County resource guide
Autism Resources in Sarasota County, Florida
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Sarasota County. Florida statewide resources also apply.
Sarasota County (Sarasota, Venice, North Port) is in southwest Florida. Sarasota Memorial Hospital provides evaluation services. Sarasota County Schools provides special education. Family Network on Disabilities (FL PTI) provides free statewide IEP advocacy. Florida's iBudget waiver and Early Steps serve eligible residents.
Provider directory
Local Providers13 providers in Sarasota 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.
Sarasota
Sarasota Memorial Hospital — Pediatric Developmental Services
Developmental pediatric evaluations through Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, Sarasota County's primary nonprofit health system. Autism assessments and behavioral health coordination for Sarasota and Venice families.
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.
Sarasota
Autism Learning Partners — Sarasota
Center-based and in-home ABA therapy for Sarasota County children. BCBA-supervised with a naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI) approach and strong parent coaching.
Accepts Florida Medicaid and commercial insurance.
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.
Bradenton · multi-county
Hopebridge Autism Therapy Center — Bradenton
Center-based ABA, speech, and occupational therapy in Bradenton. Hopebridge's integrated model provides multiple therapies under one roof with BCBA oversight. Serving Manatee County's rapidly growing family population with evidence-based autism care.
Accepts Florida Medicaid and commercial insurance. Center-based model in Bradenton.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Sarasota
Autism Society of Sarasota County
Local parent support group and resource network for Sarasota and Venice families. Monthly meetings, family social events, and peer support for parents of children and adults 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.
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.
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.
Bradenton · multi-county
CARD at University of South Florida — Manatee County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Manatee County through the USF CARD Tampa Bay region. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, school support, and community resources at no cost. Manatee County's rapid growth means CARD is an essential resource — free consultation available immediately, no waitlist.
FREE. State-funded. First call for any Manatee County family — CARD at USF serves the full Tampa Bay Gulf Coast region.
Sarasota
Family Network on Disabilities — Sarasota County
Free special education advocacy for Sarasota County families. Florida's federally funded PTI center provides parent advocates to help with IEP meetings, special education rights, and disability services.
FREE. Federally funded PTI.
For providers
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Helpful guides
Guides for Sarasota 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 Sarasota County
Serving families across Sarasota County including Sarasota, Venice, North Port, Englewood, Osprey, Siesta Key, Nokomis, Laurel, South Venice and Fruitville 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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