Local Autism Resources in Boulder, CO
Clinics, programs, parks and people in Boulder County, from Boulder and Longmont to Lafayette, Louisville and Broomfield, that help families of autistic kids, each one checked against the organization's own website. No sponsored listings.
Getting a diagnosis
Where to get an evaluation, and who to call first for a child under 3.
Ages 0-3
A&I Avenues Early Intervention
Free evaluation
Boulder and Broomfield
The local early intervention program for babies and toddlers under 3 in Boulder, Broomfield and Gilpin counties. Every referred child can get a free evaluation.
BCBA note
Birth to 21
Boulder County Children with Special Needs Program
Free
Nurse care coordination
No diagnosis needed
Boulder County nurses help families of children with special health care needs find services, from birth to 21. No diagnosis or income limit is needed.
BCBA note
Ages 3-5
Boulder Valley School District Child Find
Free evaluation
Public school
Preschool
Free developmental screenings and evaluations for children ages 3 to 5 who live in the Boulder Valley School District. A parent or doctor can refer.
BCBA note
Infants to teens
Children's Hospital Colorado Developmental Pediatrics
Autism evaluations
Hospital clinic
The developmental pediatrics team at Children's Hospital Colorado evaluates babies, children and teens for autism and other developmental delays.
BCBA note
Ages 0-3
Early Intervention Colorado
State program
Referral line
Colorado's referral line for early intervention, for babies and toddlers under 3. Anyone can refer a child, including a parent.
BCBA note
Ages 3-5
St. Vrain Valley Schools Child Find
Public school
Preschool
Longmont
St. Vrain's Child Find team screens and evaluates children ages 3 to 5 for preschool special education. Families, doctors and preschools can all refer.
BCBA note
Ages 3 and up
Adams 12 Five Star Schools Child Find
School district
Evaluation request
How families in Adams 12 Five Star Schools ask the district to screen and evaluate a child 3 or older who may need special education.
BCBA note
Alpaca Health
This is us.
ABA therapy by telehealth anywhere in Colorado, and at home where an independent BCBA serves your address. Health First Colorado and private insurance are verified before therapy starts.
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Paying for care
Medicaid, the Innovations Waiver, SSI, grants and local charities.
Under 18
A&I Avenues Children's Waivers (CES and more)
Medicaid waivers
Case management
CES waiver
The door for Health First Colorado waivers for children in Boulder, Broomfield and Gilpin counties, including the Children's Extensive Support waiver.
BCBA note
All ages
Boulder County Housing and Human Services, Health First Colorado
Medicaid
CHP+
County office
Where Boulder County families apply for or renew Health First Colorado, the state's Medicaid program, online, by mail or at the Boulder and Longmont offices.
BCBA note
Under 19
Health First Colorado Buy-In Program for Children with Disabilities
Statewide
Medicaid
Monthly premium
A way for families who earn too much for Medicaid or CHP+ to buy Health First Colorado coverage for a child with a disability, with a monthly premium.
BCBA note
Ages 5-26
A&I Avenues Autism Spectrum Disorder Program
County funding
Autism diagnosis
No Medicaid needed
County funding for autistic children and young adults in Boulder and Broomfield counties who do not qualify for Medicaid waivers. Families choose services with a coordinator.
BCBA note
All ages
A&I Avenues Family Support Services Program
Grants
Family support
Grants and navigator help for families caring at home for a relative with an intellectual or developmental disability in Boulder, Broomfield or Gilpin County.
BCBA note
All ages
Health First Colorado Member Contact Center
Medicaid
Statewide
The statewide contact line for Health First Colorado, the state's Medicaid program. Its website covers renewals, changing a primary care provider and regional organizations.
BCBA note
Free download
IHSS Colorado Application Checklist
Apply for IHSS in Colorado from Boulder with every step and document in one place.
Parent groups and advocates
People who have done this before and will pick up the phone.
All ages
Association for Community Living (The Arc of Boulder and Broomfield Counties)
The Arc
Child advocacy
Transition help
The Arc chapter for Boulder and Broomfield counties. Families can ask for an advocate for a child or adult with an intellectual or developmental disability.
BCBA note
All ages
Autism Society of Boulder County Parent Support Groups
Free
Support groups
Open gyms
The local Autism Society chapter runs free parent support groups, including a monthly group in Lafayette and a private online group for Colorado parents.
BCBA note
All ages
PEAK Parent Center
Parent center
Statewide
Spanish
Colorado's parent center for families of children with disabilities, with parent advisors, trainings and help preventing and settling disputes with schools.
BCBA note
Autism Society of Colorado
Statewide
Support groups
Online
Colorado's Autism Society, which runs online peer support groups for parents and caregivers, autistic adults, partners and siblings.
BCBA note
All ages
Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition
Advocacy
Statewide
Statewide disability rights group, run by people with disabilities, that gives information and advocacy help to disabled Coloradans and their families.
BCBA note
All ages
Disability Justice (formerly Disability Law Colorado)
Legal rights
Statewide
Colorado's protection and advocacy organization for people with disabilities, with advocates and attorneys who handle discrimination, abuse and neglect.
BCBA note
Family Voices Colorado
Free
Health care help
Statewide
Parent-run group that helps Colorado families of children with special health care needs work through insurance, Medicaid waivers, early intervention and school services.
BCBA note
NAMI Boulder County
Free
Support groups
Mental health
Free peer-led support groups and classes for parents and family members of a child or adult with a mental health condition, online and in person.
BCBA note
All ages
Parent to Parent of Colorado
Parent mentors
Statewide
Online groups
Matches parents of children with disabilities or special health care needs with a trained support parent, plus online groups for caregivers across Colorado.
BCBA note
School help
The district offices, scholarships and programs that shape your child's school day.
Boulder Valley School District Special Education
Public school
Autism programs
Spanish materials
BVSD's special education department. Every school has at least resource-level support, and some have Intensive Learning Centers when an IEP team recommends one.
BCBA note
Ages 3-21
St. Vrain Valley Schools Special Education
Public school
IEP
Longmont
St. Vrain's special education department serves students ages 3 to 21, mostly in their neighborhood school, with services set by each child's IEP.
BCBA note
Boulder Valley School District Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC)
Parent council
School district
A council of Boulder Valley parents, educators and community members that advises the district on special education and shares a family welcome packet in English and Spanish.
BCBA note
Colorado Department of Education Special Education Dispute Resolution
Statewide
Mediation
State complaints
If you and your child's school disagree about special education, the state offers mediation, state complaints and due process hearings.
BCBA note
Ages 18 months to kindergarten
CU Boulder Child Learning Center
Inclusive preschool
Toddler groups
An inclusive toddler and preschool classroom at CU Boulder that welcomes children with and without special needs, using a play-based curriculum.
BCBA note
Middle and high school
Temple Grandin School
Private school
Neurodivergent students
A private school in Boulder designed for neurodivergent middle and high school students, with a socio-academic program built around how they learn.
BCBA note
Places to play and explore
Parks, libraries, museums and sports with quieter hours or adapted programs.
All ages
City of Boulder EXPAND Therapeutic Recreation
Therapeutic recreation
Scholarships
Special Olympics
Boulder Parks and Recreation's program for people with disabilities, with youth swim lessons, bowling, dance and Friday night fun, plus support in any city class.
BCBA note
All ages
Longmont SCOPE Therapeutic Recreation
Therapeutic recreation
Special Olympics
Assisted swimming
Longmont Recreation's program for people of all abilities, with bowling, basketball, swimming, track and more, plus support to join any city program.
BCBA note
Ages 4 and up
Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center
Therapeutic riding
Autism programs
Therapeutic horseback riding near Longmont for people with disabilities, including autism, with specialized programs for autistic riders and their siblings.
BCBA note
All ages
Ignite Adaptive Sports
Adaptive skiing
Eldora
Volunteer instructors
Adaptive skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing at Eldora Mountain Resort for people of all ages with disabilities, with lessons open to anyone regardless of ability to pay.
BCBA note
Ages 2 and up
Special Olympics Colorado
Year-round sports
Statewide
Unified sports
Year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, with 21 sports and unified teams that include partners without disabilities.
BCBA note
WOW! Children's Museum Sensory Friendly Playtime
Sensory-friendly hours
Lafayette
Low-sensory museum hours in Lafayette for children with autism or sensory processing differences, with fewer families, softer sound and lights, and adaptive equipment.
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Dentists, haircuts and everyday care
Appointments that go better when the office already knows autism.
Children's Dentistry (Boulder office)
Pediatric dentist
Special needs
Sedation
A pediatric dental practice in Boulder that welcomes children with special needs, with get-to-know-us visits, comfort items and sedation options.
BCBA note
All ages
CU Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic
Speech therapy
Hearing tests
Low-cost options
CU Boulder's teaching clinic offers speech, language and hearing evaluations and therapy for children and adults, with low-cost options.
BCBA note
Kid Skills Pediatric Therapy
Occupational therapy
Sensory clinic
Medicaid
An occupational therapy practice in Longmont with a sensory clinic and a farm, working with autistic children on sensory, motor, self-care and social skills.
BCBA note
Birth to teens
KidSPOT Pediatric Therapies
Speech therapy
Physical therapy
Medicaid
A Louisville therapy practice for children offering speech-language and physical therapy, including communication devices and feeding help, that takes Medicaid and CHP+.
BCBA note
Via Mobility Services Paratransit
Paratransit
Door-through-door rides
Shared-ride accessible transportation for people with disabilities and older adults, with drivers who walk riders door to door and help them on and off the bus.
BCBA note
Help in a crisis
Numbers to keep in your phone for the hard days.
All ages
988 Colorado
24/7
Call or text
Spanish
Call or text 988 any time to reach a trained crisis specialist in Colorado. Texting and live chat work in English and Spanish.
BCBA note
Under 18
Clinica Family Health and Wellness Child and Family Mental Health
Mental health
Kids and families
Mental Health Partners is now Clinica. Its child and family team offers mental health, substance use and intensive family services for kids, parents and caregivers.
BCBA note
All ages
Clinica Walk-in Crisis and Addiction Services Center
Walk-in
24/7
Free
A walk-in crisis center in Louisville, open every day around the clock, with free in-person help for anyone in a mental health or substance use crisis.
BCBA note
Boulder County Co-Responder Program
Mental health crisis
Co-responders
Case management
Boulder County behavioral health co-responders who go out with sheriff's deputies and police in Lafayette, Louisville, Erie, Superior and Nederland on mental health calls.
BCBA note
City of Boulder Behavioral Health Crisis Response Team
Mental health crisis
Co-responders
City of Boulder clinicians and case managers who respond, with or without police, to 911 and non-emergency calls about someone in a mental health crisis.
BCBA note
Colorado Bureau of Investigation Persons Who Wander Program
Statewide
Wandering
Safety
Colorado's CBI funds local programs that use tracking technology to find people with autism and other conditions who wander, and lists Longmont and Louisville police among them.
BCBA note
Longmont Public Safety CORE Co-Responder Team
Mental health crisis
Co-responders
Longmont
A Longmont team of a police officer, a mental health clinician and a paramedic that answers 911 calls about someone in a mental health crisis.
BCBA note
Teens, adults and community life
Work, independence and places to belong after high school.
Adults 18+
A&I Avenues Adult Services (SLS and DD Waivers)
Medicaid waivers
SLS waiver
Case management
The door for adult Health First Colorado waivers in Boulder, Broomfield and Gilpin counties, including Supported Living Services and the Developmental Disabilities waiver.
BCBA note
Adults 18+
Autism Society of Boulder County Adult and Young Adult Groups
Social groups
Autistic adults
Social and support groups for autistic adults in Boulder County, including an online space just for young autistic adults.
BCBA note
Ages 14 and up
Autism Society of Boulder County TinkerMill Memberships
Makerspace
Longmont
Skill building
Free memberships at TinkerMill, a makerspace in Longmont, for teens 14 and older and adults, plus one friend or caregiver, through the local Autism Society.
BCBA note
Ages 15 and up
Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Longmont Office
Statewide
Job training
Transition
Colorado's job program for people with disabilities, with youth services from age 15 and a Longmont office that serves Boulder, Lafayette, Louisville and Erie.
BCBA note
College students
CU Boulder Disability Services
College accommodations
CU Boulder
CU Boulder's office that sets up academic accommodations for students with disabilities, from registration to meeting an access coordinator.
BCBA note
Where to start
Know a place that belongs here? Email the team and we will check it and add it. Suggest a resource →
Questions Boulder parents ask
Where do I start if I think my child has autism in Boulder County?
If your child is under 3, call the Early Intervention Colorado referral line at 833-733-3734, and a state care navigator will schedule a free evaluation with A&I Avenues, the local program. If your child is 3 to 5, call your school district's Child Find office, 720-561-5263 for Boulder Valley or 303-772-6649 for St. Vrain. Boulder County's Children with Special Needs Program, 303-678-6064, can help at any age up to 21 and needs no diagnosis.
How do Boulder families apply for the CES waiver?
A&I Avenues is the Case Management Agency for Boulder, Broomfield and Gilpin counties, so you apply through its intake team at 303-439-7011. The Children's Extensive Support waiver is for children under 18 with a developmental disability determination who need almost constant supervision. Autistic children who do not qualify for a waiver may fit the county-funded Autism Spectrum Disorder Program at A&I Avenues, which serves ages 5 to 26.
Does Health First Colorado help pay for autism care in Boulder County?
Health First Colorado is the state's Medicaid program, and Boulder County Housing and Human Services takes applications online, by mail or at its Boulder and Longmont offices, 303-441-1000. When you apply, the county also checks Child Health Plan Plus, which is for families who earn too much for Medicaid. Alpaca Health verifies Colorado Medicaid and private insurance before the first session.
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