County resource guide
Autism Resources in Highlands County, Florida
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Highlands County. Florida statewide resources also apply.
Provider directory
Local Providers10 providers in Highlands 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.
Sebring
Highlands Regional Medical Center — Developmental Referrals
Highlands County's primary hospital in Sebring offering pediatric care and developmental referral coordination. For comprehensive autism evaluations, families travel to Fort Myers (1.5 hrs) or Tampa (2 hrs). Golisano Children's Hospital or USF Health are the recommended destinations.
Inland rural county — plan to travel to Fort Myers or Tampa for comprehensive autism evaluations. USF Health and Golisano Children's are the recommended centers.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Wauchula · multi-county
Early Steps — Heartland Region (Hardee County)
Florida's Early Steps program provides free in-home early intervention for children birth–3 in Hardee County. Home-based speech, OT, and developmental therapy under IDEA Part C. Bilingual (English/Spanish) therapists available — important for Hardee County's large Spanish-speaking agricultural community.
FREE if income-eligible. Bilingual (English/Spanish) therapists available — ask specifically. Self-referral accepted.
Sebring · multi-county
Early Steps — Heartland Region (Highlands County)
Florida's Early Steps program provides free in-home early intervention for children birth–3 in Highlands County. Home-based speech, OT, and developmental therapy under IDEA Part C — the home-based model is the primary EI delivery method in this rural inland county.
FREE if income-eligible. Self-referral accepted.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Sebring · multi-county
Autism Learning Partners — Highlands County (Telehealth/In-Home)
Telehealth and in-home ABA therapy for Highlands County families. BCBA-supervised with Florida Medicaid accepted. Local ABA providers in Highlands County are extremely limited — telehealth parent coaching and possible travel to Fort Myers or Tampa are the realistic pathways.
Very limited local options. Telehealth is the primary ABA model. Accepts FL Medicaid.
Okeechobee · multi-county
Autism Learning Partners — Okeechobee County (Telehealth)
Telehealth parent coaching and in-home ABA therapy for Okeechobee County families. BCBA-supervised with Florida Medicaid accepted. Local ABA providers are effectively non-existent in Okeechobee — telehealth parent coaching and travel to Port St. Lucie or Fort Pierce are the realistic pathways.
Very few local providers. Telehealth is the most accessible first step. Accepts FL Medicaid.
Wauchula · multi-county
Centria Autism — Hardee County (In-Home and Telehealth)
In-home and telehealth ABA therapy serving Hardee County families. BCBA-supervised with Florida Medicaid accepted. Bilingual staff available. No local ABA exists in Wauchula — in-home services and telehealth parent coaching from Sarasota-area BCBAs are the primary options.
No local ABA in Hardee County. In-home and telehealth are the options. Bilingual (English/Spanish) staff available. FL Medicaid accepted — important in this agricultural county.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Sebring · multi-county
CARD at Florida Atlantic University — Highlands County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Highlands County through the FAU CARD. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, and resource navigation for Sebring and Avon Park families at no cost. Highlands County is a rural inland county — CARD telehealth consultation is the most accessible first resource.
FREE. State-funded. Highlands County is rural — CARD telehealth consultation is the most accessible first step. Fort Myers and Tampa are the nearest major provider hubs.
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.
Wauchula · multi-county
CARD at University of South Florida — Hardee County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Hardee County through the USF CARD. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, and resource navigation at no cost. Bilingual (English/Spanish) consultation available — critical for Hardee County's large Hispanic agricultural community in Wauchula. Telehealth is the primary access mode.
FREE. State-funded. Bilingual (English/Spanish) consultation available — essential for Hardee County's large Hispanic community. First call for any Wauchula family.
Sebring
Family Network on Disabilities — Highlands County
Free special education advocacy for Highlands County families through Florida's federally funded PTI. FND helps Sebring and Avon Park families navigate IEP processes and IDEA rights in a county with limited local disability resources.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Phone support primary for rural Highlands County.
For providers
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Helpful guides
Guides for Highlands 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 Highlands County
Serving families across Highlands County including Sebring, Avon Park, Lake Placid, Lorida, Palmdale, Venus, Dinner Island, De Soto City, Highlands Park and Spring Lake 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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