Enacted in 2013, Texas’ latest autism insurance law ensures that applied behavior analysis is covered by most insurance plans, including most state employee health plans, all fully insured large group plans, and fully insured small group plans. With the passage of this law came a new era in which applied behavior analysis became more accessible to the patients that need it, while creating new opportunities for small private practices and independent practitioners to grow their clientele and patient rosters.
While Texas’s insurance law requires that autistic patients receive a diagnosis before the age of ten in order for them to be eligible to receive covered treatment, there is no age limit on the provision of treatment itself once that diagnosis has been made. This gives ABAs in Texas the opportunity to work with a wider eligible patient population than is typical in most of the country. (Autism Speaks, 2013).
Applied behavior analysts are needed in Texas now more than ever. From 2000 to 2010, Texas experienced a 400% increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism, and with insurance providers recognizing the necessity of ABA treatment well beyond the school-aged years, ABAs in the state are enjoying more opportunities than ever before.
Salary Figures For Board Certified Applied Behavior Analysts With Ten Years of Experience in Texas
Shown here are 2016 average salaries for ABAs with ten years of experience in some of the largest cities in Texas broken down by employment sector:
Houston:
- Company—$67,251
- Non-Profit Organization—$63,649
- School District— $66,380
- Government, State & Local— $67,488
- Private Practice—$67,488
San Antonio:
- Company—$61,461
- Non-Profit Organization—$57,653
- School District— $58,723
- Government, State & Local— $60,872
- Private Practice—$61,103
Dallas:
- Company—$65,208
- Non-Profit Organization—$61,756
- School District—$63,826
- Government, State & Local— $65,213
- Private Practice—$65,243
Austin:
- Company—$63,173
- Non-Profit Organization—$59,656
- School District— $61,361
- Government, State & Local— $62,971
- Private Practice—$63,033
Fort Worth:
- Company—$64,614
- Non-Profit Organization—$60,854
- School District— $62,434
- Government, State & Local— $64,271
- Private Practice—$64,410
Salary Figures For Board Certified Applied Behavior Analysts Starting Their Careers in Texas
Shown here are 2016 average salaries for first-year ABAs just entering the field in Texas’s six largest cities, broken down by employment sector:
Houston:
- Company—$54,316
- Non-Profit Organization—$51,392
- School District— $53,537
- Government, State & Local— $54,469
- Private Practice—$54,475
San Antonio:
- Company—$51,447
- Non-Profit Organization—$48,246
- School District— $49,071
- Government, State & Local— $50,900
- Private Practice—$51,164
Dallas:
- Company—$55,728
- Non-Profit Organization—$52,773
- School District—$54,472
- Government, State & Local— $55,676
- Private Practice—$55,776
Austin:
- Company—$48,559
- Non-Profit Organization—$45,845
- School District— $47,112
- Government, State & Local— $48,386
- Private Practice—$48,462
Fort Worth:
- Company—$53,824
- Non-Profit Organization—$50,682
- School District— $51,939
- Government, State & Local— $53,668
- Private Practice—$53,494
El Paso:
- Company—$47,423
- Non-Profit Organization—$43,964
- School District— $44,170
- Government, State & Local— $46,893
- Private Practice—$46,484
Salary data for entry-level and experienced applied behavior analysts was sourced from PayScale.com in December 2016. Using its daily-updated database of salary profiles, PayScale’s proprietary algorithms provide access to real-time salary information.