County resource guide
Autism Resources in Lake County, Illinois
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Lake County. Illinois statewide resources also apply.
Lake County — encompassing Waukegan, Round Lake Beach, and Vernon Hills — sits along the Wisconsin border and is Illinois's third most populous county. Lake County Special Education District (LAKE) provides cooperative special education services across many of the county's districts. Illinois's Early Intervention program serves children under 3 countywide, and the IDHS Northern region handles DD waiver enrollment. The Family Resource Center on Disabilities is the area's federally funded PTI for free IEP advocacy.
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 Lake County:
Lake County Regional Office of Education — Special Education
Contact the Lake County ROE to be directed to your local district's Child Find coordinator. Each Lake County district maintains its own special education department.
Contacts verified May 2026 — call to confirm current numbers
Learn how to write your evaluation request →Provider directory
Local Providers13 providers in Lake 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.
Park Ridge · multi-county
Advocate Children's Hospital — Autism & Developmental Pediatrics
Advocate Children's Hospital's Park Ridge and Oak Lawn campuses serve Lake County families with developmental pediatrics, autism evaluations, and multidisciplinary assessments. Board-certified developmental pediatricians using evidence-based diagnostic protocols.
Multiple campuses — confirm location closest to you at time of scheduling.
Chicago · multi-county
North Shore Pediatric Therapy — Autism Testing
Autism testing and diagnosis services at multiple Chicagoland locations. Serves families across Cook and surrounding counties.
Source: https://www.nspt4kids.com/services/autism-testing-diagnosis
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Chicago · multi-county
Illinois Early Intervention Program
Illinois's IDEA Part C program provides free developmental services statewide for children under 3. Contact the state EI program to request an evaluation — no diagnosis required. Services can begin within 45 days of referral.
FREE under federal law. No diagnosis required. Act before your child turns 3.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Libertyville · multi-county
Behavioral Framework — Lake County
Illinois-based ABA provider offering center-based and in-home programs in Lake County. BCBA-supervised therapy with individualized skill acquisition plans. Accepts most commercial insurance under Illinois ABA coverage mandate.
IL-headquartered ABA organization with multiple suburban Chicago locations.
Chicago · multi-county
Caravel Autism Health — Chicago
Diagnostic evaluations and personalized ABA therapy for children 12+ months in Chicago. Telehealth evaluations across all of Illinois.
Source: https://caravelautism.com/autism-center/chicago/
Chicago · multi-county
Centria Autism — Chicago
In-home and center-based ABA therapy in the Chicago metro. BCBA-supervised. Accepts most commercial insurance and Illinois Medicaid.
Illinois requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.
Chicago · multi-county
The Place for Children with Autism
One-on-one ABA therapy combined with group activities in a preschool-like setting. Multiple Chicago and Illinois locations.
Source: https://theplaceforchildrenwithautism.com
Speech therapy
Speech-language pathology, AAC, pragmatic language, and feeding.
Vernon Hills
The Speech Pathology Group — Lake County
Pediatric speech-language therapy serving Lake County families, with expertise in autism-related communication needs including AAC, social pragmatics, and early language development. Clinic-based and telehealth options available.
Telehealth available for some services.
Occupational therapy & sensory
Occupational therapy, sensory integration, and sensory diets.
Highland Park · multi-county
North Shore Special Recreation Association — Lake County
NSSRA provides adaptive recreation and social skills programming for individuals with disabilities across Lake County. Sensory-friendly programs complement clinic therapies and build community participation skills.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Chicago · multi-county
Autism Society of Illinois
Chicago metro chapter with active support groups, family resource events, and legislative advocacy. One of the more active state chapters in the Midwest.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Waukegan · multi-county
Equip for Equality — Northern Illinois Outreach
Illinois's federally funded Protection & Advocacy organization provides free legal advocacy for people with disabilities in Lake County, including special education rights enforcement, transition planning disputes, and disability discrimination claims.
FREE. Federally funded P&A. Handles legal rights issues separate from PTI services.
Elk Grove Village · multi-county
Family Matters Parent Training & Information Center
Illinois's federally funded PTI serving families outside the Chicago metro, including McHenry County. Free IEP navigation, disability rights training, and one-on-one support for parents of children with disabilities.
FREE. Federally funded PTI for families outside Cook County.
Elk Grove Village · multi-county
Family Matters Parent Training & Information Center — DuPage
Illinois's federally funded PTI serving DuPage County families outside the Chicago metro. Free IEP navigation, disability rights training, and one-on-one support for parents navigating local school districts and state benefit systems.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Complements FRCD (Cook County PTI) for families in the collar counties.
For providers
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Missing a provider? Submit a listing — it’s free →
School districts & government services
Public programs and school district contacts for Lake County.
School & special education
Services & benefits
Helpful guides
Guides for Lake 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 Lake County
Serving families across Lake County including Waukegan, Round Lake Beach, North Chicago, Gurnee, Mundelein, Vernon Hills, Libertyville, Grayslake, Zion and Highland Park and more.
See all Illinois resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Illinois.
Illinois state guide →Nearby counties in Illinois
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 Lake 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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