County resource guide
Autism Resources in San Diego County, California
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in San Diego County. California statewide resources also apply.
San Diego County's autism services are anchored by Rady Children's Hospital, the region's leading pediatric center, and the San Diego Regional Center which funds therapy and support services through California's nationally unique Regional Center system. Autism Society San Diego is one of the most active local chapters in the state. California requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy, making access significantly better here than in most states.
School evaluation
Request a School Evaluation
Under IDEA, your school district must evaluate your child for free if you request it in writing. Here’s who to contact in San Diego County:
San Diego Unified School District — Special Education
Call the Special Education office to initiate a Child Find referral. Submit a written request to start the 60-day timeline.
Contacts verified May 2026 — call to confirm current numbers
Learn how to write your evaluation request →Provider directory
Local Providers20 providers in San Diego County
About our listings
Provider listings on Autism Parent Club are submitted by practices or researched from public sources. All listings are reviewed for accuracy before publication. To suggest a correction, use the “Suggest a correction” link below.
Diagnostic clinics
Formal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.
La Jolla
Brain Spectrum Neuropsychology
Premier diagnostic clinic in La Jolla specializing in gold-standard autism evaluations for children, teens, and adults. Director Dr. Elisabeth Thurlow is ADOS-2 certified with over 25 years of experience. Also evaluates ADHD, learning disorders, and giftedness.
Source: https://brainspectrumneuro.com/
San Diego
BrainWorks Behavioral Health — San Diego
Licensed neuropsychologists conducting comprehensive autism diagnostic evaluations for all age groups in San Diego County. Uses multi-dimensional assessments covering social communication, behavior, cognition, and adaptive functioning. Offers in-person and telehealth.
Source: https://brainworksbehavioralhealth.com/diagnostic-evaluations/autism/
San Diego
Rady Children's Hospital — Developmental Evaluation Clinic
San Diego's premier pediatric hospital offers comprehensive developmental and autism evaluations. Multi-disciplinary assessments with developmental pediatricians, neuropsychologists, and speech pathologists.
High demand. Ask about self-pay rates and the cancellation list.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
San Diego
Fred Finch CARES — San Diego
Center for Autism Research, Evaluation and Service at Fred Finch Youth & Family Services. Provides ABA for ages 0–21, early intervention (0–3), autism diagnostic evaluations for children 0–5, social skills groups, parent education, and mental health services throughout San Diego County.
Source: https://www.fredfinch.org/cares
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
San Diego
ABA Centers of America — San Diego
Center-based and in-home ABA therapy in San Diego County. BCBA-supervised with naturalistic teaching approach. Accepts most commercial insurance and Medi-Cal.
California ABA insurance mandate covers most commercial plans.
San Diego
Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST) — San Diego
ABA therapy provider with learning centers in San Marcos and Poway, plus in-home, school-based, and telehealth options across San Diego County and Imperial County. BCBA-supervised programs for children with ASD.
Source: https://autismtherapies.com/locations/san-diego
San Diego
Cortica San Diego
Comprehensive neurodevelopmental autism care center offering ABA therapy, speech, occupational, music therapy, early intervention, diagnostic evaluations, and pediatric medical care. Serves children and adolescents up to age 17 throughout San Diego County.
Source: https://www.corticacare.com/locations/ca/san-diego
Speech therapy
Speech-language pathology, AAC, pragmatic language, and feeding.
San Diego
North Star SLPC
Pediatric speech-language pathology practice in Point Loma specializing in autism, early intervention, apraxia, AAC, and nonverbal children. Uses child-led, neurodiversity-affirming approaches. Does not use ABA strategies.
Source: https://www.northstarslpc.com/about-me
Occupational therapy & sensory
Occupational therapy, sensory integration, and sensory diets.
San Diego
Kara Dodds & Associates Pediatric Therapy Center
Pediatric therapy center established in 2001 offering speech, occupational, and physical therapy. Specializes in autism, sensory processing disorder, apraxia, and language delays. Sensory motor gym on-site. Two locations: Mission Valley (San Diego) and Santee.
Source: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kara-dodds-and-associates-san-diego
San Diego
San Diego Occupational Therapy
Child-centered pediatric OT, speech therapy, physical therapy, and feeding therapy clinic. Provides sensory integration therapy and sensory diet programs. Located in the Sorrento Valley/UTC area of San Diego.
Source: https://sandiegooccupationaltherapy.com/
Poway
Sunrise Therapies
Neurodiversity-affirming, apraxia-informed occupational therapy for autistic individuals of all ages. Mobile/naturalistic OT delivered in homes, parks, and community spaces throughout San Diego County. Specializes in sensory integration and motor planning.
Source: https://www.sunrisetherapiesinc.com/
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
San Diego
Autism Society San Diego
Active local chapter with support groups, social skills programs, family events, and resource navigation. One of the more engaged local autism chapters in California.
San Diego
Autism Society San Diego — Support Groups
Local chapter running multiple support groups countywide: East County (La Mesa), Moms Group (South Bay), Dadvocate Happy Hour (North County), Spanish-language group (Chula Vista), Spectrum Social for autistic adults, severe autism caregiver support, and teen/parent monthly groups.
Source: https://www.autismsocietysandiego.org/programs/support-groups
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
San Diego
Regional Center of San Diego
San Diego's Regional Center funds services for individuals with developmental disabilities including autism. Service coordination, respite, therapy funding, and adult transition services.
Apply at diagnosis. California Regional Centers are among the best-funded DD service systems nationally.
Anaheim · multi-county
TASK — Team of Advocates for Special Kids
Southern California's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center (PTI). Free IEP advocacy, training, and one-on-one support for families in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. The most important call before any IEP meeting in SoCal.
Bakersfield · multi-county
TASK — Team of Advocates for Special Kids (Kern County)
Southern California's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center extends services to Kern County families. Free IEP training, advocacy coaching, and one-on-one support before and during IEP meetings.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Remote/phone support available for families outside Anaheim.
Riverside · multi-county
TASK — Team of Advocates for Special Kids (Riverside County)
San Bernardino · multi-county
TASK — Team of Advocates for Special Kids (San Bernardino County)
Anaheim · multi-county
TASK — Team of Advocates for Special Kids (Santa Barbara)
Southern California's federally funded PTI center serving Santa Barbara County families with free IEP advocacy, training, and special education navigation. Phone and video support available for families throughout the county.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Remote support available statewide.
For providers
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Featured listings include your logo, extended description, a direct contact button, and top placement above standard listings. Families searching for help in San Diego County see you first.
Missing a provider? Submit a listing — it’s free →
School districts & government services
Public programs and school district contacts for San Diego County.
School & special education
- San Diego Unified — Special Education
Official SDUSD special education site; sandiegounified.org/special-education redirects here.
Services & benefits
Adult services
Respite & support
Helpful guides
Guides for San Diego County families
Step-by-step help on the topics that matter most.
School & IEP
Navigating the IEP process
Your rights under IDEA, how evaluations work, and what every IEP section means.
Finding help
ABA, OT, speech and waitlists
How to find qualified providers, navigate insurance, and get off waitlists faster.
Getting started
Where to start after diagnosis
A week-by-week checklist for the first 90 days — from evaluation to early intervention.
Benefits & money
SSI, Medicaid waivers, ABLE accounts
Federal benefits your child may qualify for and how to apply without losing your spot.
Mental health
Co-occurring conditions and support
Managing anxiety, ADHD, and depression alongside an autism diagnosis.
Daily life
Sensory processing and OT
Understanding sensory needs, sensory diets, and how occupational therapy helps.
Adulthood
Employment, housing, legal planning
Supported employment, housing options, guardianship alternatives, and ABLE accounts.
Communities served
Cities in San Diego County
Serving families across San Diego County including San Diego, Chula Vista, Oceanside, Escondido, Carlsbad, El Cajon, Vista, San Marcos, Santee, Encinitas, National City and La Mesa and more.
See all California resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in California.
California state guide →Nearby counties in California
See something that needs fixing?
Providers move, phone numbers change, and links break — it happens. If anything on this page is out of date, wrong, or no longer working, please tell us and we’ll fix it. Keeping this accurate for autism families is the whole reason we’re here.
Report a correction →Help the community
Know a great provider in San Diego County?
If a therapist, clinic, or specialist helped your family, tell us about them and we’ll add them to the directory so other families can find them too.
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