County resource guide
Autism Resources in LaPorte County, Indiana
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in LaPorte County. Indiana statewide resources also apply.
LaPorte County — home to Michigan City, La Porte, and Westville — is in northwestern Indiana along Lake Michigan. Franciscan Health Michigan City provides healthcare services. La Porte Community Schools and Michigan City Area Schools provide special education. Indiana's First Steps is available for children under 3, and IN*SOURCE provides free IEP advocacy statewide. Families sometimes access the Chicago metro for specialized evaluation.
Provider directory
Local Providers16 providers in LaPorte 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.
Beacon Children's Hospital — Developmental Pediatrics
South Bend · serves multiple counties
Beacon Children's Hospital in South Bend is Michiana's primary pediatric hospital, offering developmental pediatrics services including autism evaluation. Beacon coordinates with Riley Hospital and University of Notre Dame's Eck Institute for complex cases. St. Joseph County families also have access to Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago and C.S. Mott in Ann Arbor.
Michigan City · multi-county
Franciscan Health Michigan City — Developmental Pediatrics
Franciscan Health Michigan City provides pediatric developmental evaluations for LaPorte County. Part of the Northwest Indiana Franciscan Health network with referral pathways to Riley Hospital in Indianapolis and Chicago-area pediatric centers via the I-94 corridor.
Northwest Indiana location — Chicago-area specialists are accessible. Confirm insurance network.
Valparaiso · multi-county
Franciscan Health Valparaiso — Pediatric Developmental Services
Franciscan Health's Valparaiso campus provides pediatric developmental evaluations for Porter County. Part of the Northwest Indiana health corridor with access to Chicago-area specialists via the I-65/I-94 corridor. Porter County families can also access Advocate Children's in the Chicago suburbs.
Northwest Indiana location — Chicago-area specialists are accessible. Confirm insurance network (Indiana vs. Illinois).
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
La Porte
First Steps — LaPorte County Early Intervention
Indiana's First Steps program provides free in-home early intervention for infants and toddlers with developmental delays in LaPorte County. Services include speech, OT, PT, and developmental therapy under IDEA Part C.
FREE for eligible children. No diagnosis required to initiate a referral.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
La Porte · multi-county
Centria Autism — LaPorte County
Centria Autism provides in-home and center-based ABA therapy for LaPorte County children. BCBA-supervised individualized programs. Accepts commercial insurance under Indiana's ABA insurance mandate and Medicaid waiver.
Indiana requires all commercial insurers to cover ABA therapy.
Valparaiso · multi-county
Centria Autism — Valparaiso / Porter County
Centria Autism provides in-home and center-based ABA therapy for Porter County children in Valparaiso and surrounding communities. BCBA-supervised. Accepts commercial insurance under Indiana's ABA mandate and Medicaid waiver.
Indiana requires all commercial insurers to cover ABA therapy.
Merrillville · multi-county
Centria Healthcare — Merrillville
Center-based and in-home ABA therapy in Merrillville serving Lake County families. BCBA-supervised with naturalistic developmental approaches. Accepts Indiana Medicaid (Hoosier Healthwise) and most commercial insurance under Indiana's ABA insurance mandate.
Indiana's ABA insurance mandate applies to all commercial plans. Chicago-area ABA providers are also accessible from Hammond and Gary.
South Bend · multi-county
Centria Healthcare — South Bend
Center-based and in-home ABA therapy in South Bend serving St. Joseph County. BCBA-supervised programs using naturalistic and structured approaches. Accepts Indiana Medicaid and most commercial insurance under Indiana's ABA insurance mandate.
Indiana's ABA mandate covers most commercial plans. One of the larger ABA networks in northern Indiana.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
La Porte · multi-county
Autism Society of Indiana — LaPorte County
Autism Society of Indiana family support for LaPorte County. Support groups, resource navigation, and community events for Michigan City and La Porte families in Northwest Indiana.
South Bend · multi-county
Autism Society of Indiana — Michiana Chapter
The Autism Society of Indiana's Michiana chapter serves St. Joseph County and the broader South Bend metro with peer support groups, family resource events, and advocacy programming. The University of Notre Dame community adds intellectual and volunteer resources to the local autism family network.
Valparaiso · multi-county
Autism Society of Indiana — Northwest Indiana
Autism Society of Indiana support for Porter County and Northwest Indiana. Support groups, resource navigation, and community events for Valparaiso, Portage, and the Lake-Porter County autism community.
Merrillville · multi-county
Autism Society of Indiana — Northwest Indiana Chapter
The Autism Society of Indiana's northwest chapter provides peer support groups, family resource events, and advocacy connections for Lake County and surrounding northwest Indiana communities. Lake County's proximity to Chicago also means families have access to Illinois Autism Society programming across the border.
Chicago-area Autism Society of Illinois programming is also accessible from Lake County.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
La Porte · multi-county
IN*SOURCE — IEP Advocacy (LaPorte County)
Indiana's federally funded PTI provides free special education advocacy for LaPorte County families covering La Porte Community Schools and Michigan City Area Schools.
FREE statewide PTI.
Valparaiso · multi-county
IN*SOURCE — IEP Advocacy (Porter County)
Indiana's federally funded PTI provides free special education advocacy for Porter County families. Covers Valparaiso Community Schools, Portage Township, and surrounding Northwest Indiana districts.
FREE statewide PTI.
Crown Point · multi-county
IN*SOURCE — IEP Advocacy for Lake County
Indiana's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center providing free IEP advocacy, special education rights training, and one-on-one support for Lake County families. Bilingual services available — important in a diverse county with large Spanish-speaking and other immigrant communities.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Bilingual support available. Essential before any IEP meeting or dispute.
South Bend · multi-county
IN*SOURCE — IEP Advocacy for St. Joseph County
Indiana's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center supporting St. Joseph County families with free IEP advocacy, special education rights training, and dispute resolution assistance. Helps families navigate South Bend Community Schools, Penn-Harris-Madison, and other local districts.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Bilingual support available — important in South Bend's diverse community.
Missing a provider? Submit a listing — it’s free →
Helpful guides
Guides for LaPorte 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.
See all Indiana resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Indiana.
Indiana state guide →Nearby counties in Indiana
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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