Autism Resources in Kenai Peninsula County, Alaska

Soldotna

Central Peninsula Hospital — Pediatrics

Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna is the primary hospital for the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Pediatric referrals here can begin the process toward developmental evaluation. Comprehensive autism evaluations typically require travel to Anchorage (~160 miles north) or telehealth with Anchorage specialists.

Anchorage-based evaluators (Providence, UAA CHD) are the nearest comprehensive diagnostic resource. Telehealth availability has improved access.

Soldotna

Infant Learning Program — Kenai Peninsula

The Kenai Peninsula ILP serves children birth to 3 with developmental delays across the borough including Soldotna, Kenai, Homer, and Seward. Services are delivered in the home or natural environments as required under IDEA Part C.

FREE. Self-referrals accepted. The Kenai Peninsula is large — ILP staff travel across the borough.

Soldotna

Behavior Independence, LLC

ABA therapy and occupational therapy clinic in Soldotna serving children on the autism spectrum. Services include early intervention, school-age, and teen programs with BCBAs and a licensed OT. Accepts Medicaid.

Source: https://www.behaviorindependence.com/programs

Soldotna

Kenai Peninsula Speech & Language Therapy

Speech-language services for children on the Kenai Peninsula including autism-related communication support, language delays, and AAC needs. The Homer and Soldotna areas have some private SLPs; more limited services exist in smaller communities like Seward and Seldovia.

Telehealth speech therapy is increasingly available and recommended for families in remote parts of the peninsula.

Kenai

Take Home Speech – Carma Shay, MA, CCC-SLP

Private speech-language pathology practice in Kenai specializing in autism and childhood apraxia of speech, plus feeding and swallowing therapy. Serves Kenai, Soldotna, Sterling, Nikiski, and Kasilof. Hanen-certified clinician.

Source: https://www.takehomespeech.com/about

Soldotna

Kenai Kids Therapy

Pediatric clinic in Soldotna offering occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy for children ages 0–18, including those with autism. Uses sensory integration approaches and an interdisciplinary team model.

Source: https://www.kenaikidstherapy.com/services.html

Kenai

Kenai Peninsula Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy services for children with autism and sensory processing needs on the Kenai Peninsula. OT availability on the peninsula is limited; telehealth consult and Anchorage referral are common supplements for families needing intensive sensory integration work.

OT is often the most scarce specialty on the Kenai Peninsula. Ask PARENTS, Inc. for current provider referrals.

Fairbanks · multi-county

Counseling Collective of Alaska

Group practice at 3550 Airport Way, Suite 3, Fairbanks AK 99709. Lists autism as a specialty area alongside trauma-informed and person-centered care. Serves all ages, in-person and telehealth. Free 15-minute consultation available.

Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/counseling-collective-of-alaska-fairbanks-ak/1076342

Statewide · multi-county

Respite through Alaska's HCBS waivers — sometimes family-directed

Respite is funded through Alaska's Home and Community-Based Services waivers, administered by the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services, and for some waiver categories it can be family-directed — meaning you arrange and direct the care rather than accepting an agency roster. Easterseals Alaska also runs respite services directly. Given the IDD Registry implies a wait beyond fourteen years, ask what is available outside the waiver as well.

The Aging & Disability Resource Center line is the practical first call. Ask specifically whether family-directed respite applies to your waiver category.

~3,000 providers nationwide

ARCH National Respite Locator

A free national database of respite providers searchable by state and locality — home care agencies, community-based organizations and state programs. The single best starting point for finding respite anywhere in the country, and it is the tool state agencies themselves point families toward.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Before you pay out of pocket, check what your state's Medicaid waiver funds — respite is covered by nearly every state waiver, and many families never think to ask.

Most states run one

Your state's Lifespan Respite Care Program

Lifespan Respite Care Programs are federally seeded, state-run programs that help families of any age and any disability find and pay for respite — often including vouchers or subsidies that do not depend on having a Medicaid waiver. Most states have one, they are chronically under-used, and they are rarely mentioned by anyone else in the system.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Search for "[your state] Lifespan Respite" or use the ARCH directory. Ask specifically about voucher or subsidy programs — that is the part families most often miss.

Anchorage · multi-county

PARENTS — Partners for Progress

Alaska's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. Free IEP advocacy, training, and one-on-one support for Alaska families statewide. An exceptionally important resource given Alaska's vast geography and very limited specialized provider ecosystem.

FREE. Federally funded PTI. Alaska's most critical advocacy resource — the PTI is often the first and best call for any AK family.

Anchorage · multi-county

PARENTS, Inc. — Statewide PTI (Interior Region)

Alaska's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center serves families statewide including Fairbanks North Star Borough. Provides free IEP support, special education advocacy, and training. PARENTS, Inc. is often the most important first call for Fairbanks families navigating the school system.

FREE statewide PTI. Serves Interior Alaska families remotely. Highly recommended first contact.

Anchorage · multi-county

Alaska Autism Resource Center

The statewide autism resource center, and the most reliable route to finding what actually runs locally in a state where distance makes everything harder.

Anchorage · multi-county

Challenge Alaska - Summit Camp

An annual summer camp for YOUNG ADULTS aged 18 to 25 on the autism spectrum, built on a strengths-based approach to friendship, self-esteem and finding recreational opportunities. Provision aimed squarely at the years after school services end is scarce everywhere and almost unheard of this far north.

Anchorage · multi-county

Hope Community Resources

Inclusive recreational and educational programming through community centers across Alaska, with summer camps for children and teenagers, alongside behavioral and mental health services for autistic people.

200+ locations nationwide

ACEing Autism

Weekly Saturday tennis clinics built specifically for autistic children aged 5 to 18, run by volunteers at more than 200 locations across the country, serving over 7,000 players. Sessions run in six-week blocks of an hour. This is the clearest example of the interest-based model working: the sport supplies the structure, the turn-taking and the reason to be there, so the social side happens sideways rather than being the task.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Cost varies by location — around $120 for a six-week session at some sites, with scholarships available. Use the map on their site to find your nearest program, schedule and local contact.

~4,000 camps nationwide

American Camp Association — camp finder

A free searchable directory of close to 4,000 summer camps that can be filtered for camps serving autistic campers, by distance, session length, activities and cost. The best single starting point for finding a day or overnight camp anywhere in the country.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Registration for specialized camps typically opens December–February and popular overnight camps fill within days. Start the funding conversation in autumn.

Nationwide — find your local chapter

Best Buddies

One-to-one friendship matching between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, plus employment, leadership and inclusive living programs. Over 4,000 chapters across all 50 states, serving school-age through adult. If what your family wants is a friend rather than an activity, this is the most direct answer in the country.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

A national organization, not a local listing — use the finder on their site, or call 1-800-89BUDDY, to locate your nearest chapter.

Local affiliates across most of the country

Easterseals — camps and recreation

Day and overnight camps run through local Easterseals affiliates, several of them autism-specific, with weekend respite and family camp sessions as well. Many affiliates operate sliding-scale fees, and several camps serve adults alongside children.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Programs vary a great deal between affiliates — check what your nearest one actually runs rather than assuming the national description applies.

Week-long camps hosted nationwide

iCan Shine (iCan Bike)

Teaches people with disabilities to ride a conventional two-wheeled bicycle, using adapted roller bikes over a week-long camp that gradually transfers balance to the rider. Learning to ride a bike is a milestone a lot of autistic children are quietly written off for, and this is the program that most reliably delivers it. Camps are hosted by local organizations across the country, so availability is by host town rather than by chapter.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Check their site for host locations and dates — camps run in different towns each year, so somewhere near you may host this year and not next.

Local chapters in a number of US cities

KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now)

Volunteer-led one-to-one recreation for children and young adults with developmental and physical disabilities, at no cost to families or carers. The one-to-one model is the point: a volunteer is paired with your child for the session, which makes it workable for people who cannot manage a group setting unsupported.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Free to families. Runs through local chapters in a number of US cities rather than everywhere — check whether yours has one.

900+ divisions nationwide

Little League Challenger Division

Baseball for children and adults with a physical or intellectual disability, across more than 900 divisions. The main division serves ages 4–18, or up to 22 if still enrolled in school; the Senior League Challenger Division serves 15 and above with no upper age limit.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Use the league finder on their site to locate the nearest Challenger division, or ask about starting one.

200+ communities

Miracle League

Baseball on purpose-built accessible fields in more than 200 communities. Every player bats and every player scores, so ability differences do not decide the game.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Check their location list for the nearest field — coverage is good but not universal.

Every state — county-level programs

Special Olympics

Year-round sports training and competition at no cost to the athlete or their family, for children and adults alike. Programs run at county level in every state.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Eligibility centers on intellectual disability or a closely related developmental disability. If your child is autistic without an intellectual disability, have a direct conversation about fit before signing up rather than after.

Through local clubs and state associations

TOPSoccer (US Youth Soccer)

The Outreach Program for Soccer — recreational soccer for children and adults with intellectual, emotional or physical disabilities, usually with buddy support on the pitch. Run through ordinary local soccer clubs rather than as a separate organization.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Ask your state youth soccer association which local clubs run TOPSoccer — it is often not advertised on the club's own website.