Frequently Asked Questions

We support children ages 0-5 years.

We proudly serve San Francisco County, San Mateo County, and parts of Santa Clara County.

If you’re outside of these areas, we encourage you to reach out. We may be able to expand our services to your area or provide a recommendation for alternative neuroaffirming providers.

Our caregiver coaching services are telehealth sessions.

Our ABA therapy services are provided at your home or at your child’s daycare or preschool. Prior to starting at your child’s daycare or preschool, approved inclusion of our services is required. We are happy to connect with the preschool or daycare if there are any questions.

No. We do not require a diagnosis to start any of our services.

In the traditional and medical model of ABA therapy, services are supervised by a BCBA and all of the care is delivered by a behavior technician (with some families having up to 4 behavior technicians at a time!). While we have seen the “2-tier” or “3-tier” model to be effective, this model often comes with little oversight, frequent inconsistencies across care plan delivery, and high turnover.

For us, BCBA-led means that therapy is only delivered by a BCBA. When a family has consistent access to a BCBA, they’re receiving early intervention care from one therapist who has dedicated years to their education and clinical training.

Yes! Families and caregivers come in all forms. Whether you’re a biological parent, grandparent, adoptive parent, same-sex couple, or a sibling with guardianship, you and your child are welcome here.

Please inform us of any unique custody agreement that may occur during legal separation, divorce, or adoption. If legal authority over medical care is shared, consent must be provided by both caregivers.

No, we are an out-of-network provider and accept private pay only.

Our team can provide a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement, though these benefits may vary by insurance plan. Please contact your insurance provider directly to discuss your plan’s benefits.

At Summit, our private-pay model is an agreement for services with you directly. Payment is due at the time of service and your health insurance has no involvement in approving care.

Insurance-based ABA therapy comes with many requirements based on the insurer’s policy and your family’s plan. When trying to access services, families can face limitations such as the type of services allowed, how much or how little services your child can receive, how long your child can be in therapy for, where therapy occurs, and exclusion from services entirely if diagnostic criteria is not yet met or never met. Often times, families also face unexpected costs and owe their provider more than just a co-pay.

Private-pay ABA therapy gives families direct access to care that is driven solely on their needs. When you choose Summit as your provider, you will always have cost transparency and you will not be required to follow insurance policy requirements and regulations. Most importantly, you will access truly individualized care that is only driven by your family’s success (and with the added benefit of greater privacy).

We are an out-of-network provider because working with insurance companies does not allow us to provide care in the way that we think it should be delivered. For us, this includes full cost transparency, making decisions based only on what’s best for your family, and not requiring services to feel like a full-time job for your family.

The autonomy within a private-pay model never forces us to constantly consider the rules and regulations made by an insurance-hired “expert” that has never met your family. Every family has unique needs and we are here to provide you with the highest level of care.

Our rate for services is $225/hour for both ABA therapy and caregiver coaching.

We schedule sessions for a minimum of 1 hour. Direct care is delivered for the initial 45-50 minutes and the final 10-15 minutes are reserved for caregiver discussion on progress and note completion by the BCBA.

We can schedule sessions to be longer, especially if your child is receiving support at daycare or preschool. We will navigate session length together during our intake process.

While we are unlike other providers and will never require your child to have 30+ hours of therapy per week, we do strongly believe that high quality early intervention has the most impact when it is both individualized and consistent. During our intake process, we will discuss both family and BCBA availability to create a weekly schedule that supports your family’s goals and still allows time for life outside of ABA therapy.

We require a caregiver who is 18 years or older to be present during the entire duration of every ABA session, regardless of the session’s location.

We also encourage caregiver observation and participation during sessions. This can look like joining our play or simply watching the session. However, we understand that some caregivers need a balance. Caregivers can always choose to move around their home, complete needed tasks, or spend quality time with their other children during our sessions as well.

Caregiver coaching sessions are scheduled for 1 hour.

This is contingent on your needs and your goals. Some caregivers like to meet once a week, while others prefer bi-weekly or once a month. If our time consistently feels cut short at the end of our hour together, we will recommend meeting weekly or bi-weekly.

You can can contact us through our “Get In Touch” page, by phone at 415-940-7402, or by email at hello@summitbehaviorcompany.com.