Autism Resources in Jefferson County, Colorado

Idaho Springs · multi-county

Children's Hospital Colorado — I-70 Mountain Access

Clear Creek County families on the I-70 mountain corridor have strong access to Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora for comprehensive autism evaluations — Idaho Springs is only about 35 miles from Denver. The I-70 corridor gives Clear Creek County families better access than most mountain counties.

Denver is approximately 35 miles east via I-70 — excellent access for a mountain county.

Lakewood

Children's Hospital Colorado — Jefferson County Families

Jefferson County families have close access to Children's Hospital Colorado's main campus in Aurora and the Lakewood specialty clinic. Comprehensive autism evaluations, the Autism Treatment Network, and the Autism Developmental Disabilities Clinic serve Jefferson County residents as part of the greater Denver metro.

Children's Colorado Aurora main campus is ~20 minutes from Lakewood. Ask about the Lakewood specialty care location.

Fairplay · multi-county

Children's Hospital Colorado — Park County Access

Park County families in Fairplay access autism evaluations through Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora via US-285 through Denver's southwest suburbs — approximately 1.5 hours in fair weather. The I-285 corridor makes Park County more connected to Denver than its altitude and terrain suggest.

Aurora is about 1.5 hours via US-285. More accessible than many mountain counties.

Wheat Ridge

SCL Health — Lutheran Medical Center Developmental Services

SCL Health's Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge serves Jefferson County with pediatric specialty services including developmental evaluations. Part of the Intermountain Health system (formerly SCL Health), with referral pathways to Children's Colorado for full autism diagnostic evaluations.

For comprehensive autism evaluations, ask about referrals to Children's Hospital Colorado.

Golden

Jefferson County Early Intervention

Jefferson County's IDEA Part C early intervention program for children birth to age 3. Free multidisciplinary evaluations, speech therapy, OT, and service coordination for families throughout Jefferson County.

FREE under IDEA Part C. Request an evaluation in writing — this starts the 45-day clock.

Denver · multi-county

Attain ABA — Denver

ABA therapy with a regional Denver office at 2301 Blake Street, Suite 100. Serves Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties.

Source: https://www.attainaba.com/behavior-analysis/colorado/

Lakewood · multi-county

BlueSprig Autism — Lakewood

Center-based ABA therapy in Lakewood serving Jefferson County. BlueSprig's BCBA-supervised programs focus on communication, social skills, and adaptive behavior for toddlers through teens. Accepts Colorado Medicaid and most commercial insurance.

Colorado requires most commercial plans to cover ABA therapy.

Denver · multi-county

Centria Autism — Denver Metro

Center-based and in-home ABA therapy serving the Denver metro. BCBA-supervised. Accepts most commercial insurance and Colorado Medicaid.

Colorado requires most commercial plans to cover ABA therapy.

Lakewood · multi-county

Continuum Autism Spectrum Alliance — Colorado

In-home and clinic-based ABA therapy from a Lakewood office serving Denver metro and Jefferson County since 2012.

Source: https://www.autismspectrumalliance.com/locations/colorado/

Statewide · multi-county

Family Support Services Program and Colorado Respite Coalition vouchers

Two routes, and the first has a detail worth knowing: the Family Support Services Program, run through Community Centered Boards, helps cover costs of caring for a disabled child including respite, and has NO income limit. Separately, the Colorado Respite Coalition issues family vouchers toward respite. Several Colorado waivers also fund respite, including the Children's Extensive Support waiver.

No income limit on FSSP is unusual — apply even if you assume you earn too much. Your Community Centered Board is the door.

~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.

Denver · multi-county

Autism Society of Colorado

Statewide advocacy and support organization with active Denver-area programs. Support groups, community events, resource navigation, and crisis support for Colorado families.

Lakewood · multi-county

Autism Society of Colorado — West Metro Chapter

Autism Society of Colorado programming for Jefferson County families, including support groups in Lakewood and Arvada, resource navigation, and connection to statewide advocacy and the 24/7 crisis line.

Colorado Springs · multi-county

PEAK Parent Center

Colorado's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. Free IEP advocacy, training workshops, and one-on-one support for families statewide. Knows Colorado's specific rules and school district procedures inside out.

FREE. Federally funded PTI. Essential call before any IEP meeting in Colorado.

Englewood · multi-county

PEAK Parent Center — Arapahoe County Families

Colorado's federally funded PTI serving Arapahoe County families. Free IEP advocacy for families in Cherry Creek, Aurora, Englewood, and other Arapahoe County districts. PEAK provides training and individual coaching at no cost.

FREE. Federally funded PTI. The most important call before any IEP dispute.

Lakewood · multi-county

PEAK Parent Center — Jefferson County Families

Colorado's federally funded PTI serving Jefferson County at no cost. Free IEP advocacy and training for families navigating Jefferson County R-1 schools — one of Colorado's largest districts. Workshops frequently hosted in the Denver metro area.

FREE. Federally funded PTI. Essential resource before any IEP meeting.

Carbondale · multi-county

Ascendigo Autism Services

An autism-specific nonprofit in the Roaring Fork Valley near Aspen, built out from a summer sports camp started in 2004 into employment services, in-home behavioral therapy and life coaching. Camp activities run to wakeboarding, rafting, climbing and horse riding, with individualised plans using a naturalistic developmental behavioral approach. Genuinely adventurous rather than cautious, which suits young people who are tired of being handled carefully.

Boulder · multi-county

Autism Society of Boulder County - recreation and camps

The Boulder County chapter maintains a recreation and camps listing alongside its support work - a local organization that has collected what actually exists nearby.

Denver · multi-county

Denver Parks and Recreation - Adaptive Recreation

Therapeutic programs and leisure activities for people of all ages with disabilities, delivered by Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists. Municipal, so cheap and local.

Winter Park · multi-county

National Sports Center for the Disabled

One of the largest therapeutic recreation organizations in the world, serving more than 3,000 children and adults a year since 1970. Based at Winter Park Resort with a Front Range center at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden. Summer camp days run to hiking, archery, a ninja warrior course, horse riding, paddleboarding, kayaking and fishing; winter is skiing and snowboarding.

Front Range Adaptive Program Center at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, Golden - closer for most Denver-area families than Winter Park.

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.