County resource guide
Autism Resources in St. Lucie County, Florida
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in St. Lucie County. Florida statewide resources also apply.
St. Lucie County (Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce) is in the Treasure Coast region. Cleveland Clinic Martin Health and Lawnwood Regional Medical Center provide services. St. Lucie County School District provides special education. Family Network on Disabilities (FL PTI) provides free statewide IEP advocacy.
Provider directory
Local Providers28 providers in St. Lucie County
About our listings
Provider listings on Autism Parent Club are submitted by practices or researched from public sources. All listings are reviewed by a person before publication, and no provider has paid to appear here. Read how we verify listings, or use the “Suggest a correction” link below to flag anything inaccurate.
0 providers in St. Lucie County. Filter by your child’s age — including 18+, which is the hardest to find anywhere.
Diagnostic clinics
Formal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.
Port St. Lucie
HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital — Pediatric Developmental Services
Pediatric services through HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital in Port St. Lucie. Developmental screenings and autism referrals for Treasure Coast families, with connections to HCA's statewide specialist network.
For comprehensive evaluations, many St. Lucie families travel to Palm Beach Children's Hospital or FAU-affiliated providers.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Port St. Lucie · multi-county
Early Steps — Treasure Coast (Region 15)
Florida's Early Steps program provides free in-home early intervention for children birth–3 with developmental delays, including autism risk. Services in St. Lucie County include speech, OT, PT, and developmental therapy delivered where the family lives.
FREE if income-eligible; sliding scale otherwise. Self-referral accepted — no doctor's order required.
Okeechobee · multi-county
Early Steps — Treasure Coast Region (Okeechobee County)
Florida's Early Steps program provides free in-home early intervention for children birth–3 in Okeechobee County. Home-based speech, OT, and developmental therapy under IDEA Part C — the home-based model is the only practical EI delivery in this rural county.
FREE if income-eligible. Self-referral accepted — no doctor's order required.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Stuart · multi-county
Autism Learning Partners — Treasure Coast
Center-based and in-home ABA therapy serving Martin County and the Treasure Coast. BCBA-supervised programming with a naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention approach.
Accepts Florida Medicaid and commercial insurance.
Port St. Lucie
Hopebridge Autism Therapy Center — Port St. Lucie
Center-based ABA, speech, and occupational therapy in Port St. Lucie. Hopebridge's integrated model provides multiple therapies under one roof with BCBA oversight, serving one of Florida's fastest-growing communities.
Accepts Florida Medicaid and commercial insurance.
Respite care
Respite care providers giving families a break — in-home, center-based, and overnight.
Statewide · multi-county
Florida ADRC network — respite through the Elder Helpline
Worth knowing before you start looking: Florida has NO state Lifespan Respite Care Program and no state respite voucher scheme, unlike many other states. What exists instead runs through eleven regional Aging and Disability Resource Centers and the National Family Caregiver Support Program, which does cover people caring for a child of any age with a disability. One call to the Elder Helpline screens you against several respite streams at once — the name is misleading, and it is still the right number.
Do not be put off by "Elder" — the helpline screens caregivers of children with disabilities too. Also ask your APD area office what the iBudget waiver funds for respite.
~3,000 providers nationwide
ARCH National Respite Locator
A free national database of respite providers searchable by state and locality — home care agencies, community-based organizations and state programs. The single best starting point for finding respite anywhere in the country, and it is the tool state agencies themselves point families toward.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Before you pay out of pocket, check what your state's Medicaid waiver funds — respite is covered by nearly every state waiver, and many families never think to ask.
Most states run one
Your state's Lifespan Respite Care Program
Lifespan Respite Care Programs are federally seeded, state-run programs that help families of any age and any disability find and pay for respite — often including vouchers or subsidies that do not depend on having a Medicaid waiver. Most states have one, they are chronically under-used, and they are rarely mentioned by anyone else in the system.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Search for "[your state] Lifespan Respite" or use the ARCH directory. Ask specifically about voucher or subsidy programs — that is the part families most often miss.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Vero Beach · multi-county
Autism Society of the Treasure Coast
Parent support network for Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin County families. Monthly meetings in Vero Beach, resource fairs, and family social events serving Florida's Treasure Coast.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Boca Raton · multi-county
CARD at Florida Atlantic University
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Okeechobee counties. Family consultation, school support, and provider training at no cost.
FREE. State-funded. The first resource call for Broward and Palm Beach families.
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.
Vero Beach · multi-county
CARD at Florida Atlantic University — Indian River County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Indian River County through the FAU CARD Treasure Coast region. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, school support, and community resources at no cost to families.
FREE. State-funded. FAU CARD serves the entire Treasure Coast — request an Indian River County consultant.
Stuart · multi-county
CARD at Florida Atlantic University — Martin County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Martin County through the FAU CARD. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, school support, and community resource navigation at no cost. FAU CARD covers the full Treasure Coast region.
FREE. State-funded. Request a Martin County consultant when you call.
Okeechobee · multi-county
CARD at Florida Atlantic University — Okeechobee County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving Okeechobee County through the FAU CARD Treasure Coast region. Family consultation, IEP advocacy, and community resources for Okeechobee families at no cost. Okeechobee is an extremely rural agricultural county — CARD is the essential first call.
FREE. State-funded. Okeechobee County is very rural — CARD telehealth consultation is typically the first and most accessible resource.
Boca Raton · multi-county
CARD at Florida Atlantic University — Palm Beach
Port St. Lucie · multi-county
CARD at Florida Atlantic University — St. Lucie County Services
Free state-funded autism resource center serving St. Lucie County through the FAU CARD Treasure Coast region. Family consultation, school advocacy, IEP support, and community resource navigation at no cost.
FREE. State-funded. Port St. Lucie is one of Florida's fastest-growing cities — call early for consultant availability.
Port St. Lucie
Family Network on Disabilities — St. Lucie County
Free special education advocacy for St. Lucie County families. Florida's federally funded PTI helps parents navigate IEP meetings, understand IDEA rights, and access disability benefits and services.
FREE. Federally funded PTI.
Activities, clubs & recreation
Clubs, sports, camps, and social programs that welcome autistic children and teens — inclusive, adaptive, and special-needs specific.
Clermont · multi-county
Special Olympics Florida
1915 Don Wickham Drive, Clermont, FL 34711
Year-round sports training and competition at no cost to athletes or their families, organized by region across the state.
Eligibility centers on intellectual disability or a closely related developmental disability. Worth a direct conversation about fit if your family member is autistic without one.
200+ locations nationwide
ACEing Autism
Weekly Saturday tennis clinics built specifically for autistic children aged 5 to 18, run by volunteers at more than 200 locations across the country, serving over 7,000 players. Sessions run in six-week blocks of an hour. This is the clearest example of the interest-based model working: the sport supplies the structure, the turn-taking and the reason to be there, so the social side happens sideways rather than being the task.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Cost varies by location — around $120 for a six-week session at some sites, with scholarships available. Use the map on their site to find your nearest program, schedule and local contact.
~4,000 camps nationwide
American Camp Association — camp finder
A free searchable directory of close to 4,000 summer camps that can be filtered for camps serving autistic campers, by distance, session length, activities and cost. The best single starting point for finding a day or overnight camp anywhere in the country.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Registration for specialized camps typically opens December–February and popular overnight camps fill within days. Start the funding conversation in autumn.
Nationwide — find your local chapter
Best Buddies
One-to-one friendship matching between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, plus employment, leadership and inclusive living programs. Over 4,000 chapters across all 50 states, serving school-age through adult. If what your family wants is a friend rather than an activity, this is the most direct answer in the country.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
A national organization, not a local listing — use the finder on their site, or call 1-800-89BUDDY, to locate your nearest chapter.
Local affiliates across most of the country
Easterseals — camps and recreation
Day and overnight camps run through local Easterseals affiliates, several of them autism-specific, with weekend respite and family camp sessions as well. Many affiliates operate sliding-scale fees, and several camps serve adults alongside children.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Programs vary a great deal between affiliates — check what your nearest one actually runs rather than assuming the national description applies.
Week-long camps hosted nationwide
iCan Shine (iCan Bike)
Teaches people with disabilities to ride a conventional two-wheeled bicycle, using adapted roller bikes over a week-long camp that gradually transfers balance to the rider. Learning to ride a bike is a milestone a lot of autistic children are quietly written off for, and this is the program that most reliably delivers it. Camps are hosted by local organizations across the country, so availability is by host town rather than by chapter.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Check their site for host locations and dates — camps run in different towns each year, so somewhere near you may host this year and not next.
Local chapters in a number of US cities
KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now)
Volunteer-led one-to-one recreation for children and young adults with developmental and physical disabilities, at no cost to families or carers. The one-to-one model is the point: a volunteer is paired with your child for the session, which makes it workable for people who cannot manage a group setting unsupported.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Free to families. Runs through local chapters in a number of US cities rather than everywhere — check whether yours has one.
900+ divisions nationwide
Little League Challenger Division
Baseball for children and adults with a physical or intellectual disability, across more than 900 divisions. The main division serves ages 4–18, or up to 22 if still enrolled in school; the Senior League Challenger Division serves 15 and above with no upper age limit.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Use the league finder on their site to locate the nearest Challenger division, or ask about starting one.
200+ communities
Miracle League
Baseball on purpose-built accessible fields in more than 200 communities. Every player bats and every player scores, so ability differences do not decide the game.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Check their location list for the nearest field — coverage is good but not universal.
Every state — county-level programs
Special Olympics
Year-round sports training and competition at no cost to the athlete or their family, for children and adults alike. Programs run at county level in every state.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Eligibility centers on intellectual disability or a closely related developmental disability. If your child is autistic without an intellectual disability, have a direct conversation about fit before signing up rather than after.
Through local clubs and state associations
TOPSoccer (US Youth Soccer)
The Outreach Program for Soccer — recreational soccer for children and adults with intellectual, emotional or physical disabilities, usually with buddy support on the pitch. Run through ordinary local soccer clubs rather than as a separate organization.
A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Ask your state youth soccer association which local clubs run TOPSoccer — it is often not advertised on the club's own website.
For providers
Are you a provider serving this county?
Help families find accurate information about your services. Submit your practice for review so parents in this area can better understand their options.
Missing a provider? Submit a listing — it’s free →
Helpful guides
Guides for St. Lucie 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 St. Lucie County
Serving families across St. Lucie County including Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, St. Lucie West, Tradition, White City, Hutchinson Island, Jensen Beach, Stuart, Vero Beach and Sebastian and more.
See all Florida resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Florida.
Florida state guide →Common questions
Answered from the providers currently listed for this county — these update as the directory does.
How many autism providers serve St. Lucie County, Florida?
We list 16 providers serving St. Lucie County, covering ABA therapy, parent & family support, advocacy & legal, early intervention (0–3) and respite care, plus 2 more. Some are based in the county and others serve it from nearby areas. Every listing is reviewed by a person before it is published.
Which autism providers in St. Lucie County accept Medicaid?
2 of the providers we list for St. Lucie County state that they accept Medicaid, including Autism Learning Partners — Treasure Coast and Hopebridge Autism Therapy Center — Port St. Lucie. Coverage and plan participation change often, so confirm directly with the provider before your first appointment.
Where can I find ABA therapy in St. Lucie County?
ABA providers serving St. Lucie County are listed in the ABA therapy section of this page, with phone numbers and websites. Many deliver services in the family's home or at school as well as in a clinic. Ask about waitlists when you call — they vary widely and change month to month.
Are there telehealth autism services for St. Lucie County families?
Yes — 2 providers serving St. Lucie County offer telehealth or virtual sessions. This is often the fastest route to support for families in rural areas or on long local waitlists.
Can autism therapy happen at home in St. Lucie County?
3 providers serving St. Lucie County deliver services in the family's home. Many children do better in a familiar setting than in an unfamiliar clinic room, and in-home visits remove the travel burden.
Does Medicaid pay for autism services in Florida?
Florida families can apply to the iBudget Florida Waiver (APD), a Medicaid waiver that can fund respite, therapies and in-home support. The typical wait is Often 10+ years — one of the longest in the country, and your place is usually set by the date you apply — so applying early matters even if you are unsure what services you need. Many waivers also disregard parental income, so families who don't qualify for regular Medicaid often still qualify here.
What if I can't find an autism provider in St. Lucie County?
If none of the St. Lucie County providers is the right fit, these Florida counties currently have the most listed providers: Sarasota County (24), Alachua County (23), Leon County (23), Manatee County (21). Many providers travel or offer telehealth, so it is worth calling even if they are not based nearby. You can also tell us about a provider we are missing.
Nearby counties in Florida
You know things we don’t
Still missing from St. Lucie County
These are the things no database has and every parent knows. If you can answer one of them, another family in St. Lucie Countygets an afternoon back. It takes about a minute and you don’t need to know the business details — a name and a rough location is enough for us to check.
- Which dentist here has managed a cleaning without it becoming a fight?
- Who cuts your child's hair without a meltdown?
- Is there a group here where your child has made a friend?
- Which pediatrician here actually listens, and doesn't rush the appointment?
We check everything before it goes up, and nobody pays to be listed. How we verify.
Get told when this page changes
New provider in St. Lucie County? We'll email you.
One email when we verify a new provider in St. Lucie County — no newsletter, no digest, nothing else. Some counties hear from us a few times a year and some stay quiet for months; we would rather send you nothing than send you filler.
We store your address and county, and nothing else. How we handle it.
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 St. Lucie 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
Are you a provider serving St. Lucie County?
Add your practice so families searching for help can find you. Listings are free.
Add your practice →