This page gathers autism and disability resources for families in Tarrant County, Texas. You'll find 14 local resources listed here, alongside Texas statewide programs and nationwide services, all verified and in one place. For children under three, Texas's starting point is ECI (Early Childhood Intervention); 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.
Child psychology and neurology experts here provide in-depth diagnostic evaluations for autism and other developmental disabilities. They examine your child's full needs before building a care plan tailored to your family.
This Austin center offers comprehensive autism and neurodevelopmental assessments for children through age 14, covering autism, developmental delay, ADHD, and more. Their team coordinates with neurology, speech, and other specialists to plan next steps together.
This official Texas HHS tool lets you type in your city, county, or zip code and instantly find the Early Childhood Intervention program that serves your area. Every Texas county is covered, so there's a program near you.
This Houston-based center's psychologists and developmental pediatricians provide expert diagnostic evaluations for autism, developmental delay, and ADHD. Families leave with clear, individualized recommendations and help finding services in their own community.
A warm, plain-language guide from Texas HHS that walks parents through getting an evaluation, understanding an autism diagnosis, and connecting to ECI and other services. It's a trusted starting point when you're not sure what to do next.
ECI is Texas's free-to-low-cost statewide program for children birth to age 3 with developmental delays, disabilities, or a diagnosis like autism. Services come to you at home or in your community, and no family is ever turned away for inability to pay.
This Fort Worth center gives children with developmental and behavioral concerns a thorough autism diagnosis and evaluation, drawing on developmental pediatricians and psychologists all in one place. It's one of the region's most trusted spots to start when you have questions about your child's development.
If your child is under 3 and you're noticing delays in talking, moving, or connecting, ECI comes to you with evaluations and therapy right at home. Assessments are free, and the team walks alongside your family every step of the way.
For children 3 and older, your school district must evaluate for free if a disability like autism is suspected, even before kindergarten. Fort Worth ISD's Child Find team can start that process and connect you to early special education services.
This official county page is a plain, no-cost starting point that points local families toward autism diagnosis and support providers in the area. It's a helpful first stop if you're not sure where to begin.
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.
This is the state's official protection and advocacy agency, and they can offer free legal help when your child's special education or disability rights are being denied. Call their intake line to see if they can assist with your situation.
This nonprofit runs Texas's federally funded Parent Training and Information centers, offering free training, guidance, and one-on-one support to help you understand IEPs and advocate at school. Their help is free for every Texas parent of a child with a disability.
SPEDTex is Texas's official special education information center, with plain-language guides on the ARD/IEP process and staff who can answer your questions by phone or email. It's a friendly first stop when you're trying to make sense of your child's services.
Run by the Texas Education Agency, SPEDTex has a free call center and resource library that answers parents' questions about special education, IEPs, and their rights under IDEA. You can reach them by phone, email, or live online chat.
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.
One of Texas's leading pediatric hospital programs, offering individualized autism diagnosis and evaluation for children under age 12, plus a family Road Map with educational workshops and guidance to community therapies. Located in Houston, it serves families from across the state.
This state program provides focused ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy for children ages 3 to 15 through local contractors across Texas, and includes required parent training so you learn strategies to use at home. To find the provider nearest you and enroll, call 2-1-1 or reach out to your regional contractor.
If your child has Medicaid, this official state tool lets you search for Licensed Behavior Analysts (ABA), plus speech, occupational, and physical therapy providers near you by ZIP code and health plan. The TMHP Contact Center can help if you get stuck.
This Dallas-area academic medical center offers comprehensive autism evaluation of your child's cognitive, social, and communication skills, along with behavioral intervention, neurology, and psychiatric care. Ask your pediatrician to send a referral to get started.
Part of McGovern Medical School, this clinic provides psychiatric assessment and treatment for autism-related challenges (like anxiety, ADHD, aggression, and repetitive behaviors) for individuals ages 3 to 45. It's a helpful option when your child needs specialized medical and behavioral support.
A nonprofit serving Texas families since 1976, the Autism Treatment Center runs a Fort Worth clinic offering autism-specific ABA, speech, and occupational therapy for children. They accept most insurance plans plus Medicaid and CAP funding on a sliding scale.
Cook Children's in Fort Worth runs a hospital-based Autism Services program offering diagnostic evaluations and full-day Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy that builds communication, social, and self-help skills. It's one of the most established autism programs in Tarrant County.
MHMR is the county's official Local IDD Authority and the first stop for publicly funded services for autism and developmental disabilities. Their intake team helps determine eligibility and connects families to care coordination, day programs, respite, and waiver programs.
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.
Texas ABLE lets your family save and invest money for disability-related expenses in a tax-advantaged account without risking SSI, Medicaid, or other means-tested benefits. It's run by the Texas Comptroller's office and is open to Texans whose disability began before age 46.
Texas offers Medicaid waiver programs like HCS, CLASS, MDCP and Texas Home Living that pay for respite, therapies, and in-home supports so your child can grow up at home instead of in an institution. Waitlists are long, so it helps to add your child's name to the interest lists as early as you can.
This nonprofit provides free civil legal help to lower-income families in Dallas County, including disability benefits, Medicaid, and Medicare issues. If a benefit has been denied or you're stuck in a system you can't untangle, their intake line is a good first call.
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.
A statewide nonprofit offering free information and referrals plus regional and virtual connection groups for parents, caregivers, and autistic adults across Texas. Its Navigating Autism program gives you individualized guidance, and many groups are available in Spanish.
Year-round sports training, competition, and inclusive recreation for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, at no cost to families. The program also welcomes the whole family with social events, connection, and community wherever you live in Texas.
Run by Texas Health and Human Services, this free statewide tool helps you find respite care so you can take a much-needed break while someone trusted looks after your child, from a couple of hours to overnight. You can search local providers by zip code, age, and type of care.
A statewide network that pairs you with another parent who has been through it, plus weekly support-group calls in English and Spanish, a parent mentor program, and help navigating disability services. It is family-run and built around the idea that no Texas parent should feel alone.
A Burleson-based nonprofit serving Tarrant County families with social skills groups, family field trips, music therapy, and monthly respite and 'THRIVE' get-togethers for kids, teens, adults, and parents. A friendly spot for both support and fun.
FEAT-NT hosts monthly parent support meetings with free childcare, plus social groups for tweens, teens, and adults on the spectrum across the DFW area. It's a place to swap stories with parents who truly understand.
A countywide collaboration of families, self-advocates, and agencies that hosts caregiver networking, educational sessions, and the 'Making Connections' resource fairs where you can find local services all in one place. A welcoming way to plug into the wider community.
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.
As the state's federally designated disability protection and advocacy nonprofit, Disability Rights Texas offers free guides, sample agreements, and legal help for families weighing guardianship and less-restrictive alternatives as a young adult turns 18. You can reach their statewide intake line to ask for assistance.
This state page explains what guardianship is and walks families through alternatives like powers of attorney, trusts, and representative payees as their child becomes a legal adult. It also points you to the HHSC Guardianship Services Program for further help.
This state program helps Texans with disabilities, including autism, prepare for, find, and keep meaningful jobs through counseling, training, assistive technology, and support for young adults leaving school. It's free to eligible individuals, and you can start with an online referral or a phone call.
A state agency with clear, family-friendly information on less-restrictive options to full guardianship, so your adult child keeps as much independence as possible. They cover supported decision-making, representative payees, and where to find training and legal resources.
This is your local partner with Texas Workforce Solutions Vocational Rehabilitation, helping young adults with disabilities prepare for, find, and keep meaningful jobs. They offer job readiness training, paid internships, job coaching, and career counseling right here in Tarrant County.
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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