Your ABA Therapy Provider Just Closed: What Families Need to Do Right Now

On June 11, 2026, the owner of Stepping Stones Behavioral Solutions, an Indiana-based ABA therapy provider, had her assistant notify managers at 3 p.m. that the company would close the following day at 4 p.m. Families received less than 25 hours notice. The company, once listed on the Inc. 5,000 as among the fastest-growing businesses in the nation, shut its doors entirely.

Stepping Stones was not alone. ABA Centers of America, a national provider with locations across more than a dozen states, announced layoffs in June 2026 amid reports that major payers were exiting their networks. Across the country, ABA therapy providers are closing, consolidating, or losing Medicaid contracts at a pace families have not seen before.

If your child is in ABA therapy and your provider suddenly closes, what do you do? This guide walks you through every step, from protecting your child's records today to finding a new provider as fast as possible.

Why ABA Therapy Providers Are Closing in 2026

To understand what is happening, it helps to know what is driving provider instability. Several forces converged in 2025 and 2026 to put financial pressure on ABA clinics of all sizes:

• Medicaid rate cuts: New York implemented two consecutive 12.5 percent Medicaid reimbursement cuts for ABA therapy. North Carolina, Indiana, Nebraska, and Colorado all pursued reductions or spending caps. When a provider depends heavily on Medicaid, rate cuts can make operations unsustainable.
• Payer network terminations: Managed care organizations have been narrowing their ABA provider networks. In the case of Stepping Stones Behavioral Solutions, Anthem dropped the company from its Medicaid network in April 2026, removing access to a dominant share of the state's Medicaid enrollees.
• Medicaid enrollment moratoria: Indiana froze new ABA provider enrollment in Medicaid as of June 6, 2026. Families displaced from one provider cannot simply move to a new one if that provider cannot accept new Medicaid patients.
• Federal audit scrutiny: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General identified improper billing patterns in ABA programs across Indiana, Wisconsin, Maine, Colorado, and other states. Payment holds during audits can affect a provider's cash flow even before any final determination is made.

None of this means your provider is closing. Most ABA providers are stable and continuing to serve families. But closures are happening, and the families who recover fastest are the ones who act quickly.

What to Do When Your ABA Therapy Provider Closes

Step 1: Request Your Child's Records the Same Day

Under federal HIPAA rules, you have the right to receive your child's complete medical and treatment records within 30 days of a written request. Do not wait. Contact the provider in writing on the day you learn of the closure and ask for:

• The full treatment plan and current individualized goals
• Session notes and data from at least the past 90 days
• Any functional behavior assessment (FBA) or behavior intervention plan (BIP)
• Skill assessment scores (such as VB-MAPP, ABLLS, or Vineland-3)
• Copies of current insurance authorization letters

These records let a new provider pick up where the previous one left off rather than starting from scratch. If the company has already locked its systems, contact your state health department. Providers are legally required to maintain records and ensure continuity even after a closure.

Step 2: Call Your Insurance and Ask About Continuity of Care

Call your insurance company the same day and explain that your ABA provider has closed. Ask specifically about:

• Continuity of care benefits: Many commercial plans are required to cover an out-of-network ABA provider at in-network rates for up to 90 days during a transition, particularly for children with ongoing autism diagnoses. Ask whether this applies to your plan.
• Emergency prior authorization: Most insurers have a 72-hour or 3-business-day emergency authorization process. Request this for any new in-network provider you identify.
• Mental health parity rights: Under the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, insurers cannot impose more restrictive limits on autism therapy than they do on comparable medical care. If coverage is being denied during the transition, you have the right to file an appeal and request an independent external review.

Write down the name of every representative you speak with and follow up your call with a written request by email or fax. Documentation matters if you need to appeal a denial later.

Step 3: Get on Multiple Waitlists Immediately

Do not contact one provider and wait. Contact as many as you can the same day. Average ABA therapy waitlists run five to six months in most states, and in some areas they extend well beyond a year.

• Use ABA Navigator's provider directory to find providers in your area, filtered by your insurance and your child's age
• Contact at least five to seven providers and ask to be placed on each waitlist
• Mention that your previous provider closed and ask whether they have an expedited intake process for displaced families
• Confirm they accept your insurance before investing significant time

Some providers give priority to families coming from clinic closures. It is always worth asking directly.

Step 4: Contact Your Child's School District

If your child has an Individualized Education Program (IEP), call the special education coordinator at their school right away. The school district may be able to:

• Increase school-based behavioral support as a bridge while you search for a new clinic
• Update the IEP to add related services that address your child's behavioral needs during the gap
• Connect you with district-level behavior analysts or paraprofessionals

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), schools must provide a free and appropriate public education that includes any related services your child's IEP documents as necessary. A private provider closure does not relieve the school district of that obligation.

Step 5: Ask About Telehealth ABA as a Bridge

While you are searching for a new in-person provider, ask your insurance whether it covers telehealth ABA therapy. A peer-reviewed study published in JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting in June 2026 followed 504 children who received focused ABA therapy delivered fully via telehealth by BCBAs. Results found that 81.5 percent of children improved in adaptive behavior scores, and 76 percent showed clinically significant improvement. Telehealth ABA is not right for every child, but it can maintain progress during a transition and is now covered by most major commercial insurers.

Also ask about parent training sessions, billed under CPT codes 97156 and 97157. These sessions teach caregivers to implement ABA strategies at home and are covered by most major insurers and Medicaid. A BCBA can guide parents through the gap period even if in-person clinic sessions are not yet available.

Warning Signs Your Current Provider May Be at Risk

The best time to prepare for a closure is before it happens. Watch for these signs that a provider may be under financial pressure:

• High turnover among BCBAs, clinical supervisors, or administrative staff
• Unexplained changes in billing staff or billing practices
• Session frequency reductions without a clinical reason given to families
• Sudden changes in which insurance plans or Medicaid managed care plans they accept
• Vague or evasive answers when you ask about ownership, contracts, or company news
• Notifications that your managed care plan is ending its contract with the provider

None of these signs alone means a closure is imminent. Together, they are worth paying close attention to.

How to Find a New ABA Therapy Provider

Finding a qualified provider after a closure does not have to mean searching through insurance directories alone. ABA Navigator's directory lists thousands of ABA therapy providers across all 50 states. You can filter by location, insurance accepted, age group served, and service setting, including in-home, clinic-based, school-based, and telehealth options.

Search for ABA providers near you on ABA Navigator.

When you contact a new provider, share your child's records as early as possible in the intake process. Ask the intake coordinator how they handle transitions from other clinics and whether a BCBA will review your child's history before the first session. A good provider will want that context before treatment begins, rather than starting the assessment process over from the beginning.

The Bottom Line

ABA therapy provider closures are becoming more common in 2026 as rate cuts, payer network changes, and increased audit oversight reshape the industry. Families cannot always predict or prevent a sudden closure, but they can be prepared to act quickly when one happens.

If your ABA therapy provider closes:

• Request your child's complete records in writing the same day
• Call your insurance immediately and ask about continuity of care and emergency authorization
• Get on multiple waitlists right away, not just one
• Contact your child's school district to request interim support
• Explore telehealth ABA and parent training as a bridge while you search

If you are not yet in this situation, use the warning signs above to stay ahead of potential changes at your current clinic. Your child's progress should not have to pause while paperwork catches up.

Find ABA therapy providers in your state today at ABA Navigator's provider directory.