Frequently Asked Questions
Do you take Medicaid? What will the costs be?
We are in network with Medicaid in Allegheny County. Some children have a commercial health care plan with Medicaid as secondary. We also accept Medicaid when it is the child’s only coverage. There are no out of pocket costs to families – all copays, coinsurance, and deductibles are covered by Medicaid.
Why would we choose center-based ABA for our child instead of services pushed in to the home or preschool/daycare setting?
Keystone ABA’s clinic is set up to facilitate communication with embedded supports. All peers are also receiving 1:1 ABA therapy which increases the likelihood that your child’s attempts to interact with peers are successful. The clinic-wide schedule provides structured opportunities to interact with peers and complete individual tabletop tasks according to each child’s treatment plan. Children move throughout the clinic space into highly motivating, naturalistic environments, set up to increase communication through play.
What are your hours?
After completing the initial assessment, we would recommend one of the following schedules based on medical necessity and including all other educational and therapeutic schedules. Final determination of hours per week is pending insurance authorization.
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- Monday-Friday 9am-3pm
- Monday-Friday 8:30-11:30am
- Monday-Friday 12:30-3:30pm
- Tuesday/Thursday 9am-3pm
- Monday/Wednesday/Friday 9am-3pm
Deviations from this schedule may only occur for Schedule #1 (full time) to accommodate a late arrival or early dismissal in order to access IEP services in the home setting provided by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU) or private outpatient therapy.
We are at risk of expulsion from our preschool or childcare facility. We need help as soon as possible in that setting. Can you go to the preschool?
As part of the assessment process, we observe children in the home, school, and community. A school observation would be helpful in determining the child’s needs for therapy, but we don’t provide services at the school. In some situations, families choose to withdraw from their school and begin therapy in the clinic on a full-time or part-time schedule. In other situations, families choose to stay in the school and begin therapy in the clinic on a part-time schedule, with periodic consultation with the school from Keystone ABA.
How quickly can my child start?
This depends on a variety of factors. When we are actively accepting new patients, the time between the tour and the child’s first day may be 35 to 45 days. Common causes of delays include: coordination with the doctor who wrote the written order for IBHS, insurance authorization, and the child or family’s availability for intake appointments. We only conduct assessments if we have staff available to fulfill all hours in your child’s recommended schedule.
What is your cancellation policy? Do you have behavior technicians to staff my child’s therapy?
We are strongly committed to providing the therapy schedule that we recommend following assessment. Your child will have multiple BHT-ABAs assigned to their case to ensure that your child receives high-quality ABA from a trained team member every day. Cancellations are extremely rare. As of September 2025, our last cancellation was in August 2023. We provided over 20,000 hours of therapy in 2024 with 0 cancellations. We will only schedule an intake with your child if we have the BHTs trained and ready to staff your case.
My child already has IBHS or ABA that comes to his home. Can he come to the clinic, too?
Usually not. Most insurance companies do not authorize two agencies providing the same service type, even though the location is different.
Newly Diagnosed
Frequently Asked Questions
My child was just diagnosed with autism and the doctor said they need IBHS. What does this mean?
In Pennsylvania, Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) is an umbrella term which includes Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). IBHS can be provided in many settings, including an ABA clinic, or the home, school, and community, depending on the needs of the child.
How do I know if my child would benefit from ABA?
At Keystone ABA, we help build functional communication and adaptive skills to improve quality of life. If your child communicates his needs through behavior that is exhausting and inefficient (think: falling to the floor crying when asked to put on his coat because he can’t tell you he’s not ready), we may be able to help.
My child receives other services already. Would I have to stop those services to start ABA?
Not necessarily. During the assessment process, we include information about all other outpatient therapy services and educational services. Our schedule recommendation will take into consideration other existing services. We will work with you to determine a schedule that meets your child’s needs while avoiding signing your preschooler up for a full-time job! We believe that no preschooler should be working 40 hours per week and we include other therapies in that calculation.
What age group do you serve?
Ages 2-6, prior to full-day kindergarten
My child starts kindergarten in 3 months but they need ABA now. Can you help?
We recommend working with the IEP team to ensure that your child’s school is prepared to meet your child’s needs. If your child needs one-on-one assistance in school, that is most often provided through the IEP under Related Services. If you need home-based ABA therapy, please visit CCBH.com to find ABA providers who would be able to work with your child long-term, after the kindergarten transition. We discharge within the first month of kindergarten, after ensuring a smooth transition to the school setting. We begin the kindergarten transition planning process in January, so we are unable to start intake with learners who are starting school in less than 9 months.