If you’ve decided that ABA therapy is the right next step for your child and you’re ready to reach out to Autism Centers of Utah, you might be wondering what that process actually looks like. How do you start? What information will you need? How long does it take before your child begins therapy? These are practical questions, and they deserve practical answers.
This post walks you through the full getting-started process at Autism Centers of Utah, from your first phone call through your child’s first day of programming. Our goal is to make the experience as clear and low-stress as possible — because families navigating an autism diagnosis already have enough on their plates.
Step One: The Welcome Call
Everything begins with a phone call. You can reach Autism Centers of Utah at (385) 417-3869 to schedule your welcome call, or you can request one through our website. The welcome call is a genuine conversation — not a sales pitch — where a member of our team listens to what you’re navigating and shares honest information about our program.
Before you call, it helps to have a few things in mind, though none of these are hard requirements:
- Your child’s current age and diagnosis (or where you are in the diagnostic process)
- Any previous evaluations or therapy your child has received
- Your insurance information (carrier name and member ID)
- A general sense of what your biggest current concerns are for your child
You don’t need to have a polished summary prepared. If your child was just diagnosed last week and you’re still finding your footing, that’s exactly the moment when the welcome call can be most useful. We’ll ask the right questions to understand your situation.
Step Two: Insurance Verification
After the welcome call, our team will verify your insurance coverage. Autism Centers of Utah is in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Utah Medicaid. We handle this verification process on our end — you won’t need to make calls to your insurance company or decode benefits language yourself. For information about grants and other funding options, visit our resources page. We’ll contact the insurer, confirm your ABA therapy benefits, and let you know what your coverage looks like before you take any further steps.
This step matters because it tells both you and us what the financial picture looks like before your child begins. If you have Blue Cross Blue Shield or Utah Medicaid, the pathway is generally straightforward. Please note that Autism Centers of Utah is not in-network with Tricare and is not able to serve families with Tricare as their primary insurance.
If you have questions about your specific plan or coverage level, bring them up during the welcome call or follow-up conversation. Our team has answered these questions many times and can help you understand what to expect.
Step Three: A Tour of Our Sandy Center
Once insurance is verified, we invite families to visit our facility in Sandy. We strongly encourage you to come in before your child starts therapy — and to bring your child along if that feels right.
Walking through the building helps both parents and children understand what to expect. Our 15,000-square-foot center includes a full indoor playground, a turf room, an art room, sensory spaces, and a dedicated lunch area. You can also review our first visit page ahead of time to know what to expect when you arrive. These aren’t waiting-room extras — they’re all active parts of how therapy happens here. Seeing the environment, meeting some of the staff, and getting a feel for the atmosphere removes a lot of the uncertainty that comes with starting something new.
The tour is also a good opportunity to ask questions about the program: what a typical day looks like, how the BCBA and RBT team structure works, how parent communication happens, and anything else on your mind. There are no wrong questions at this stage.
Step Four: Onboarding and Intake
After the tour, we move into formal onboarding. This is where we gather the background information our clinical team needs to conduct a thorough assessment. You’ll complete intake paperwork and we’ll collect records such as:
- Any prior autism diagnostic evaluations
- Previous therapy records (speech, OT, ABA, or other)
- School evaluations or IEP documents, if applicable
- Medical records relevant to your child’s development
If your child does not yet have a formal autism diagnosis, that’s worth mentioning during the welcome call. Autism Centers of Utah can conduct an ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) assessment, which can help families who are still in the diagnostic process get clarity and move forward without having to coordinate with multiple providers.
Step Five: The Behavior Assessment
Once onboarding is complete, your child’s assigned Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) will conduct a comprehensive behavior assessment. This is a clinical evaluation of where your child currently is across multiple developmental domains: communication, social skills, play, self-care, behavior, and daily living skills.
The assessment typically involves a combination of structured observation, direct interaction with your child, and parent interview. BCBAs use standardized tools — such as the VB-MAPP or ABLLS-R — alongside their own clinical observation to build a complete picture of your child’s current skills and the areas where they need the most support.
The assessment is not a one-size-fits-all checklist. The BCBA is looking at your specific child, taking into account their age, their interests, what motivates them, and how they respond to different types of instruction. That information shapes every goal that gets written into the treatment plan.
Step Six: The Treatment Plan
Based on the assessment, your child’s BCBA develops an individualized treatment plan. This document identifies specific goals across relevant domains, outlines the teaching strategies that will be used to address those goals, and recommends a number of therapy hours per week. At Autism Centers of Utah, ABA programs range from approximately 10 to 40 hours per week, depending on the child’s needs and what the assessment indicates.
Before therapy begins, you’ll review the treatment plan with the BCBA. This is an important conversation — not a formality. You should understand what each goal means, why it was prioritized, and what your child’s sessions will look like day to day. If something doesn’t sit right, this is the moment to say so. Parent input is part of how good treatment plans are built.
Step Seven: Authorization and Start Date
With the treatment plan in hand, our team submits it for insurance authorization. The timeline for authorization varies by insurer, but our intake coordinators handle the submission and follow up with the insurance company on your behalf. We’ll keep you informed of where things stand.
Once authorization is received, we schedule your child’s start date. On their first day, they’ll meet their RBT — the Registered Behavior Technician who will deliver their direct therapy — and begin settling into the center’s rhythm. The first few sessions are also a time for the BCBA and RBT to observe how your child responds to the environment and the therapeutic relationship, which helps refine how the plan is implemented from the very beginning.
What Ongoing Communication Looks Like
Starting therapy is not a handoff. Once your child begins their program, you’ll remain an active participant. Parent training is built into the ABA therapy program at Autism Centers of Utah — your child’s BCBA will meet with you regularly to share progress data, explain how the treatment plan is evolving, and give you specific strategies to use at home. Skills learned in therapy generalize most effectively when they’re also practiced in the home environment, and that’s only possible when parents are informed and equipped.
You’ll also be informed any time significant changes are made to the treatment plan, and you’re always welcome to reach out to the team with questions between scheduled meetings.
Frequently Asked Questions About Getting Started
Does my child need a formal autism diagnosis before starting ABA therapy?
For insurance authorization, a diagnosis is typically required. If your child does not yet have one, Autism Centers of Utah can conduct an ADOS assessment. Contact us to discuss your specific situation. Our post on getting started with autism therapy at Autism Centers of Utah also walks through what the diagnostic and intake process looks like step by step.
How long does the whole intake process take?
It varies based on insurance timelines, but from the initial welcome call to the first therapy session typically takes several weeks. Our team works to move the process forward as efficiently as possible and will keep you informed at each step.
What if we’re on a waitlist?
If we are not immediately able to offer a start date, we will place your child on our waitlist and contact you when space becomes available. We encourage families to reach out early rather than waiting until they feel “ready.” In the meantime, our FAQ page answers many common questions about the program, insurance, and what to expect.
Can both parents attend the tour and initial meetings?
Yes, and we encourage it. Having both caregivers involved in the intake process makes the eventual parent training component more effective, because both people who are with the child at home understand the strategies being used in therapy.
Ready to Get Started?
The first step is simply a phone call. Reach out to Autism Centers of Utah at (385) 417-3869 to schedule your welcome call. Our team serves families in Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, Midvale, and the surrounding communities, and we’re ready to help you figure out whether our program is the right fit for your child. There’s no commitment involved in that first conversation — just information, honest answers, and a chance to ask whatever’s on your mind.