Alabama families lost access to in-home autism therapy after the state Department of Mental Health ended its agreement with Key Autism Services on January 31, 2026. Parents report their children’s progress, built over months of consistent treatment, has regressed, with one mother noting increased tantrums in her son.
Key Autism Services had provided Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), an evidence-based therapy typically prescribed at 20 to 40 hours per week for children with autism across multiple parts of Alabama including Huntsville, Montgomery, Birmingham, and the Mobile-Gulf Shores area. The company says during a January meeting, it was told funding was no longer available. ADMH disputes this, stating the issue relates to billing procedures, not funding constraints. Public records show ADMH raised concerns about “unauthorized services” and claims totaling more than $138,000 that it could not issue payment for. The contract between ADMH and Key Autism Services required services to be authorized in advance before billing.
Key Autism Services contends it acted in good faith, starting services for children described as being in crisis while waiting on authorizations that were routinely approved after the fact. The company says this practice had been in place for years and only became an issue after being directed to stop services. Key’s state director warned that losing consistent therapy can put some children at higher risk of needing more restrictive supports.
The disruption has left families searching for alternatives in an already strained system. Waitlists for ABA therapy stretch for two to three years in Alabama. ABA therapy costs approximately $150 to $200 per hour without insurance coverage. Data from the National Survey of Children’s Health shows about 2.9% of Alabama parents report their child has autism, in line with the national average, but 8.1% of Alabama parents report their children have unmet health care needs. The agreement ending has also affected 30 to 40 behavioral therapists who no longer have clients to serve. ADMH said it is still reviewing the situation and could not comment further.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.fox10tv.com/2026/03/20/autism-therapy-disruption-leaves-alabama-families-scrambling-care-amid-long-waitlists/