Local Autism Resources in El Paso, TX
Clinics, programs, parks and people in El Paso County that help families of autistic kids, from Socorro and Horizon City to Canutillo and Fort Bliss. Each one was checked against the organization's own website, and there are no sponsored listings.
Getting a diagnosis
Where to get an evaluation, and who to call first for a child under 3.
Ages 0-3
El Paso ECI Referral Line
Free evaluation
El Paso and Hudspeth
One phone line for early intervention for babies and toddlers under 3 in El Paso and Hudspeth counties. Anyone can refer, and no diagnosis is needed.
BCBA note
Ages 3-21
El Paso ISD Child Find
School district
Free evaluation
El Paso ISD evaluates children who live in the district and may have a disability, autism included, at no cost to the family.
BCBA note
Ages 0-21
Region 19 Child Find
Free referral
School evaluations
A free referral and information line for El Paso-area families who think a child from birth to 21 may need special education.
BCBA note
Ages 0-21
Canutillo ISD Child Find
School district
Preschool evaluations
Canutillo ISD finds and evaluates children who live in the district, from birth through 21, and takes preschool referrals from age 3.
BCBA note
Emergence Health Network Child and Adolescent Clinic
Public clinic
ADOS testing
Counseling
Emergence Health Network's clinic for children and teens, with counseling, medication care for autistic children and the ADOS autism assessment.
BCBA note
Alpaca Health
This is us.
ABA therapy by telehealth anywhere in Texas, and at home where an independent BCBA serves your address. Texas Medicaid and private insurance are verified before therapy starts.
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Paying for care
Medicaid, the Innovations Waiver, SSI, grants and local charities.
Emergence Health Network IDD Services
Local IDD authority
Waiver lists
El Paso's local IDD authority. Call here to put your child on the HCS and Texas Home Living waiver interest lists and to ask about IDD services.
BCBA note
Ages 0-18
Medicaid Buy-In for Children
Statewide
Medicaid
Monthly premium
Lets working families with incomes above the usual Medicaid limit buy Medicaid for a child 18 or younger with a disability.
BCBA note
Ages 0-20
STAR Kids Medicaid
Statewide
Medicaid
Service coordinator
Texas Medicaid for children and young adults with disabilities age 20 and younger, given through a health plan with a service coordinator who helps you find care.
BCBA note
Texas Medicaid Waiver Interest Lists
Statewide
Waiting lists
Put your child on the state's long waiting lists for Medicaid waiver services now. You do not have to prove your child is eligible to join.
BCBA note
2-1-1 Texas
Statewide
Phone and chat
Spanish
The state's referral line. Dial 2-1-1 or chat in English or Spanish to find local programs, including help with Medicaid and other benefits.
BCBA note
El Paso Health
Local health plan
Medicaid and CHIP
El Paso's local nonprofit health plan for Medicaid STAR and CHIP members in El Paso and Hudspeth counties.
BCBA note
SSI for Children with Disabilities
Federal benefit
Monthly payments
Monthly federal payments that can help families of children with disabilities pay for basic needs, and a child on SSI can also get Medicaid.
BCBA note
Texas ABLE
Statewide
Savings account
A state savings program that lets people with disabilities and their families save money for disability-related expenses.
BCBA note
TRICARE Autism Care Demonstration
Military families
TRICARE
TRICARE's autism benefit for military families, including Fort Bliss families. Active duty families enroll the child in EFMP and ECHO first.
BCBA note
Free download
El Paso First 90 Days checklist
Every El Paso number you need in your first 90 days, in English and Spanish.
Parent groups and advocates
People who have done this before and will pick up the phone.
Ages 0-25
Children's Disabilities Information Coalition
Parent group
ARD help
Spanish
El Paso nonprofit that helps parents of children with disabilities get ready for ARD meetings, read school records and talk with the school.
BCBA note
Fort Bliss Exceptional Family Member Program
Military families
Respite
Systems navigators
Support for Fort Bliss soldiers' families with special needs, from systems navigators and respite care to help finding school and community services.
BCBA note
Ages 0-26
PEN Project, Partners Resource Network
Parent training center
Special education
Spanish
Free help for El Paso parents on special education rights, ARD meetings and IEPs, from the federally funded parent center with an office in El Paso.
BCBA note
Texas Parent to Parent
Statewide
Peer support
Spanish
Statewide group whose staff are parents of children with disabilities. Call to talk with a parent who has been where you are.
BCBA note
Autism Society of Texas, El Paso Chapter
Support groups
Free guidance
Spanish
Statewide autism nonprofit with El Paso chapter groups, plus free one-on-one guidance for parents and autistic adults through its Navigating Autism program.
BCBA note
Navigate Life Texas
Statewide
Parent guides
The state's website for parents of children with disabilities, with plain guides on diagnosis, Medicaid, waivers, school and turning 18.
BCBA note
The Arc of El Paso
Advocacy
Family connections
Local nonprofit for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, with advocacy, resources, education and community events.
BCBA note
School help
The district offices, scholarships and programs that shape your child's school day.
SPEDTex Special Education Information Center
Statewide
Help line
The state's special education help line for parents. Call, email or use the online form, and join its live webinars.
BCBA note
Fort Bliss School Liaison Program
Military families
School moves
Fort Bliss school liaisons help military families choose schools, handle school moves and connect with local districts, at no cost.
BCBA note
Parent-Directed Special Education Services (PDSES) Grant
Statewide
Grant
A one-time state grant for public school students in special education, spent online on approved learning materials and services.
BCBA note
Region 19 Autism Spectrum Disorders Program
Regional program
Training
Region 19's autism program trains El Paso-area schools and families and hosts a local conference for parents and professionals.
BCBA note
Ages 3-21
Socorro ISD Special Education
School district
Special education
Socorro ISD gives special education from a child's third birthday through 21 and answers a written evaluation request within 15 school days.
BCBA note
Ysleta ISD Special Education
School district
Spanish guides
Ysleta ISD's special education department, with parent guides to special education and the ARD process in English and Spanish.
BCBA note
Places to play and explore
Parks, libraries, museums and sports with quieter hours or adapted programs.
All ages
El Paso Zoo
Sensory bags
Quiet areas
KultureCity-certified zoo with quiet areas, headphone zones and sensory bags to borrow, plus a sensory-inclusive day each month.
BCBA note
All ages
La Nube
Sensory hours
Sensory kits
Downtown museum for children and families with free sensory backpacks and headphones to borrow, quiet corners and weekly sensory-friendly lighting hours.
BCBA note
All ages
El Paso Museum of Art
Free admission
Sensory kits
Free downtown art museum that the city lists as KultureCity certified, with quiet spaces and sensory kits lent out at the front desk.
BCBA note
El Paso Public Library Sensory Zone
Library
Small groups
A weekly sensory-friendly program at the Esperanza Acosta Moreno Library, with dim lighting, textured supplies and no more than 15 people.
BCBA note
El Paso's Miracle League
Adaptive baseball
Buddy for every player
Baseball on a specially built field at Ponder Park for players with disabilities, with a personal buddy for every child.
BCBA note
Dentists, haircuts and everyday care
Appointments that go better when the office already knows autism.
Ages 0-18
El Paso Children's Hospital Rehabilitative Services
Speech therapy
Occupational therapy
Feeding therapy
Speech, occupational, physical and feeding therapy for children from infancy to 18, with an outpatient clinic on the Eastside.
BCBA note
All ages
Take Time Texas
Statewide
Respite
The state's respite program for family members who care for someone of any age with a disability or chronic health condition.
BCBA note
Ages 6 months-18
The CrocDoc
Pediatric dentist
Special needs care
Medicaid
East El Paso pediatric dentist that regularly treats autistic children, offers short get-to-know-us visits and lets parents stay with their child.
BCBA note
UTEP Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic
Speech therapy
Teaching clinic
Spanish
A university teaching clinic where supervised graduate students give speech, language and hearing evaluations and therapy in English and Spanish.
BCBA note
Help in a crisis
Numbers to keep in your phone for the hard days.
All ages
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Free
24/7
Spanish
Call, text or chat 988 any time, day or night, for free and confidential help from a trained counselor.
BCBA note
All ages
Emergence Health Network Crisis Hotline
24/7
Crisis line
Youth team
El Paso County's 24-hour crisis line for mental health emergencies, answered by mental health professionals who can link you to care right away.
BCBA note
Under 17
El Paso Center for Children
Family counseling
Parent coaching
Counseling and coaching for families with a child under 17, in person or online, with evening appointments.
BCBA note
Ages 2 and up
El Paso Child Guidance Center
Counseling
Psychiatric evaluations
Sliding scale
Nonprofit mental health center for anyone age 2 and older, with therapy and psychiatric evaluations. No one is turned away for inability to pay.
BCBA note
Teens, adults and community life
Work, independence and places to belong after high school.
Ages 14-22
Texas Workforce Solutions Vocational Rehabilitation, Youth and Students
Statewide
Job training
College prep
State job and college help for students with disabilities ages 14 to 22, from work experience to job training. Apply through a local VR office.
BCBA note
Volar Center for Independent Living
Independent living
Peer counseling
Transition
El Paso center for independent living, staffed mostly by people with disabilities, that helps teens and adults build skills to live on their own.
BCBA note
Workforce Solutions Borderplex Vocational Rehabilitation
Job help
Youth services
El Paso's local door to the state's vocational rehabilitation program, which helps people with disabilities prepare for, find and keep a job at no charge.
BCBA note
Emergence Health Network Day Habilitation Learning Center
Day program
Life skills
Emergence Health Network's day program for people with IDD, with recreation, pre-vocational activities and life skills classes in one place.
BCBA note
Ages 18-25
EPCC Project HIGHER
College program
Job training
El Paso Community College program that helps young adults 18 to 25 with intellectual and developmental disabilities earn a certificate and find work.
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 El Paso parents ask
Where do I start if I think my child has autism in El Paso?
If your child is under 3, call the El Paso ECI referral line at 915-534-4324, and your child does not need a diagnosis to be referred. If your child is 3 or older, ask your school district's special education department for an evaluation, or call Region 19 Child Find at 915-780-6537 for help reaching the right office. The Emergence Health Network Child and Adolescent Clinic also gives the ADOS, a standard test used to diagnose autism.
How do I get my child on the Texas Medicaid waiver lists in El Paso?
Call Emergence Health Network, El Paso's local IDD authority, at 915-242-0555 for the HCS and Texas Home Living interest lists, and call 877-438-5658 for the CLASS, DBMD and MDCP lists. You do not have to prove your child is eligible to join, and some lists have waits of more than 15 years, so it helps to sign up early.
Does Texas Medicaid help pay for autism care in El Paso?
Children and young adults with disabilities age 20 and younger can get Medicaid through STAR Kids, which gives each child a service coordinator at the health plan. Families who earn above the usual limit may qualify for Medicaid Buy-In for Children, and military families at Fort Bliss can use TRICARE's autism benefit. Alpaca Health verifies Texas Medicaid and private insurance before the first session.
Ready to start ABA therapy in El Paso?
Tell us about your child and we verify your insurance before the first session.
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