County resource guide
Autism Resources in Santa Barbara County, California
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Santa Barbara County. California statewide resources also apply.
Santa Barbara County is served by Tri-Counties Regional Center for developmental disability services and the Santa Barbara County Education Office SELPA for IEP coordination. Cottage Health's pediatric programs and Sansum Clinic provide local medical resources. Families in northern Santa Barbara County sometimes travel to the San Luis Obispo area; those in the south have access to Ventura County providers. California requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.
Provider directory
Local Providers8 providers in Santa Barbara 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.
Santa Barbara
Cottage Children's Medical Center — Developmental Pediatrics
Santa Barbara's premier children's hospital offering developmental pediatric evaluations and autism assessments. Multidisciplinary team with developmental pediatricians, psychologists, and speech-language pathologists. Accepts Medi-Cal and commercial insurance.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
San Luis Obispo · multi-county
Behavioral Health Works — San Luis Obispo
In-home ABA therapy serving San Luis Obispo County families. BCBA-supervised with naturalistic approaches for early learners. Accepts Regional Center authorization and commercial insurance. Telehealth parent coaching available.
Santa Barbara
BlueSprig — Santa Barbara
Center-based ABA therapy in Santa Barbara County. BCBA-supervised individualized programs for children with autism using naturalistic developmental approaches. Accepts Regional Center funding and commercial insurance.
California's ABA insurance mandate applies to most commercial plans.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Santa Barbara
Autism Support Network — Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara County peer support group for parents and caregivers of autistic individuals. Monthly meetings, resource sharing, and connections to Tri-Counties Regional Center services and local providers.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
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.
San Luis Obispo · multi-county
Tri-Counties Regional Center — San Luis Obispo Office
California's Regional Center serving San Luis Obispo County (along with Ventura and Santa Barbara). Provides service coordination, Early Start (birth–3), respite funding, and adult programs for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Apply at or before diagnosis — early enrollment speeds access to Early Start and therapy funding.
Santa Barbara · multi-county
Tri-Counties Regional Center — Santa Barbara Office
California's Regional Center serving Santa Barbara County (along with Ventura and San Luis Obispo). Provides service coordination, early intervention (ages 0–3), respite, and adult programs for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Apply at diagnosis. Santa Barbara office handles intakes for the county.
Ventura · multi-county
Tri-Counties Regional Center — Ventura
California's Regional Center serving Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. Provides service coordination, early intervention (ages 0–3), respite, adult day programs, and supported living for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Covers a large tri-county area. Ventura office is the primary contact for Ventura County families.
For providers
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School districts & government services
Public programs and school district contacts for Santa Barbara County.
School & special education
- Santa Barbara County Education Office — SELPA
Special Education Local Plan Area for Santa Barbara County — coordinates IEP services and Child Find.
Services & benefits
- Tri-Counties Regional Center— (805) 646-8000
California Regional Center serving Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties.
Adult services
- Tri-Counties Regional Center— (805) 646-8000
California Regional Center serving Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties.
Respite & support
- Tri-Counties Regional Center— (805) 646-8000
California Regional Center serving Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties.
Helpful guides
Guides for Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara County
Serving families across Santa Barbara County including Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Goleta, Carpinteria, Solvang, Buellton and Guadalupe 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.
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