County resource guide
Autism Resources in La Plata County, Colorado
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in La Plata County. Colorado statewide resources also apply.
La Plata County (Durango) is in southwest Colorado. Mercy Hospital of Durango provides evaluation services. Durango School District provides special education. PEAK Parent Center provides free statewide IEP advocacy. Fort Lewis College contributes training resources. Families access Albuquerque, New Mexico or Denver for specialized evaluations.
Provider directory
Local Providers11 providers in La Plata 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.
Silverton · multi-county
Children's Hospital Colorado — Durango / San Juan County
San Juan County (Silverton) is Colorado's smallest county by population. Families seek autism evaluations through Durango (La Plata County), approximately 50 miles south via the Million Dollar Highway — a stunning but demanding drive. Telehealth is strongly recommended as the first access point.
Durango is 50 miles south via US-550. Telehealth strongly recommended given terrain.
Durango · multi-county
Mercy Regional Medical Center — Developmental Pediatrics (Durango)
Mercy Regional Medical Center is the largest hospital in Southwest Colorado, serving La Plata County and the Four Corners region from Durango. Mercy provides developmental pediatric evaluations and referrals; complex cases are often referred to Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora (~340 miles, accessible by air). Telehealth with CHCO is strongly recommended as a first step.
Durango is the largest city in Southwest CO. Children's Colorado offers telehealth evaluations — a practical first step before the long drive to Aurora.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Durango
La Plata County Early Intervention
La Plata County's IDEA Part C early intervention program for children birth to age 3. Free developmental evaluations and home-based services in Durango and throughout Southwest Colorado. No diagnosis required.
FREE under IDEA Part C. Home-based services throughout La Plata County.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Durango · multi-county
BlueSprig Autism — Durango/La Plata County
ABA therapy services in Durango serving La Plata County and Southwest Colorado. BCBA-supervised in-home and community-based programming accepting Colorado Medicaid and commercial insurance. The most significant ABA provider in Southwest Colorado.
Colorado requires most commercial plans to cover ABA therapy. One of the few dedicated ABA providers in Southwest Colorado.
Mental health
Therapists and psychiatrists experienced with autistic children and adults.
Cortez · multi-county
San Juan Basin Health — Cortez Behavioral Health
San Juan Basin Health serves Montezuma County and the Four Corners region with behavioral health, developmental support, and mental health services. The county has a significant Navajo Nation population and San Juan Basin Health provides culturally informed care for Native and non-Native families in Cortez.
Serves Navajo Nation and Four Corners communities. Culturally informed care available.
Silverton · multi-county
San Juan Basin Health — Southwest CO Services
San Juan Basin Health serves the southwest Colorado region including San Juan County with behavioral health and developmental support services. Durango-based coordination with outreach to rural communities including Silverton.
Durango-based with outreach to San Juan County.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Cortez · multi-county
Autism Society of Colorado
Statewide autism support and peer connection for Montezuma County families. The Four Corners region's distance from Denver makes virtual peer support especially valuable for Cortez-area autism families.
Silverton · multi-county
Autism Society of Colorado
Statewide autism peer support for San Juan County families. With Colorado's smallest county population, virtual connection to the broader Colorado autism community is the primary peer support available to Silverton-area families.
Durango · multi-county
Autism Society of Colorado — Southwest Colorado/Durango Chapter
Autism families in Durango and La Plata County connect through the Autism Society of Colorado's statewide network. Support groups, resource navigation, and connection to Southwest Colorado's growing autism community in one of the state's most scenic regions.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Silverton · multi-county
PEAK Parent Center
Colorado's federally funded PTI. Free IEP advocacy for the very few families navigating San Juan County's tiny school district. PEAK Parent Center is an essential outside resource for this extremely small school population.
FREE. Federally funded PTI — essential for San Juan County's tiny school enrollment.
Durango · multi-county
PEAK Parent Center — Southwest Colorado/La Plata County
Colorado's federally funded PTI serving La Plata County and the Southwest Colorado region through phone and remote outreach. Free IEP advocacy for families in Durango and neighboring school districts. Critical resource given the distance from Denver-area advocacy organizations.
FREE. Remote support available — distance from Colorado Springs is not a barrier.
For providers
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Helpful guides
Guides for La Plata 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.
See all Colorado resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Colorado.
Colorado state guide →Nearby counties in Colorado
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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