How to choose an ABA provider in Houston

To choose an ABA provider in Houston, check four things before you sign intake papers: that a licensed behavior analyst runs your child’s care, that the provider takes your exact plan, that you will see the treatment plan and the data, and that parent training is built in. This guide lists the questions to ask on the first call and the red flags to watch for. We do not rank or recommend providers. The directory lists 34 profiles across 10 cities, and every one of them should get the same questions.

How do I check a provider’s license?

Use two free lookups.

1. TDLR license search. TDLR licenses behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts. Its Behavior Analysts page links to “Verify a License.” Search the name of the person who will supervise your child, not the company name.
2. BACB Certificant Registry. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board runs a public registry, updated daily, where you can check a person’s certification. A Texas license requires certification from the BACB or the Qualified Applied Behavior Analysis Credentialing Board (QABA), according to TDLR’s application instructions.

If you have Medicaid, also search TMHP’s Online Provider Look-up for the supervising analyst. TDLR has a complaint form if you have a concern about a licensed analyst.

What should I ask on the first call?

Ask every provider the same questions and write down the answers.

Coverage and paperwork

1. Are you in network with my child’s exact plan? Name the plan and program, for example “Texas Children’s Health Plan, STAR Kids.”
2. Who requests prior authorization, and what do you need from me and my pediatrician?
3. Does my child’s diagnosis report meet your requirements? For Medicaid, see our autism evaluation guide for who can diagnose.

Staff and supervision

4. Who is the licensed behavior analyst on my child’s case, and can I meet them before we start?
5. How often will that analyst watch my child’s sessions in person?
6. What credential do your technicians hold?
7. If my child’s technician leaves, how do you introduce the new one, and do I get notice?
8. How many different technicians would work with my child in a typical week?

Treatment plan and progress

9. What does the first assessment include, and where does it happen?
10. Will I get a copy of the treatment plan before sessions start, and can I ask for changes?
11. How often will we review progress data together?
12. What are my goals as a parent, and when is parent training scheduled?
13. What do sessions look like when my child is upset or says no?

Schedule and setting

14. Do you offer in-home, center-based or both? Is my address in your service area?
15. Which hours are open now, and is there a waitlist? See our guide to ABA hours per week for how hours fit around school.
16. What is your cancellation policy, and how do missed sessions affect my child’s authorization?
17. Can you work in the language we use at home?

What do the rules say a provider must do?

The Texas Medicaid Children’s Services Handbook (October 2026, section 2.3) sets these rules for Medicaid ABA. Commercial plans have their own rules, but these give you a baseline to compare against.

• The analyst is responsible. Licensed behavior analysts directly supervise assistants and technicians and are “ultimately responsible” for the care and the treatment plan.
• Technicians have limits. A behavior technician may not do the ABA assessment, write the treatment plan, change it, or explain it to families. Technicians may not call themselves “therapists” when talking with Medicaid families, school staff or doctors.
• The plan has required parts. It must include measurable goals tied to the core features of autism, baseline data across settings, parent or caregiver goals, a plan for keeping skills over time, discharge criteria and a plan to coordinate with school services once you sign a release. You sign it too.
• Supervision means watching. Medicaid pays only for direct supervision, where the analyst observes the technician working with your child or with you.
• One-on-one sessions are in person. Technicians and assistants may not deliver services by telehealth.
• Language. The handbook says ABA should ideally be delivered in the primary language used at home or the child’s primary language.

What are the red flags?

Each of these is worth a direct question. Some have a good explanation. If the provider cannot give one, keep looking.

• You cannot find the supervising analyst’s license in the TDLR search, or the provider will not name that person.
• No treatment plan in writing, or the provider will not let you read it before sessions begin.
• No parent goals. Texas Medicaid requires separate parent or caregiver goals, and its handbook says continued authorization considers whether caregivers attend at least 85% of planned sessions.
• The analyst never comes. If months pass and you have not seen the analyst observe a session, ask why.
• A technician changes the plan or tells you what the plan means. That is the analyst’s job under the Medicaid rules.
• One-on-one technician sessions by video for a Medicaid client. The handbook prohibits it.
• Hours that do not match the assessment. The handbook says frequency must match the child’s clinical needs, “not for the convenience” of parents or the provider. Ask how the recommended hours were chosen.
• Goals you do not recognize or that are only about academics or looking “typical.” Texas Medicaid does not cover ABA aimed only at academic goals or at social norms that do not affect health, safety or independence.
• Promises about outcomes. No provider can promise a result. Ask instead how they measure progress and what they do when a goal stalls.
• Pressure to sign before you understand the costs. Ask what you will owe if authorization is denied or delayed.

What if we want to switch providers?

You can. Under the Medicaid handbook, a new provider outside the current group has to start a new authorization with a full initial evaluation. You sign a change-of-provider letter that gives the date you ended services with the old provider. If your child moves to a different analyst inside the same group, the evaluation and plan stay the same. Ask the new provider how long the switch usually takes before you give notice.

Where do I find providers to call?

Start with the full Houston Metro directory and narrow by city or setting. For Medicaid, use providers that list Medicaid, then check the plan as described in our Texas Medicaid ABA guide. A profile shows what a provider reports about itself. It is not a review, a ranking or a promise of openings.