Frequently Asked Questions
About Forta
Forta’s Mission is to clear the path to quality care for parents of children diagnosed with autism. Forta’s Family Powered Autism Therapy supports families by providing Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) training to parents and guardians so they can mediate consistent, quality ABA therapy.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), hereafter referred to as Autism (which includes Asperger’s Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified [PDD-NOS]), is a complex, lifelong developmental condition that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. The Autism experience is different for everyone. It is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is often referred to as a “spectrum condition” that affects people differently and to varying degrees.
While there is currently no known single cause of Autism, early diagnosis helps a person receive resources that can support the choices and opportunities as they define their path in life.
At Forta, parents mediate ABA care under the guidance of our world-class clinical team. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a set of principles that focuses on how behaviors change, are affected by the environment, and how learning takes place. Learn more about ABA therapy here. Our clinical results research paper shows parent training and involvement correlates with a significant improvement in the efficacy of ABA therapy (1).
The training team is composed of experienced clinical and training staff, including board certified behavior analysts (BCBA) who have delivered ABA therapy to clients with autism.
Forta currently is offering an online based curriculum. In addition, we provide virtual study sessions with a live instructor, support material, additional quizzes to aid in retention, one-on-one Q&A, and an active community of other parents taking the course. When your child is in ABA therapy, parents receive ongoing feedback and personalized training from their BCBA.
- Your child has ASD
- Your child has an active insurance plan that approves telehealth ABA services
- Currently reside outside the states of AZ, LA, NV, PA and SD
- Complete the Parent Training Program
- Complete an initial clinical assessment with one of our BCBAs
- Available for 15+ hours a week to work with your child
To be accepted into Forta’s Parent-mediated ABA Therapy, we require that your child has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and a clinician concluded your child has ASD (often marked F84.0). The clinician conducting the evaluations must sign the diagnosis and can be one of the following licensed practitioners: MD, DO, PhD Psychologist, PsycD.
Eligibility
Yes, both parents can take the training and work together to mediate the therapy hours. What it means to be family-powered is to work with all members of the family to create a therapy program that fits your needs and schedule.
- Your child has ASD
- Your child has an active insurance plan that approves telehealth ABA services
- Currently reside outside the states of AZ, LA, NV, PA and SD
- Complete the Parent Training Program
- Complete an initial clinical assessment with one of our BCBAs
- Available for 15+ hours a week to work with your child
At this time our program is only available to parents who reside in the US.
We serve parents of clients who are diagnosed with or evaluated for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and have multiple programs available for all ages.
Your child can still qualify for the program as long as the diagnoses fit within the clinical scope of the program and the main reason for seeking ABA services is for ASD.
Parent Mediated ABA
Applied behavioral analysis is a therapeutic method developed based on extensive research on the causes and consequences of autism. It also relies on numerous studies on the behavior of children with autism and how they communicate, interact and respond to sensory information. Overall, most experts agree that methods based on ABA principles can significantly improve language and communication skills, attention, and problem behavior.
Yes, you will work with your BCBA to develop and implement your therapy plan including live monitoring of your sessions from time to time.
No. Therapy is conducted 100% online as a telehealth model. The parent will mediate the experience alongside their child on one end of a video call and a BT will be guiding each session with a portion of your sessions being supervised by your BCBA.
Ideally you will have one primary BT but during your time in ABA services you may have multiple BTs supporting you in order to fit your schedule and needs. This ensures you are continuing to receive the maximum amount of prescribed ABA as possible. This will lead to the most likely positive clinical outcomes.
Once you begin therapy at Forta you will be assigned a dedicated Client Success Manager (CSM). Your CSM will work with you and your BT to develop a schedule that works for your family.
We also offer “On Demand” therapy through the Forta App, which allows you to contact our support desk to schedule with any available BTs on our staff! This service is a great way to expand your weekly therapy hours as your schedule changes throughout the week.
You will have access to a clear schedule through the Forta App once you begin therapy.
Each session can vary depending on your schedule and the treatment plan created by your BCBA.
Currently Forta is focused on supporting families with a child on the autism spectrum and does not currently offer a program for ABA therapy for non-ASD individuals.
Every child with autism is different. Forta focuses on evidence-based ABA Therapy by structuring exercises that lead to benefits and outcomes. Various ABA therapy studies show documented improvement in increased focus, improved connections with family and friends, more effective communication with others, and the understanding of personal space and physical contact. Our goal at Forta is to help you and your family achieve the best possible outcomes with the support of ABA therapy.
Forta is not currently accepting applications for parent-led paid services.
Yes, both parents can take the training and work together to mediate the therapy hours. What it means to be family-powered is to work with all members of the family to create a therapy program that fits your needs and schedule.
A parent or multiple parents can mediate therapy for multiple children so long as they are able to meet the criteria of mediating therapy for a minimum of 20+ hours.
Parent ABA Training
Forta’s Parent Training Program teaches ABA concepts that will equip you with the tools to support your child’s unique needs. You will learn proactive and reactive strategies to assist your child in developing new skills, retaining existing abilities and promote positive behavior for your child to have success across multiple settings.
The training covers the basics of behavior therapy so parents can support their child’s development in the following areas:
- Cognition
- Communication
- Social emotional
- Adaptive living skills
- Behavior
- Sensory processing
Complete the application to see if you qualify for the free training. Our family care coordinators can schedule a call to give you a course overview and answer any questions.
According to a recent study, Parent-mediated ABA Therapy may increase positive outcomes over practitioner led therapy.
You will learn the benefits of implementing ABA programs including:
- How to observe and track behaviors
- Improve parent + child communication
- Accelerate child’s learning with enriching play
- Navigate episodes and acting out with tools and protocols
- Better coordinate your child’s care with specialists, doctors, teachers, and community members
The course consists of 6 modules and takes an average of 10 hours. It is to be completed on your own time and highly encouraged to complete before beginning sessions.
As an online, self-serve course, the Parent Training Program should be completed entirely on your own time, pace and schedule. You will have access to a google classroom that offers optional live virtual classroom sessions, access to 1:1 meetings with our training team, study guides and mock quizzes.
No, there is no final exam or test of your skills. Our program is designed to teach you the skills you need to successfully support your child’s ABA therapy and continued learning before, during and after therapy sessions with your BT. Parents who are involved in the therapy process can have a profound impact on the results of the therapy.
We often accept other family members to join the primary guardian in the training but we do require that they have the ability to support therapy services with the child as well.
Yes, both parents can take the training and work together to support ABA therapy.
A parent or multiple parents can participate in therapy for multiple children so long as they are able to meet the criteria of delivering therapy for a minimum of 20+ hours.
We encourage our parents to work diligently through the course and keep up with the classroom pace we set. We also require that parents who can not meet this demand, do complete it in 90 days.
Insurance
Forta does work with a limited number of out of network providers so long as the provider approves your therapy and you agree to the terms and costs of the out of network billables.
ABA therapy is covered by most insurance plans. In order to assess our ability to provide care, are you interested in registering for an intake interview? If so, please fill out the getting started form on our site.
We will conduct an eligibility check with your insurance provider following your intake appointment but prior to beginning training. Once the eligibility check has been performed, further details on pre-authorization requirements, the copayment, coinsurance, and deductible required can be determined.
We are currently accepting Medicaid in the following states*: CA, CO, DC, DE, GA, IL, KS, MA, ME, NC, NH, NM, OH, OR, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WY.
We are continuously working to expand insurance coverage and encourage you to apply so we can review the details of your plan.
*MCO Exclusions apply
Our training program is provided at no cost, however as the guardian of our client, your child, you will accept responsibility to pay any necessary copays or coinsurance associated with completing a clinical assessment and receiving therapy.
We are not accepting out of pocket payments at this time.
We can also assist by providing payment plan options, financial hardship information and a list of grants and other opportunities for financial assistance.
If applicable, your first copayment would be due after your first therapy session.
Copays and coinsurance payments will depend on your payor and prior authorization approval. We will cover your financial requirements during the intake and onboarding process before proceeding with therapy.
Diagnosis
For ABA services to be covered, your insurance provider will need a diagnosis report written and signed by a medical doctor or phd psychologist. Authorizations and claims will not be approved without proper documentation.
Your insurance provider does not accept school documents at this time, unless they meet the above requirements. If this changes in the future, Forta would be happy to accept alternative forms of documentation that support an ASD diagnosis.
If you have a school IEP that includes an evaluation of ASD, please apply and we will work with you to get approval from your insurance. In certain cases we may require an additional evaluation and diagnosis from your physician.
Please have them fax it to 650-360-6969 or email to clientrecords@fortahealth.com
Your child can still qualify for the program as long as the diagnoses fit within the clinical scope of the program and the main reason for seeking ABA services is for ASD.
To be accepted into Forta’s Parent Mediated ABA Therapy, we require that your child has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and a clinician concluded your child has ASD (often marked F84.0). The clinician conducting the evaluations must sign the diagnosis and can be one of the following licensed practitioners: MD, DO, PhD Psychologist, PsycD.
If you have received a diagnosis for ASD, please apply and we will work with you to ensure you have your documentation in order prior to beginning therapy with Forta.
We recommend using a free scanner application such as Tiny Scanner or Adobe Scan for iOS or Android. We require the full report, not just select pages.
iOS: How to scan documents on your iPhone or iPad
Android: TinyScanner or Adobe Scan
Please have your primary care physician send a signed and dated letter to you confirming the ASD diagnosis and ICD-10 code F84.0. ICD-10 code F84.0 for Autistic disorder is a medical classification as listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) under the range - Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders.
If you are not able to acquire an updated report from your primary care physician, please let us know. Depending on your state, Forta may be able to conduct a new ASD evaluation to assist with acquiring an updated diagnosis report.
We currently are not requiring a diagnosis be dated within 5 years, but it may put your ability to gain services at risk down the line. If you are insured by a Texas Medicaid program, you will need to have a report confirming ASD dated within the last 3 years.
Here are some actions you can begin to take to help gain ABA services:
- If a referral is required by your insurance provider, please request for the referral as soon as possible. If in an eligible state, we may also be able to assist with acquiring an updated referral or diagnosis.
- Schedule the reassessment appointment with a medical doctor or Ph.D. psychologist.
- Ask to be added to the cancellation list to receive notifications about any cancellation appointments.
- Regularly call the provider’s office to check for cancellations. It’s best to call the office thirty minutes after the office opens as the staff will have listened to any cancellation voice messages.
- All pages of the diagnosis report must be included
- Report must include a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- OR Code - F84.0 (299.0)* listed on document
- Signed by MD, DO, PHD Psychologist, or PsycD
- Includes a recommended level of Autism support (i.e. level 1 or mild; level 2 or moderate; level 3 or requiring substantial support)
- A recommendation for ABA therapy
- Include at least one standard psychiatric evaluation for autism.
- Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised [ADI]
- Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule [ADOS-1, ADOS-2]
- Gilliam Autism Rating Scale [GARS] 1-2
- Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders [DISCO]
- Childhood Autism Rating Scale [CARS]
- Autism Analytica [Virtual IPM]
- Others are accepted. Please submit the report you have available and we will review it to determine if it meets the required criteria for insurance approval.
- Thorough Background History (medical/family/educational)
- Developmental delays or regression
- Must be a recent report written within the last 5 years
- *If your insurance is a Texas Medicaid program, the diagnosis date must be within the last 3 years.