Local Autism Resources in Lansing, MI
Clinics, programs, parks and people in Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties 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 3-5
Build Up Michigan, Ingham ISD
Free
Preschool special education
For children ages 3 to 5 who seem behind on milestones. A local coordinator explains free services and next steps, including special education if your child qualifies.
BCBA note
Ages 0-3
Early On, Eaton RESA
Free evaluation
Eaton County
The early intervention program for babies and toddlers under 3 who live in Eaton County, including Grand Ledge. Services are free with no income rules.
BCBA note
Ages 0-3
Early On, Ingham ISD
Free evaluation
County program
Ingham County's early intervention program for babies and toddlers under 3. Anyone can make the referral, and evaluations and services are free.
BCBA note
Ages 31 months to 17
MSU Psychiatry Clinic Autism Evaluation Center
Autism evaluation
University clinic
Michigan State University's psychiatry clinic in East Lansing evaluates children for autism with a team of a child psychiatrist, psychologist, speech pathologist and pediatrician.
BCBA note
MSU Psychological Clinic, Autism Clinic
Diagnostic assessment
Parent training
University clinic
Michigan State University's psychology clinic has an Autism Clinic that does diagnostic assessments and parent training for autistic children in East Lansing.
BCBA note
Ages 0-3
Early On, Clinton County RESA
Early intervention
Clinton County
The early intervention program for babies and toddlers under 3 in Clinton County, so DeWitt and St. Johns families start here.
BCBA note
Alpaca Health
This is us.
ABA therapy by telehealth anywhere in Michigan, and at home where an independent BCBA serves your address. Michigan Medicaid and private insurance are verified before therapy starts.
Start your intake →
Paying for care
Medicaid, the Innovations Waiver, SSI, grants and local charities.
Michigan Medicaid Application (MI Bridges)
Statewide
Medicaid
Apply online
Where to apply for Michigan Medicaid and other state health coverage for your child, online through MI Bridges or on a paper form.
BCBA note
Michigan Medicaid Autism Services (MDHHS)
Medicaid
State program
Statewide
Michigan Medicaid covers autism services for children, and families on Medicaid reach them through their county community mental health agency.
BCBA note
Children's Special Health Care Services, Ingham County Health Department
County program
Medical conditions
A state program that helps with care costs for children who also have a chronic medical condition. The Ingham County team helps families apply.
BCBA note
MiABLE Disability Savings Program
Savings account
State program
Michigan's ABLE savings account for people with disabilities, so a family can save for the future without losing benefits.
BCBA note
Under 18
Michigan Family Support Subsidy
Statewide
Monthly payment
A monthly state payment for families raising a child with a severe disability at home, including autism, applied for through the county mental health agency.
BCBA note
Parent groups and advocates
People who have done this before and will pick up the phone.
Birth to 26
Michigan Alliance for Families
Free
Parent mentors
Spanish and Arabic
Michigan's parent center for special education. Staff who are parents themselves help you understand IEPs, your rights and how to talk with the school.
BCBA note
All ages
Mid-Michigan Autism Association
Volunteer-led
Free resources
Lansing nonprofit
A volunteer-led Lansing autism group that shares free social stories and sensory toolkits, hosts events open to all abilities and keeps a list of autism-friendly local businesses.
BCBA note
All ages
Autism Alliance of Michigan MiNavigator
Free
Statewide
Resource navigators
A free statewide service where autism navigators help families find evaluation centers, therapists and community activities near them.
BCBA note
Disability Rights Michigan
Statewide
Legal rights
Special education
Michigan's protection and advocacy agency, based in Lansing. Call for advice on disability rights, including special education problems.
BCBA note
The Arc of Mid-Michigan
Education advocates
Free consultation
Guardianship help
A disability nonprofit for Ingham, Eaton, Clinton and Shiawassee counties whose educational advocates help families work with schools on learning plans.
BCBA note
School help
The district offices, scholarships and programs that shape your child's school day.
Birth to 26
Lansing School District Special Education
Public school
Preschool assessment
Lansing
Lansing School District's special education department serves children from birth through age 26, with preschool classrooms for ages 3 to 5 and support in every school.
BCBA note
Okemos Public Schools Special Education
Public school
Written referral
Okemos families ask for a special education evaluation here. Referrals must be in writing, and testing happens within 30 school days of consent.
BCBA note
Special Education Mediation Services
Free
Statewide
IEP meeting help
When you and the school disagree about special education, this free state program arranges a neutral mediator or a meeting facilitator.
BCBA note
Clinton County RESA Special Education
Public school
Clinton County
Autism support team
Special education support for Clinton County districts, including DeWitt, with an autism support team and transition services for students 16 and older.
BCBA note
Birth to 26
Eaton RESA Special Education
Public school
Eaton County
Center-based program
Special education for Eaton County students from birth to 26, working with local districts such as Grand Ledge and Charlotte.
BCBA note
Birth to 26
Ingham ISD Special Education
Public school
Free
Parent Advisory Committee
Ingham County's intermediate school district adds specialists and programs to local districts' special education, at no cost to parents, from birth to age 26.
BCBA note
Places to play and explore
Parks, libraries, museums and sports with quieter hours or adapted programs.
All ages
Impression 5 Science Center
Sensory-friendly hours
Sensory backpacks
Lansing's hands-on science center turns down sound, scent and lighting in select exhibits during sensory-friendly hours, with sensory backpacks and a virtual map to preview the building.
BCBA note
All ages
Potter Park Zoo
Sensory bags
Quiet areas
KultureCity certified
Lansing's zoo has free sensory bags, headphones, quiet areas and a sensory map, and was certified sensory inclusive by KultureCity.
BCBA note
Celebration Cinema Lansing Sensory Showtimes
Sensory-friendly movies
Captions
A south Lansing movie theater with sensory showtimes, where the lights stay up, the sound is lower and previews are cut short.
BCBA note
NCG Cinema Lansing Sensory Friendly Movies
Sensory-friendly movies
Monthly
A Lansing movie theater that shows sensory-friendly films each month with the lights on, the sound down and no previews.
BCBA note
All ages
Potter Park Zoo FALCONERS
Sensory-friendly events
Free
Monthly
Free monthly sensory-friendly events at Lansing's zoo for children and adults with autism or other special needs, with the whole family welcome.
BCBA note
All ages
Special Olympics Michigan, Area 8 (Eaton and Ingham)
Year-round sports
Young Athletes
Unified sports
Year-round sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities in Ingham and Eaton counties, from bowling and swimming to basketball.
BCBA note
All ages
Wharton Center for Performing Arts
Sensory-friendly shows
Sensory kits
MSU's performing arts center offers sensory-friendly performances for people with autism and lends sensory kits at every show.
BCBA note
Dentists, haircuts and everyday care
Appointments that go better when the office already knows autism.
Birth to 18
UM Health-Sparrow Lansing Pediatric Rehabilitation
Speech therapy
Occupational therapy
Feeding therapy
Outpatient speech, occupational, feeding and physical therapy for children from birth to 18, with therapists who work with sensory and developmental needs.
BCBA note
All ages
Capital City Market Sensory-Friendly Mornings
Sensory-friendly hours
Grocery store
Monthly
A downtown Lansing grocery store dims its lights and turns off music one Saturday morning a month so shopping is calmer.
BCBA note
Discover Smiles Pediatric Dentistry
Pediatric dentist
Special needs
Sedation
A pediatric dental practice in Okemos with a special needs page that names sensory sensitivities and developmental disabilities, and sedation when a child needs it.
BCBA note
Under 21
Healthy Kids Dental
Statewide
Medicaid
Dental
Michigan's dental coverage for children under 21 who have Medicaid, at no cost to families, and the state says most Michigan dentists accept it.
BCBA note
All ages
Michigan Assistive Technology Program
Free device loans
Free demonstrations
Statewide
Try communication devices and other assistive technology before you buy. Demonstrations and device loans are free, and staff can come to you.
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 or text 988 any time for free, confidential support in a mental health crisis, for your child or for you.
BCBA note
All ages
CMHA-CEI Crisis Services
24/7
Walk-in
Children's crisis line
The tri-county mental health crisis team, open 24 hours for calls and walk-ins, with a separate line for children and teens in crisis.
BCBA note
All ages
Crisis Text Line
Text
Free
24/7
Text 741741 any time of day or night to reach a trained volunteer crisis counselor by text, for free.
BCBA note
NAMI Lansing
Support groups
Family support
Classes
Peer-led mental health support groups and classes for Lansing-area families and for people living with a mental health condition.
BCBA note
UM Health-Sparrow Behavioral Health Centralized Access Services
24/7
Hospital
Mental health assessment
A 24-hour team of mental health therapists in the Sparrow Lansing emergency department who assess people in crisis and arrange inpatient care if needed.
BCBA note
Teens, adults and community life
Work, independence and places to belong after high school.
Teens and adults
Peckham
Job training
Young adults
Lansing nonprofit
A Lansing nonprofit that trains youth and young adults with disabilities for work, with career coaching and paths into skilled trades.
BCBA note
CATA Spec-Tran
Paratransit
Curb-to-curb rides
CATA's curb-to-curb van and bus service for people with disabilities who cannot use regular buses, across Lansing, East Lansing and nearby townships.
BCBA note
Teens and young adults
Clinton County RESA Transition Services
Transition planning
IEP students
Clinton County
For Clinton County students with an IEP, the school plans the move to adult life, from job training and supported employment to independent living.
BCBA note
Ingham ISD Skills for Adult Independent Living (SAIL)
Transition program
Life skills
Job training
An Ingham ISD program where students on an IEP build daily living, job and community skills through classwork, volunteer jobs and outings.
BCBA note
Teens and adults
Lansing Community College Center for Student Access
College accommodations
Neurodivergent-friendly campus
Disability accommodations for students at Lansing Community College, which is also working to become a neurodivergent-friendly campus.
BCBA note
Ages 11 and up
Michigan Disability Rights Coalition Leadership Programs
Leadership
Peer-led
Statewide
Leadership programs run by and for people with disabilities, starting at age 11, that bring people together to build community and self-advocacy.
BCBA note
Ages 14-26
Michigan Rehabilitation Services Pre-Employment Transition Services
Statewide
Job training
Students
Michigan's vocational rehabilitation agency helps students with disabilities ages 14 to 26 explore jobs, try work experiences and plan for college or training.
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 Lansing parents ask
How do I get my child evaluated for autism in Lansing?
For a child under 3 in Ingham County, call Early On at Ingham ISD at 517-244-4514, where evaluations and services are free. For ages 3 to 5, Build Up Michigan's Ingham ISD coordinator at the same number explains free next steps, and you can ask your school district for a special education evaluation in writing at any time. Eaton County families call Early On at Eaton RESA at 517-541-8937, and Clinton County families call 989-224-6831.
Who can help me at an IEP meeting in Lansing?
Michigan Alliance for Families, the state parent center, gives free help with IEPs and special education rights at 800-552-4821, and a regional parent mentor covers Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties. If you and the school disagree, Special Education Mediation Services in Okemos arranges a free mediator or meeting facilitator at 1-833-KIDS-1ST.
How do Lansing families get Medicaid autism services?
Michigan Medicaid autism services for children in Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties run through CMHA-CEI, the community mental health agency, so call its Access Center at 517-346-8318 or 888-800-1559 to check eligibility. CMHA-CEI also handles the Family Support Subsidy, a monthly state payment for eligible families raising a child with autism at home. Alpaca Health verifies Michigan Medicaid and private insurance before the first session.
Ready to start ABA therapy in Lansing?
Tell us about your child and we verify your insurance before the first session.
Start your intake