This page gathers autism and disability resources for families in Kent County, Rhode Island. You'll find 13 local resources listed here, alongside Rhode Island statewide programs and nationwide services, all verified and in one place. For children under three, Rhode Island's starting point is Rhode Island's early intervention program; for school-age children, special education and IEPs run through your local school district. Confirm details directly with each provider.
Diagnosis & Early Intervention
Getting an evaluation and accessing early services.
Free CDC milestone checklists and a Milestone Tracker app help you follow your child's development from 2 months to 5 years, so you know what to watch for and when to act. A gentle first step when you're unsure whether to seek an evaluation.
Part of Brown University Health, this Providence center is Rhode Island's leading program for evaluating and diagnosing autism, developmental delays, and related conditions in children. Their team brings together developmental pediatricians, psychologists, and therapists under one roof.
This Brown University Health division provides comprehensive, family-centered diagnostic evaluations for children with autism spectrum disorders, developmental delays, and learning or language differences. Developmental pediatricians work alongside psychologists, speech, and other specialists to guide your family's next steps.
Rhode Island's free, statewide program supports babies and toddlers under age 3 who may have a developmental delay or disability, offering evaluations and therapies right where your child plays and learns. There is no cost to families, and you don't need Medicaid to qualify.
RIPIN's peer professionals, many of them parents of children with special needs themselves, help families navigate Early Intervention, evaluations, IEPs, and healthcare from the very start of the journey. Their Early Childhood Parent Consultants offer free care coordination for children birth to three.
A Rhode Island collaboration of parents, professionals, and autistic individuals that helps families find developmental screenings, evaluations, and the right Early Intervention or Child Outreach referrals. They also offer family navigation, parent education, and welcoming community programs.
Located in East Providence and affiliated with Brown University, CADD offers one of the country's most comprehensive ranges of care for children and young adults with autism who also face mental health or behavioral challenges. Services span outpatient evaluation and therapy through more intensive support.
A trusted Providence-based nonprofit offering Early Intervention for infants and toddlers birth to three who are at risk of or already showing developmental delays. Services and coaching happen right in your home, and they serve Providence, Pawtucket, Cranston, and many nearby towns.
This Warwick-based nonprofit offers free early intervention right in Kent County, sending therapists, educators, and specialists to work with your baby or toddler in your own home. Their team helps identify delays early and coaches parents on ways to support development day to day.
School & IEP Rights
IEPs, 504 plans, special education, and school advocacy.
Every state has a federally funded Parent Training & Information Center offering free help with IEPs, special-education rights, and early intervention. This hub's directory locates the center that serves your state.
A national nonprofit protecting the rights of students with disabilities. Use their member directory to find a special-education attorney or trained advocate near you when you need help with an IEP or a dispute with a school.
Every state has a federally mandated Protection & Advocacy agency that offers free legal help when a school isn't following your child's IEP or evaluating them as required. This directory connects you to the office serving your area.
Disability Rights Rhode Island is the state's independent, federally mandated protection and advocacy organization for people with disabilities. They protect the legal rights of students and families, including access to a free and appropriate public education, and offer plain-language guides on your education rights.
The Rhode Island Department of Education oversees special education statewide, ensuring schools follow IDEA and provide every eligible student an appropriate education. Their office can explain IEP and 504 processes, dispute resolution, and transition services for students ages 3 through 21.
When you and your child's school don't agree, the state offers free, impartial help including facilitated IEP meetings, mediation, formal complaints, and due process hearings. You don't have to sort out a disagreement alone.
Therapy & Treatment
ABA, speech, OT, and finding the right providers.
You matter too. Psychology Today's therapist finder filters for 'caregiver stress' and 'autism family,' and Open Path Collective offers reduced-cost therapy sessions nationwide. You cannot support your child well without also supporting yourself.
This hospital program offers one of the most comprehensive continuums of autism care in the country, from outpatient and family therapy at the Verrecchia Clinic to partial-hospital, home-based, and residential treatment for kids with autism and co-occurring behavioral needs. Call to learn which program fits your child.
The state health department's special-needs hub points families of children with autism and other conditions to resource guides, care coordination, and programs like the Special Needs Emergency Registry. It's a helpful government starting point when you're figuring out what's available in Rhode Island.
A hospital-based pediatric therapy team offering speech, occupational, and physical therapy for children with autism and developmental delays, with a clinic right in East Greenwich close to Warwick and Coventry. This is a good first stop when your child needs evaluations or ongoing hands-on therapy.
A Rhode Island nonprofit that has served families touched by autism and developmental disabilities since 1976, offering early intervention, therapeutic services, schooling, and home-based support. Their long history and full range of programs make them a steady, experienced partner for your family.
Financial Assistance & Benefits
Medicaid waivers, SSI, ABLE accounts, and legal aid.
ABLE accounts let people with disabilities (onset before age 26) save money tax-free without losing Medicaid or SSI eligibility. This center compares every state's ABLE program so you can pick the best one for your family.
The state's main free civil legal aid firm for low-income Rhode Islanders, with a Public Benefits Group that helps with government benefits including SSI and SSDI denials and appeals. Call their intake line to see if you qualify for representation.
Rhode Island's state agency that determines eligibility for Medicaid-funded long-term services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including residential help, case management, transportation, and daily living support. Their eligibility unit can walk your family through applying.
A state-sponsored savings program that lets people with disabilities and their families set money aside for disability-related expenses without losing SSI or Medicaid. Accounts can be opened online with as little as $25, and balances under $100,000 don't count against SSI limits.
Free legal help for low-income Rhode Island families with disability, SSI, Social Security, and Medicaid problems, including denials and appeals. Their Public Benefits Unit can step in when benefits are cut off or a claim is turned down.
Rhode Island's Medicaid program is the gateway to health coverage and disability services for children and adults with special needs, and it's how many families qualify for the DD waiver. You can apply online, by phone, or in person through the HealthyRhode portal.
Support Groups & Community
Find your people, in person and online.
The nation's oldest grassroots autism organization. Their National Helpline connects families to information and referrals, and their affiliate finder points you to a local chapter in your area for in-person support and events.
The largest national community-based organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Local chapters offer advocacy, family support, and lifelong services. Use the chapter finder to locate the office nearest you.
Dial 2-1-1 (or visit 211.org) to reach a free, confidential referral line for local health and human services in almost every US community, including disability services, respite, food, housing, and financial assistance.
Rhode Island's state agency for developmental disabilities, connecting families to community resources, family support, and self-directed services. Their community resources page is a trustworthy starting point for finding vetted local organizations.
A Newport-based adaptive sailing program that gets children and adults with disabilities out on specially designed sailboats at Fort Adams State Park each summer. First-timers are welcome, and no family is ever turned away for financial reasons, with scholarships available.
Year-round sports training and friendly competition for more than 4,000 Rhode Island children and adults with intellectual disabilities, including a Young Athletes program for little ones. It's a warm, welcoming way for your child to build skills, confidence, and friendships.
Best Buddies builds one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, easing the isolation many families feel. Operating in Rhode Island since 2010, their programs create real social connection and belonging for your child.
A university center at Rhode Island College in Providence that connects families with information, training, and support around developmental disabilities. If you are unsure where to turn, their staff can help point you toward the right services.
Adult Transition & Long-Term Planning
Aging out of school, adult services, and long-term planning.
A neurodivergent employment agency offering job support nationwide over Zoom: resume building, mock interviews, and career guidance, plus direct outreach to employers to help secure placements. Supports neurodivergent individuals roughly ages 16 to 50, and has been in business over 15 years.
A nonprofit that sets up and manages special needs trusts and provides social-work support so your loved one's savings don't jeopardize Medicaid or SSI. Their Rhode Island team can help you plan for a secure financial future with professional trustee and fiduciary services.
Run by the statewide Community Provider Network of Rhode Island, this pooled special needs trust lets families set aside money for a loved one with a disability without risking Medicaid or Social Security eligibility. Legal fees start around $200, making it a far more affordable option than a traditional trust.
Rhode Island's state agency that helps youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities move from school into adult services, with a Youth in Transition program that supports families from ages 14 through 22. They can even join your child's IEP meetings and help you apply for adult services as early as age 16 years 10 months.
The state's vocational rehabilitation program helps Rhode Islanders with disabilities choose, prepare for, obtain, and keep a job, covering things like training, evaluations, and job supports. If your young adult receives SSDI or SSI, they're generally presumed eligible.
Based at Rhode Island College, the Sherlock Center guides families through the move from school to work and adult life, with programs like Project SEARCH, benefits counseling, and person-centered planning. It's a trusted statewide hub connecting you to the right agencies and supports.
This long-established nonprofit sets up and manages special needs trusts so families can set money aside for a loved one's future without risking Medicaid or SSI. Their Rhode Island office is in Providence, and they handle the ongoing trust management so you don't have to navigate it alone.
Based right in Warwick, this state council helps families understand guardianship and its less-restrictive alternatives, like Supported Decision-Making, so adults keep as much say over their own lives as possible. They offer plain-language guides and videos on housing, finances, relationships, and medical decisions.
A long-established nonprofit serving over 1,600 Rhode Islanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Seven Hills runs weekday day-habilitation and employment programs that build life skills and community connections. Staff help each adult explore integrated, paid work matched to their interests.
A note on these listings. This directory is informational and not an
endorsement. Programs, phone numbers, and eligibility change, so always confirm details
directly with the provider before relying on them. Nothing here is medical or legal advice.
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