Early Intervention ABA Therapy in Arvada, Colorado for Toddlers With Autism
Budding Futures ABA provides early intervention ABA therapy for toddlers and preschoolers in Arvada, starting at 18 months, in your own home. A behavior analyst writes the plan, a trained therapist runs play-based therapy sessions on your floor, and you learn the same strategies between visits.
We accept Health First Colorado (Medicaid), Aetna, Cigna, Anthem BCBS, UnitedHealthcare, Kaiser, TRICARE and most major insurance plans.
There is no waitlist right now, and a licensed behavior analyst writes and reviews every treatment plan.
Two things are called early intervention in Arvada: the state program and ABA services
When a pediatrician here says early intervention, they usually mean Early Intervention Colorado, the free state program for infants and toddlers under 3 with developmental delays, run by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood. When an ABA provider says it, they mean play-based behavioral intervention for young children, paid through Health First Colorado or your insurance. Many families in Jefferson County, with the east edge of the city in Adams County use both, and they don't cancel each other out.
| Early Intervention Colorado (state program) | Early ABA with Budding Futures | |
|---|---|---|
| Ages | Birth to 3 | 18 months to 5, and older children too |
| What it is | Developmental services on an Individual Family Service Plan, often speech, occupational and physical therapy and developmental intervention | Play-based ABA on a treatment plan a Board Certified Behavior Analyst writes from VB-MAPP and ABLLS-R baselines |
| Who runs it in Arvada | Developmental Disabilities Resource Center (DDRC), for the Jefferson County side of Arvada | Rachel Blackburn, BCBA, and the Budding Futures in-home team |
| Cost to you | Free to families | Usually $0 with Health First Colorado; commercial plans vary by deductible |
| How to start | A referral to Early Intervention Colorado; a parent can make one | Call us, we verify benefits, then an assessment at home |
Developmental Disabilities Resource Center (DDRC) (303-233-3363) runs the state program for the Jefferson County side of Arvada. Rocky Mountain Human Services (303-247-8423) runs the state program for the Adams County side of Arvada. Anyone can make the referral, including a parent, through the Early Intervention Colorado online form or by calling the agency directly. The state program is free, with no income limit. Because the city straddles Jefferson and Adams counties, two families on the same street can be assigned two different agencies. We ask for your county on the first call so nobody gets sent to the wrong door.
Arvada spans two counties. Most of the city is Jefferson County and routes to DDRC in Lakewood. The eastern strip in Adams County routes to Rocky Mountain Human Services instead, so check your county before you call.
Early ABA is a separate door. You call us, we verify your benefits, and a behavior analyst meets your child in your own living room. If the state program is also a fit, we help you get that referral in the same week. One more thing parents here ask about: the 2025 cuts. In February 2025 the state announced that therapy through the program would drop to four hours a month, then paused the cut the next day before it took effect. The Colorado Department of Early Childhood's December 2025 report to the legislature lists no per-child hour cap (CDEC, Dec 2025). Ask your coordinator what your child's plan includes now.
What ABA therapy for children with autism looks like at home in Arvada
For a toddler who doesn't yet point or look where you look, the first goals are small: sharing attention on a bubble, copying a clap, handing you a cup to ask for more. The therapist builds those into games on your living room floor, and each one is a real developmental step, not a trick.
Requests come next, then waiting, then playing next to a sibling. By the time preschool is on the calendar, the plan has usually moved on to circle-time skills like sitting for a story and following a two-step direction.
Applied behavior analysis at this age is evidence-based and tailored to your child's specific needs. Highly trained registered behavior technicians (RBTs) run the sessions, behavior analysts write and adjust the treatment plans, and the goals cover communication, social skills, daily living skills and the challenging behaviors that make a morning hard.
Every plan starts with VB-MAPP and ABLLS-R baselines that Rachel Blackburn, BCBA, or another clinician on our team takes in your home, and every plan writes caregiver coaching in from day one, because the teaching has to keep going after the therapist's car pulls away. See how in-home ABA therapy works across Colorado.
- Toilet training, when your child shows they're ready and not before
- Preschool and daycare readiness: waiting, sitting for a story, following a teacher's two-step direction
- Asking for things with words, signs or pictures, instead of crying or pulling you to the fridge
- Joint attention and early social interaction: looking where you point, showing you a toy, sharing a moment
- Imitation and pretend play, the two skills most later learning is built on
- Daily living skills and simple routines: shoes on, sit for snack, clean up, bath, bed
How many therapy hours does a toddler need?
There is no fixed number. Your behavior analyst recommends hours from the assessment and from your family's week, not from a company minimum, and a two year old's ABA program is usually lighter than a school-age child's. In a study of 1,468 children receiving ABA across eight states, including Colorado, the average course ran about 14 months, and how long a child stayed in therapy mattered more than how many hours were stacked into each week (Linstead et al., 2017). We explain what the hours are for and how they help your child before anything starts.
the youngest age we start therapy, right after the AAP's 18 month autism screen
of the hours in an evidence-based ABA plan go to parent and caregiver coaching
average length of an ABA course across 1,468 children (Linstead et al., 2017)
Why Arvada families choose our early intervention services
- Play-based, not forced: Naturalistic teaching that follows your child's lead. Communication comes before compliance, and we leave harmless stimming alone.
- Closer clinical oversight: Our BCBAs supervise about 20% of direct therapy hours, four times the BACB minimum, with weekly data review.
- No waitlist: There is no assessment waitlist right now. Most families here finish intake and start therapy at home within a few weeks.
- Colorado Medicaid enrolled: Enrolled with Health First Colorado under Provider Types 83 and 84. We file the prior authorization and never balance-bill families.
- Screened and licensed: Every behavior analyst holds Colorado licensure through DORA, and every team member clears enhanced background checks and fingerprinting before a first visit.
Every child is supposed to be screened for autism at the 18 and 24 month well-child visits, on the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation (AAP, 2025). A lot of our families call the week after that screen, and we would rather meet a toddler early than tell a parent to wait. Whether your child has a formal autism diagnosis or a pediatrician's concern and a developmental delay, we work with children where they are and individualize the plan as they grow. Some compare us with a center-based ABA therapy center first; we come to you, and if a center is the better fit for your child we will say so. See our credentials and clinical standards for the rest of the oversight model.
Cost, Medicaid and insurance plans for early ABA in Jefferson County
Health First Colorado and most commercial insurance plans cover ABA therapy for a child with autism when it is medically necessary. Most families here on the state plan pay $0.
Families here on Health First Colorado are served by Colorado Community Health Alliance (CCHA), the Region 3 Regional Accountable Entity under the state's July 2025 contracts, and we work inside that system every week.
Commercial plans usually land somewhere between $0 and $500 out of pocket, depending on your deductible. Private pay runs about $120 to $150 per hour. See the full Colorado cost breakdown.
Budding Futures is enrolled with Health First Colorado under Provider Types 83 and 84, and also works with the plans below.
Not sure your plan covers ABA for a toddler? We verify your exact benefits for free before the first session, and we never balance-bill. Read our Colorado Medicaid ABA guide for the authorization steps.
What changes at 3: Child Find, preschool and your routine
At 3, the state program ends and the school district picks up. Jeffco Public Schools' Child Find office is physically in Arvada, at 6500 Oak Street (303-982-7247), and it evaluates children 3 to 5 at no cost. If your child qualifies, the district offers preschool special education under an IEP, often a few half-days a week with a teacher trained for it.
A birthday detail that catches families out: when a child turns 3 between May 1 and the first day of the next school year, Colorado's Extended Part C option can carry the state services through to the start of school, provided the child also qualifies for preschool special education.
In-home ABA does not stop at 3. We keep working on the goals the preschool day doesn't cover, and with your permission we talk to the preschool team so home goals and classroom goals point the same way. Read about preschool autism therapy in Colorado and school-based ABA across Colorado.
Still need an autism evaluation? Our Arvada evaluation guide lists the local practices that diagnose autism spectrum disorder, with ages, payment and published waits. With Health First Colorado, behavioral therapy can start on medical necessity while you wait for a formal diagnosis.
Early ABA in and around Arvada
Our therapists drive to homes across Arvada. A few of the neighborhoods already on our schedule:
We also serve toddlers in Westminster, Lakewood and Broomfield, plus Wheat Ridge, Golden and Leyden, and families across Colorado. Don't see your neighborhood? Call, there is a good chance we are already out there.
Frequently asked questions about early intervention ABA in Arvada
Is early intervention the same as ABA?
Is my 2 year old too young for ABA?
Does Health First Colorado cover ABA for toddlers in Jefferson County?
Can parents join the sessions?
Can we do Early Intervention Colorado and ABA at the same time?
How fast can we start therapy in Arvada?
More ways we help children with autism in Arvada
Start with the page that matches your question. Each one is written for Colorado families and links back to the same clinician-led care model.
Early intervention ABA across Colorado
The statewide guide: how the program works, who it is for, and every city we serve.
ABA therapy in Arvada
Our full Arvada page: in-home and school-based autism services for children from 18 months to 18.
ABA therapy for toddlers
What the toddler years of ABA look like, goal by goal, with activities you can try at home.
Speech delay and communication
First words, asking for help, and how ABA and speech therapy work side by side.
Also useful: preschool autism therapy, potty training help and what good parent training covers.
Start early intervention ABA in Arvada
1. Call (720) 613-8837 or send the short form.
2. We verify your Medicaid or insurance benefits, free.
3. A behavior analyst assesses your toddler at home, and play-based sessions begin.
Every month matters at this age. We come to you, most families begin ABA therapy within a few weeks, and there is no waitlist right now.