Knowing what's actually going to happen — and roughly how long each step takes — can make the period after diagnosis feel far less uncertain. Here's a realistic walkthrough for Michigan families.
Step 1: Receiving the Diagnosis
Once your child's comprehensive evaluation is complete, you'll receive a diagnostic determination and a written report, typically including a diagnostic level and initial recommendations. This is a lot to process at once — see What to Do in the First 30 Days After an Autism Diagnosis for a manageable starting checklist.
Realistic timing: This is the point you're starting from — everything below happens after this.
Step 2: Researching and Contacting ABA Providers
Many families begin researching providers immediately, sometimes even before the formal diagnosis is finalized if ABA seems like a likely recommendation. Our guide to choosing the right ABA provider covers what to look for.
Realistic timing: This can start immediately and run in parallel with other steps — there's no need to wait.
Step 3: Insurance Verification
Once you've identified a provider, they should verify your specific insurance benefits — confirming coverage, any prior authorization requirements, and what to expect for out-of-pocket costs.
Realistic timing: Typically a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on your insurer's response time and any prior authorization requirements.
Step 4: The Comprehensive ABA Assessment
Once insurance is verified (or in some cases, in parallel with verification), your child's BCBA conducts a comprehensive assessment — see What Happens During an ABA Assessment? for what this involves.
Realistic timing: The assessment itself may take one to a few sessions; scheduling it depends on provider availability.
Step 5: Treatment Plan Development
Following the assessment, your BCBA builds an individualized treatment plan with specific goals, recommended session frequency, and a plan for parent involvement.
Realistic timing: Often completed within a week or two of the assessment being finished.
Step 6: Starting Regular Sessions
Once the treatment plan is finalized and a consistent Registered Behavior Technician is matched to your child, regular sessions begin.
Realistic timing: Total time from initial provider contact to starting regular sessions varies considerably, but many families can expect somewhere in the range of a few weeks to a couple of months, depending on insurance processing time and provider capacity/waitlist status.
Why Timelines Vary So Much
Provider waitlists, insurance-specific authorization requirements, and regional provider availability all affect how quickly this process moves. Rural and less densely served parts of Michigan often face longer waits than metro areas — we address this directly in Waitlists and ABA Therapy: Why They Happen and How to Navigate Them.
What You Can Do to Avoid Losing Time
Starting insurance verification and provider outreach as early as possible — even before every piece is finalized — helps minimize the total time from diagnosis to actual services starting. Joining a provider's waitlist doesn't commit you to anything, but it does secure your place in line while other pieces come together.
For Rockford-Area Families
Our Early Intervention Services service is designed around exactly this kind of goal. If you're at any point in this process, our in-home ABA therapy in Rockford page has more information, or Get Started Today — we'll begin insurance verification right away so no time is lost unnecessarily.
This article is part of our complete guide, Why Early Intervention Matters. Clinically reviewed by Kimberly Blazer, BCBA.