare or community, Telehealth
Ages
From 6 months
Under 3
Yes
Parent involvement
Weekly parent and caregiver training
Health First Colorado
On the state provider list
Availability
Not published

8BlueSprig Autism

Fits families who want an age-banded center program with a start in the first years

BlueSprig runs six Denver-area centers and offers center, in-home and school services. Its programs are grouped by age, starting with Sprouts for the youngest children and running through Trailblazers at 18. It accepts Medicaid, TRICARE, Kaiser and other major plans, and asks families to come with an existing autism diagnosis.

Worth a call if your child already has a diagnosis and you want a center program that grows with them.

From BlueSprig Autism's website (source 1), checked September 14, 2026.

Setting
In-home, Center, School, Daycare or community, Telehealth
Ages
Birth to 18 years
Under 3
Yes
Parent involvement
Yes
Health First Colorado
Website says it accepts Medicaid
Availability
Not published

9Soar Autism Center

Fits families who want ABA, OT, speech and diagnostics under one roof

Soar Autism Center offers ABA, occupational therapy, speech therapy, diagnostics and medical services at each center. Its ABA is based on the Early Start Denver Model, a play-based approach, and its clinicians pursue ESDM certification. Its center closest to Littleton is at 7110 W Jefferson Ave, Suite 150, Lakewood, CO 80235.

Worth a call if your child needs a diagnosis or several therapies and you want one center to handle it.

From Soar Autism Center's website (source 1, source 2, source 3), checked September 14, 2026.

Setting
Center
Ages
Not stated
Under 3
Not stated
Parent involvement
Not stated
Health First Colorado
Not stated
Availability
Not published
Nearest location
7110 W Jefferson Ave, Suite 150, Lakewood, CO 80235

What Budding Futures does differently for Littleton families

  • Therapy comes to you. Budding Futures does not run a center. Sessions happen in your home and, when the district allows it, inside your child's school.
  • From 18 months to 18 years. A toddler can start with us, and the same team can stay with your child through the school years.
  • Parents are coached, not just updated. Ten to 20% of therapy hours go to parent coaching, written into the plan.
  • One therapist your child knows. We keep the same technician with your child, so sessions do not restart with a stranger.
  • A named BCBA on every plan. Rachel Blackburn, BCBA, is our Clinical Director, and about 20% of hours are supervised by a BCBA when clinically appropriate.
  • No current waitlist. We do not have a waitlist for the assessment right now, and most Health First Colorado families pay $0.

If you want a center with other kids and a classroom-style day, Action Behavior Centers, Behavioral Innovations, Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), Success On The Spectrum, Willow ABA Services, Key Autism Services, BlueSprig Autism and Soar Autism Center are the providers on this list that run one.

Questions about comparing ABA providers in Littleton

Which providers on this Littleton list take Health First Colorado?
Budding Futures ABA, Action Behavior Centers, Behavioral Innovations, Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), Willow ABA Services and Key Autism Services appear on Health First Colorado's Pediatric Behavioral Therapies provider list. BlueSprig Autism says on its own website that it takes Health First Colorado. Coverage details change, so ask each provider to confirm your child's plan before the first session.
Is Budding Futures the only provider here without a center?
Yes. Budding Futures is the only provider on this list that does not run a center. Sessions happen at home, and inside a school when the district allows it. Every other provider here runs at least one center.
How do the providers compare on parent training?
Eight of the nine providers describe parent training or parent involvement on their websites, in their own words. At Budding Futures, parent coaching takes 10 to 20% of therapy hours and is part of every plan. Ask each provider how many hours a month go to parents.
Can we switch ABA providers after we start?
Yes. Coverage belongs to your child, not to the provider. A new provider usually runs its own assessment and asks your plan for its own authorization, so ask how long that takes before you end services with the old one.

How we built this comparison

We started with Health First Colorado's Pediatric Behavioral Therapies provider list and the providers Littleton parents are most likely to find and call. We kept providers with a location in or near Littleton, or a service page naming it, and read each one's website on September 14, 2026. Every fact about another provider matches text on its own site. If a site did not say something, the table says "Not stated." Providers change hours, ages and insurance often, so confirm details when you call.

  1. Action Behavior Centers: website
  2. Behavioral Innovations: website
  3. Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD): website
  4. Success On The Spectrum: website
  5. Willow ABA Services: website
  6. Key Autism Services: website
  7. BlueSprig Autism: website
  8. Soar Autism Center: website
  9. Health First Colorado: Pediatric Behavioral Therapies provider list and benefit page

Talk to a BCBA about your child in Littleton

Tell us your child's age and what you are seeing at home. We will check your insurance for free and tell you honestly whether in-home ABA is the right fit, even if another provider on this list suits you better.

Or call (720) 613-8837

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