County resource guide
Autism Resources in Charlotte County, Florida
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Charlotte County. Florida statewide resources also apply.
Charlotte County (Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda) is in southwest Florida. Fawcett Memorial Hospital and ShorePoint Health provide services. Charlotte County Public Schools provides special education. Family Network on Disabilities (FL PTI) provides free statewide IEP advocacy. Families access Lee County or Sarasota County providers for specialized evaluations.
Provider directory
Local Providers14 providers in Charlotte 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.
Port Charlotte
Bayfront Health Port Charlotte — Developmental Pediatrics
Pediatric services through Bayfront Health Port Charlotte (HCA Florida). Developmental screenings and autism referrals for Charlotte County families. For comprehensive autism evaluations, consider Golisano Children's Hospital in Fort Myers.
For full autism evaluations, many Charlotte families travel to Golisano Children's in Fort Myers (about 35 min).
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Arcadia · multi-county
Early Steps — Heartland Region (De Soto County)
Florida's Early Steps program provides free in-home early intervention for children birth–3 in De Soto County. Home-based speech, OT, and developmental therapy under IDEA Part C. Home-based delivery is the primary model in this very rural county.
FREE if income-eligible. Self-referral accepted. Home-based delivery from Charlotte County-area therapists.
Bradenton · multi-county
Early Steps — Suncoast Region (Manatee County)
Florida's Early Steps program provides free in-home early intervention for children birth–3 in Manatee County. Speech, OT, PT, and developmental therapy under IDEA Part C. Manatee County's growth has brought more therapists to the area, though waitlists remain.
FREE if income-eligible. Self-referral accepted. Refer as soon as developmental concerns arise — do not wait for diagnosis.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Port Charlotte · multi-county
Autism Learning Partners — Southwest Florida
In-home and center-based ABA therapy serving Charlotte County families. BCBA-supervised with a naturalistic developmental approach. Charlotte families often share providers with the Fort Myers metro.
Accepts Florida Medicaid and commercial insurance.
Arcadia · multi-county
Centria Autism — De Soto County (In-Home and Telehealth)
In-home and telehealth ABA therapy serving De Soto County families. BCBA-supervised with Florida Medicaid accepted. No local ABA exists in Arcadia — in-home services from Port Charlotte-based BCBAs and telehealth parent coaching are the primary options.
No local ABA in De Soto County. In-home from Port Charlotte and telehealth are the options. FL Medicaid accepted.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Port Charlotte
Autism Society of Southwest Florida — Charlotte Chapter
Parent support network for Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda families. Monthly meetings, family social events, and peer connections in a county with a significant retiree population — including grandparents raising grandchildren with autism.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Sarasota · multi-county
CARD at FGCU — Sarasota County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Sarasota County through the FGCU CARD. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, school support, and community resources at no cost to families.
FREE. State-funded. First call for Sarasota families.
Fort Myers · multi-county
CARD at Florida Gulf Coast University
Free state-funded autism resource center at FGCU serving Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, Glades, and Monroe counties. Family consultation, school advocacy, and community training at no cost.
FREE. State-funded. First call for Southwest Florida families.
Port Charlotte · multi-county
CARD at Florida Gulf Coast University — Charlotte County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Charlotte County through the FGCU CARD Southwest Florida region. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, and community resources for Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda families at no cost.
FREE. State-funded. Charlotte County families often share resources with Lee County — first call for Port Charlotte families.
Naples · multi-county
CARD at Florida Gulf Coast University — Collier County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Collier County through the FGCU CARD. Family consultation, school advocacy, IEP support, and community resources for Naples, Marco Island, and Immokalee families at no cost.
FREE. State-funded. First call for Naples families. Note: Immokalee families may face transportation barriers — CARD can help coordinate.
Moore Haven · multi-county
CARD at Florida Gulf Coast University — Glades County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Glades County through the FGCU CARD. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, and resource navigation at no cost. Glades County is one of Florida's least populated and most rural counties — telehealth consultation with CARD at FGCU is the most accessible first resource.
FREE. State-funded. Telehealth critical for Glades County. Fort Myers (1 hr) is the nearest major provider hub. CARD at FGCU telehealth is the recommended first step.
LaBelle · multi-county
CARD at Florida Gulf Coast University — Hendry County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Hendry County through the FGCU CARD. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, and community resources for LaBelle and Clewiston families at no cost. Hendry is one of Florida's most rural counties, with a large farmworker population — CARD provides bilingual (English/Spanish) consultation.
FREE. State-funded. CARD at FGCU offers bilingual (English/Spanish) services — important for Hendry County's large Hispanic farmworker community. First call for LaBelle and Clewiston families.
Arcadia · multi-county
CARD at University of South Florida — De Soto County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving De Soto County through the USF CARD. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, and resource navigation at no cost. De Soto is a rural, economically distressed county — CARD telehealth consultation is the most accessible free resource for Arcadia families.
FREE. State-funded. CARD at USF telehealth is the primary access point for De Soto County. First call for any Arcadia family.
Port Charlotte
Family Network on Disabilities — Charlotte County
Free special education advocacy for Charlotte County families through Florida's federally funded PTI center. Parent advocates assist with IEP meetings, IDEA rights, and disability resource navigation.
FREE. Federally funded PTI.
For providers
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Helpful guides
Guides for Charlotte 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 Charlotte County
Serving families across Charlotte County including Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Murdock, Rotonda West, Englewood, El Jobean, Grove City, Harbour Heights, Cleveland and Placida and more.
See all Florida resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Florida.
Florida state guide →Nearby counties in Florida
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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