County resource guide
Lafayette County, Florida
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Lafayette County. Florida statewide resources also apply.
Local providers
15 listedDiagnostic clinics
Formal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.
Mayo
Doctors' Memorial Hospital — Developmental Referrals
Lafayette County's small critical access hospital in Perry (Taylor County, 30 min) or Lake City (45 min) are the nearest facilities for developmental referrals. No local autism specialists exist in Lafayette County. Families travel to Gainesville (1.5 hrs) or Lake City for evaluations. UF Health telehealth is the most accessible option.
Lafayette County has no hospital. Travel to Lake City (45 min) or Gainesville (1.5 hrs) required for any autism evaluation. UF Health telehealth is the recommended starting point.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Perry · multi-county
Early Steps — Big Bend Region (Taylor County)
Florida's Early Steps program provides free in-home early intervention for children birth–3 in Taylor County. Speech, OT, PT, and developmental therapy delivered in the home under IDEA Part C.
FREE if income-eligible. Self-referral accepted.
Lake City · multi-county
Early Steps — North Central Florida (Columbia County)
Florida's Early Steps program provides free in-home early intervention for children birth–3 in Columbia County. Speech, OT, PT, and developmental therapy delivered in the home under IDEA Part C.
FREE if income-eligible. Self-referral accepted.
Mayo · multi-county
Early Steps — North Central Florida (Lafayette County)
Florida's Early Steps program provides free in-home early intervention for children birth–3 in Lafayette County. Home-based speech, OT, and developmental therapy under IDEA Part C — the home-based model is the only practical EI approach in this tiny rural county.
FREE if income-eligible. Self-referral accepted.
Live Oak · multi-county
Early Steps — North Central Florida (Suwannee County)
Florida's Early Steps program provides free in-home early intervention for children birth–3 in Suwannee County. Home-based speech, OT, and developmental therapy under IDEA Part C.
FREE if income-eligible. Self-referral accepted.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Mayo · multi-county
Behavioral Health Works — Lafayette County (Telehealth)
Telehealth ABA parent coaching for Lafayette County families. No ABA providers exist in Lafayette County. Telehealth parent coaching and travel to Lake City for center-based services are the only paths. BCBA-supervised with Florida Medicaid accepted.
No local ABA in Lafayette County. Telehealth coaching only. Accepts FL Medicaid.
Live Oak · multi-county
Behavioral Health Works — Suwannee County (Telehealth)
Telehealth parent coaching and limited in-home ABA therapy for Suwannee County families. BCBA-supervised with Florida Medicaid accepted. Suwannee County has essentially no local autism providers — telehealth is the primary model while families explore center-based options in Lake City or Gainesville.
Very limited local options. Telehealth coaching plus travel to Lake City or Gainesville for center-based ABA. Accepts FL Medicaid.
Perry · multi-county
Behavioral Health Works — Taylor County (Telehealth)
Telehealth ABA parent coaching for Taylor County families. Local ABA options are essentially non-existent in Taylor County — telehealth parent coaching and commuting to Tallahassee (55 min) for center-based services are the realistic pathways. BCBA-supervised with Florida Medicaid accepted.
Telehealth coaching or commuting to Tallahassee for ABA. Accepts FL Medicaid.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Jasper · multi-county
CARD at Florida State University — Hamilton County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Hamilton County through the FSU CARD. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, and resource navigation for Jasper and White Springs families at no cost. Hamilton County is rural — FSU CARD provides telehealth consultation as the primary service model.
FREE. State-funded. Hamilton County straddles the FSU and UF CARD service areas — call FSU CARD first. Telehealth consultation is the standard.
Live Oak · multi-county
CARD at Florida State University — Suwannee County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Suwannee County through the FSU CARD. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, and resource navigation for Live Oak families at no cost. Suwannee County is rural — FSU CARD and UF CARD both serve overlapping areas here; call FSU CARD first.
FREE. State-funded. Suwannee County straddles the FSU and UF CARD service areas — call FSU CARD at (850) 644-4367 or UF CARD at (352) 273-3430.
Perry · multi-county
CARD at Florida State University — Taylor County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Taylor County through the FSU CARD. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, and resource navigation for Perry area families at no cost. Taylor County is a rural coastal county — FSU CARD is the primary autism resource with telehealth consultation as the main delivery model.
FREE. State-funded. Taylor County is rural — FSU CARD telehealth consultation is the primary resource. Perry is 55 min from Tallahassee.
Lake City · multi-county
CARD at University of Florida — Columbia County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Columbia County through the UF CARD. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, and resource navigation for Lake City families at no cost. Columbia County is the hub of the Suwannee Valley region — CARD connects families to UF Health and regional disability services.
FREE. State-funded. Lake City is the regional hub — CARD at UF serves the full Suwannee Valley from this area.
Trenton · multi-county
CARD at University of Florida — Gilchrist County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Gilchrist County through the UF CARD. Family consultation and resource navigation for Trenton area families. Gilchrist is one of Florida's smallest and most rural counties — CARD at UF is the essential first call.
FREE. State-funded. Telehealth consultation is the norm for Gilchrist County families.
Mayo · multi-county
CARD at University of Florida — Lafayette County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Lafayette County through the UF CARD. Lafayette is one of Florida's smallest and most rural counties — family consultation, IEP support, and resource navigation are provided entirely via telehealth and phone. CARD is the single most important resource for Lafayette families.
FREE. State-funded. Lafayette County has fewer than 10,000 residents and very limited local services. CARD at UF provides telehealth consultation as the primary resource.
Mayo
Family Network on Disabilities — Lafayette County
Free special education advocacy for Lafayette County families through Florida's federally funded PTI. FND provides phone and remote support to help Mayo-area families navigate IEP processes in one of Florida's smallest school districts.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Phone/remote support only for this very rural county.
For providers
Be the first featured provider in Lafayette County
Featured listings include your logo, extended description, a direct contact button, and top placement above standard listings. Families searching for help in Lafayette County see you first.
Missing a provider? Submit a listing — it's free →
See all Florida resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Florida.
Florida state guide →