Getting Started

Step One: First Contact and Clinical Consultation

Families can inquire about beginning ABA therapy at IMPACT by calling us at 920.395.2105. Each family who contacts us will be guided through the enrollment process.

Every family who is interested in services at IMPACT can speak with our Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) to learn more about ABA therapy, and what it might look like for their child. Our goal is to help families find the best therapeutic match for their child, so this initial conversation is designed to help us learn more about one another.

At IMPACT, we best help families when we have a full picture of their child. This may mean asking questions about behavior, health history, development, skill acquisition, strengths and interests. The more honest parents are about their concerns, the more likely we can help them find the right fit for their child going forward.

IMPACT will then send out a intake packet for your to fill out and return to our office.

We also serve as a resource for the families who contact us. Common questions parents often have for our BCBAs at this stage include:

What is ABA therapy and why does it work?
How many hours per week will my child receive services?
Who is my team and what does each team member do?
What will sessions look like?
Where will services take place?
What do I have to do during the therapy process?
How long will my child need services?

Step Two: Benefits Verification and Financial Consultation

ABA is the most successful form of autism therapy. It is approved by the United States Surgeon General and covered by insurance in Wisconsin in which IMPACT is located. Once we are ready to start getting your child ready for their first day, we will start by offering complimentary insurance verification for families to find out the extent of their benefits for ABA services, including copay and deductible amounts. IMPACT is in-network with several of the major commercial insurance carriers such as: Anthem, UHC, UMR, WEA and Medicaid.

Step Three:

Once eligibility and benefits are verified and needed authorizations are done, IMPACT will contact you to set up an assessment in their center. This appointment is generally between 1.5-2.5 hours and the BCBA will evaluate your child's strengths and areas in need of development.

Step Four: Enrollment Paperwork and Follow-Up Assessment

A follow-up assessment will be conducted approximately 1-2 weeks after the initial assessment. At this appointment, you will meet with the intake coordinator to go over paperwork and policies, which includes consent for services, allergy and general health information, medication authorization, release exchange of information permission (for example, with teachers or physicians) among others.

At this point, a BCBA at IMPACT also provides parents with a handbook and client rights information. Parents and the BCBA review and finalize paperwork at a meeting before beginning ABA therapy.

Step Five: Authorization

At this point, the BCBA will write up and send you a copy of the treatment plan. This plan will also be sent to insurance(s) for authorization. Once the authorization is approved, you will be contacted to set up a start date of treatment.

Step Six: Ready to start ABA therapy

The child is now ready to begin ABA therapy at IMPACT. Typically the start of therapy is considered a "soft start" to acclimate the children to a new environment and the new people working with them and we build up their therapy hours incrementally to reach the clinically recommended number of weekly hours over time.

Depending on clinical capacity, the family may be placed on a wait list*. In this case, the average wait time depends on individual specifics such as the times of day therapy will be held, staffing, etc.

*The waitlist for full-day school children is currently closed.