The best ABA therapy in Texas, ranked.

Every ABA provider in the state, compared on the things that actually matter: how good the care is, and how soon your child can start. One list. Clear reasons. No guesswork.

Free for families. No provider pays to rank, not even the one that built this site.

A young boy working with two therapists at a play table in a bright clinic room
1,100+ providers compared across Texas
1,100+ providers
compared across Texas
Updated monthly
wait times from the clinics themselves
Nobody pays for placement
not for ranking, not for removal
Built by clinicians
people who run ABA programs every day
Ranked for families near Dallas and Fort Worth · August 2026

The 5 best ABA providers near Dallas and Fort Worth

Our picks, weighed on wait for intake, BCBA depth, insurance accepted, and ages served. #1 is the clinic we'd call first for our own kids.

1

Therapy & Beyond, Colleyville

Colleyville · in the mid-cities, between Dallas and Fort Worth

therapyandbeyond.com

Site owner

The deepest clinical bench in the mid-cities and the shortest real wait in DFW. No other clinic in the metroplex checks both boxes.

Wait for intake 3 weeks
BCBAs on site14
Ages served18 mo to 12 yr
SettingCenter + in-home
Texas Medicaid (STAR) BCBS TX Aetna TRICARE Private pay Visit clinic site
98
/ 100
Match score
Best overall A therapist guiding a young girl through a sorting activity with colored blocks
2

Action Behavior Centers, Plano

Plano · 19 miles from downtown Dallas

The biggest ABA network in Texas, and Plano is one of their strongest-staffed centers.

Wait for intake 4 weeks
BCBAs on site11
Ages served18 mo to 10 yr
SettingCenter-based
BCBS TX Aetna UnitedHealthcare Cigna Private pay Request intake
89
/ 100
Match score
3

Behavioral Innovations, Dallas

North Dallas · 6 miles from downtown

Texas-founded with a long track record, and some of the widest insurance acceptance in the metro.

Wait for intake 6 weeks
BCBAs on site6
Ages served18 mo to 10 yr
SettingCenter-based
Texas Medicaid (STAR) BCBS TX Aetna UnitedHealthcare Private pay Request intake
84
/ 100
Match score
4

Autism Learning Partners, Fort Worth

Fort Worth · 33 miles from downtown Dallas

One of the few programs in DFW taking older kids and teens. Worth the wait if your child is past preschool.

Wait for intake 10 weeks
BCBAs on site5
Ages served2 to 15 yr
SettingCenter + in-home
Texas Medicaid (STAR) BCBS TX Cigna Private pay Request intake
78
/ 100
Match score
5

Hopebridge, Arlington

Arlington · 20 miles from downtown Dallas

A full diagnostic team under one roof, but the wait is real, so get on the list early.

Wait for intake 4+ months
BCBAs on site7
Ages served12 mo to 12 yr
SettingCenter-based
Texas Medicaid (STAR) Aetna TRICARE Private pay Request intake
72
/ 100
Match score
See all 62 providers near Dallas and Fort Worth
Our method

How we pick, and what we look at.

These are our picks, made by people who run ABA programs every day. The score next to each clinic is our judgment, not a machine's. Here is what we weigh when we make it, and how much each one counts.

Wait for intakeHow soon your child can actually start
30%
BCBA-to-child ratioHow much certified attention your child gets
25%
Insurance acceptedWhether you'll pay anything at all
25%
Ages & settings servedCenter, in-home, and the ages they take
20%

And the part we'd rather say than have you discover: Therapy & Beyond is our own clinic group, and we rank it first. We're telling you that plainly instead of hiding it. No provider pays for placement, ranking, or removal, and that will never change. Every fact on every card (wait time, BCBA count, insurance) is the clinic's own reported number, and you can check any of it with one phone call.

A girl and her parents meeting with a clinician at a table

Who owns this site, said plainly

ABA Therapy Texas is owned and operated by Therapy & Beyond, an ABA provider with clinics in Texas, Oklahoma, and Denver. Our own clinics appear in these rankings, each labeled "Site owner."

We rank our own clinics first, and we say so right where it happens. No provider, including us, pays for placement, ranking, or removal. Every number on every card is the clinic's own reported figure, so you can check us with one phone call. That's the deal, and it's the only way a site like this deserves your trust.

Ownership disclosed per Texas Occupations Code §102.006 and FTC 16 CFR §255.5.

A therapist guiding a young girl through a sorting activity with colored blocks
A therapist and a smiling young girl giving each other a high five at a desk
A child stacking colored blocks with a therapist during a session
For parents starting out

What ABA therapy actually looks like

ABA stands for applied behavior analysis. Strip away the jargon, and it's this: a trained therapist works one-on-one with your child, mostly through play, to build the skills that make daily life easier. Asking for a snack instead of melting down. Getting dressed. Making a friend. Sitting through a haircut.

It's the most-studied therapy for autism, and the one every major medical group recommends first. Sessions happen in a clinic that looks more like a great preschool than a doctor's office, or right in your living room. Most kids do 10 to 40 hours a week, built around naps, school, and real life.

And here's the thing nobody tells you at diagnosis: starting sooner matters more than starting perfect. A good program that begins next month beats a perfect one that begins next year.

What a BCBA is

A Board Certified Behavior Analyst is the clinician in charge. They have a graduate degree, a national board certification, and one job: to write your child's program, watch it work, and change it when it doesn't. When you tour a clinic, ask how often the BCBA is in the room. The answer tells you a lot.

What an RBT is

A Registered Behavior Technician is the person your child will actually spend most of their hours with. RBTs are certified, background-checked, and supervised by a BCBA every week. The best ones feel like a favorite babysitter with superpowers. Your child should light up when theirs walks in.

What a session looks like

Mostly, it looks like playing, because for young kids, play is how learning happens. A session might be blowing bubbles to practice asking for "more," or a board game that sneaks in turn-taking. Goals are measured every single session, so you see progress in data, not just gut feeling.

A bright open therapy room with a slide and play area
A great ABA clinic looks like a great preschool, because it should.
A young boy matching colored shapes with two adults helping him
Learning feelings, one card at a time.
Across the state

Find ABA therapy in your city

Our picks for every Texas metro, weighed on the same four things everywhere. Provider counts update monthly. Texas has 192,392 autistic children aged 3 to 17 and just 5,181 BCBAs. That is 37 children for every one BCBA, so knowing who actually has room matters.

Dallas34 providers Fort Worth19 providers Plano12 providers Arlington9 providers Houston41 providers Sugar Land8 providers The Woodlands7 providers Austin26 providers San Antonio22 providers Frisco8 providers McKinney6 providers El Paso5 providers Conroe4 providers Colleyville3 providers
Paying for it

Most Texas families pay nothing out of pocket.

Here's the part that surprises almost everyone: Texas Medicaid, through STAR, has covered ABA therapy for children under 21 since 2022. Not partially. Covered. And Texas law requires most state-regulated private plans to cover autism treatment too.

If a clinic takes your plan, your cost is usually a copay or nothing at all. Every card on this site shows exactly which plans each clinic accepts, so you never fall in love with a provider you can't afford.

Texas Medicaid (STAR) BlueCross BlueShield TX Aetna UnitedHealthcare Cigna TRICARE Private pay
38 of 62 DFW-area providers accept Texas Medicaid right now, more than most families expect.
A boy at a play table with two clinicians working alongside him
A child and clinician at a therapy table
A boy playing with blocks during a session
A therapist high fiving a young girl
A smiling girl during a therapy session

Every kid on this page is somebody's whole world. Start with one call.

See the best near me

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Straight answers

Questions every parent asks us.

The same eight questions come up on almost every first call. Here is how we answer them, plainly.

How long does it take to start ABA therapy in Texas?

Anywhere from two weeks to six months or more. It depends almost entirely on the clinic, which is why wait time is the first thing we weigh on this site. Call two or three clinics, ask for their current intake wait, and get on more than one list. You can always cancel the ones you don't need.

Does Texas Medicaid (STAR) cover ABA therapy?

Yes. Texas Medicaid has covered ABA therapy through STAR for children under 21 since 2022, and most families pay nothing out of pocket. If a card on this page shows a Texas Medicaid (STAR) chip, that clinic takes it today. Bring your child's diagnosis paperwork to the first call and the clinic will usually handle the rest.

What's the difference between a BCBA and an RBT?

A BCBA is the clinician in charge: a board-certified analyst with a graduate degree who writes your child's program and adjusts it as your child grows. An RBT is the certified technician who spends the most hours with your child, supervised by that BCBA every week. You want both: a deep BCBA bench, and an RBT your child lights up to see.

How many hours a week will my child need?

Most children do between 10 and 40 hours a week, and the right number comes from the BCBA's assessment, not from a menu. Younger kids in early intensive programs usually land at the higher end, while school-age kids often do focused hours around class. A good clinic will explain exactly why they recommend the hours they recommend.

Do I need an autism diagnosis before starting ABA?

For insurance to pay, yes: Texas Medicaid and private plans require an autism diagnosis from a physician or psychologist. But don't wait idle. Many clinics will start your paperwork and insurance checks now, so therapy can begin the week your diagnosis comes through. Ask about that on your first call.

Center-based or in-home: which is better?

Neither one wins for every child; they solve different problems. A center offers structure, peer practice, and more clinical eyes on your child's program, while in-home therapy builds skills right where your family actually uses them. Many families do a mix, and a good BCBA will recommend a setting based on your child's goals, not the clinic's convenience.

What should I ask on a first call with a clinic?

Four questions do most of the work: How long is your wait for intake? How often will a BCBA actually work with my child? Do you take my insurance? And how will you show me my child's progress? A clinic worth choosing answers all four plainly. Hesitation is an answer too.

What does ABA cost if I'm paying out of pocket?

Paying cash, ABA commonly runs 120 dollars or more per hour, which can reach several thousand dollars a month at full intensity. Very few Texas families should ever pay that: Texas Medicaid covers children under 21 through STAR, and Texas law requires most state-regulated private plans to cover autism treatment. Before you write a check, call your plan and ask about ABA coverage; the answer is usually better than you fear.

For clinics

Add your clinic, free. Yes, actually free.

We're a provider too, and we list our competitors, because a parent who finds great care faster, anywhere, is a parent who trusts this site. There is no paid tier. There will never be one.

Claim your clinic

Find your location and claim it with a work email. We verify your BCBAs against the BACB registry and your NPI. That's the whole vetting process, about ten minutes.

Answer one question a month

How long until a new family gets an intake appointment? Tap a link in an email, pick a number, done. Ninety seconds, once a month.

Families find you

Your listing goes live with the facts families care about (wait time, BCBA depth, insurance, and ages served) right on your card. Clinics with room and depth stand out on their own.

Claim your clinic Questions first? providers@abatherapytx.com
A family and a clinician talking together in a bright meeting room