County resource guide
Autism Resources in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Miami-Dade County. Florida statewide resources also apply.
Miami-Dade County is served by the CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disabilities) at the University of Miami — Florida's state-funded regional autism center, providing free consultation, training, and resource navigation to families and schools. Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the nation's fourth-largest district, operates autism-specific programs including specialized centers and inclusion supports. Florida's iBudget Medicaid waiver has a significant waitlist — contact APD early. Family Network on Disabilities (FL PTI) provides free statewide IEP advocacy, and Early Steps serves young children.
School evaluation
Request a School Evaluation
Under IDEA, your school district must evaluate your child for free if you request it in writing. Here’s who to contact in Miami-Dade County:
Miami-Dade County Public Schools — Exceptional Student Education
Call the ESE office to initiate a Child Find referral. Provide a written request to start Florida's 60-day evaluation timeline.
Contacts verified May 2026 — call to confirm current numbers
Learn how to write your evaluation request →Provider directory
Local Providers10 providers in Miami-Dade 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.
Miami
Nicklaus Children's Hospital — Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
Comprehensive autism evaluations at Miami's leading children's hospital. Multi-disciplinary team includes developmental pediatricians and neuropsychologists. Part of the Autism Speaks Autism Care Network.
Autism Speaks Autism Care Network site — high quality but expect waitlists.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Key West · multi-county
Early Steps — South Florida Region (Monroe County)
Florida's Early Steps program provides free in-home early intervention for children birth–3 in Monroe County. Home-based services are especially critical in the Keys — therapists travel from Homestead and Miami-Dade to serve Key Largo, Marathon, and Key West families.
FREE if income-eligible. Home-based model is the standard in Monroe County. Therapist travel from Miami-Dade area may create scheduling delays.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Miami
ABA Learning Center
Two offices in South Miami — near Dadeland Mall and The Falls. Provides ABA therapy for children with autism.
Source: https://abamiami.com
Miami · multi-county
ABA of South Florida
In-home and center-based ABA therapy throughout Miami-Dade County. BCBA-supervised. Bilingual Spanish-English staff available.
Bilingual services available. Accepts Florida Medicaid and commercial insurance.
Miami
Abacus Therapies
ABA therapy serving Miami, North Miami, Doral, Hialeah, Miami Beach, and Pine Crest in Miami-Dade County.
Source: https://abacustherapies.com/aba-therapy/miami-dade/
Miami
Mestre Behavior Development
ABA therapy across Miami-Dade including Kendall, Coral Gables, Doral, Coconut Grove, and South Miami. Clinic, in-home, and school-based services.
Source: https://www.mestrebehavior.com/areas/
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Miami
Autism Society of Greater Orlando — Miami Network
Parent support groups and family resource events for Miami-Dade families. Monthly meetings and social skills programs.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Coral Gables · multi-county
CARD at University of Miami
Florida's state-funded Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at UM. Free consultation, resource navigation, school advocacy support, and training for families and educators across Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. No cost to families — funded by the state of Florida.
FREE. This is the single most important call for Miami-Dade families. State-funded.
Key West · multi-county
CARD at University of Miami — Monroe County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Monroe County through the UM CARD. Family consultation, resource navigation, and school advocacy for Keys families at no cost. Monroe County's geography — 110 miles of islands connected by a single highway — creates significant access challenges. CARD provides telehealth consultation as a primary modality.
FREE. State-funded. Monroe County families face unique geographic challenges — CARD telehealth consultation is the most practical first step. Miami is 3–4 hrs from Key West.
Miami
Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System (FDLRS) — South
Free diagnostic and learning resources through Florida's Department of Education. Serves families and schools in Miami-Dade County with evaluations, learning assessments, and educator training.
Free through the public school system. Contact Miami-Dade County Public Schools to access.
For providers
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School districts & government services
Public programs and school district contacts for Miami-Dade County.
School & special education
- Miami-Dade County Public Schools — Exceptional Student Education
ese.dadeschools.net redirects here.
Services & benefits
- APD Southeast Region — Miami-Dade
Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities; DD waiver enrollment.
Adult services
- APD Southeast Region — Miami-Dade
Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities; DD waiver enrollment.
Respite & support
- APD Southeast Region — Miami-Dade
Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities; DD waiver enrollment.
Helpful guides
Guides for Miami-Dade 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 Miami-Dade County
Serving families across Miami-Dade County including Miami, Hialeah, Miami Gardens, Miami Beach, Kendall, Homestead, North Miami, Doral, Coral Gables and Aventura 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.
Report a correction →Help the community
Know a great provider in Miami-Dade County?
If a therapist, clinic, or specialist helped your family, tell us about them and we’ll add them to the directory so other families can find them too.
Tell us about a provider →For providers
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