County resource guide
Autism Resources in St. Joseph County, Indiana
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in St. Joseph County. Indiana statewide resources also apply.
St. Joseph County — home to South Bend, Mishawaka, and Granger — benefits from the presence of Memorial Hospital of South Bend and the University of Notre Dame, which contributes to regional professional training. South Bend Community School Corporation and Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp. provide special education programs. Indiana's First Steps serves children under 3, and IN*SOURCE provides free IEP advocacy statewide. Indiana's ABA insurance mandate ensures commercial coverage.
Provider directory
Local Providers9 providers in St. Joseph 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.
Goshen · multi-county
Beacon Health System — Goshen Hospital Developmental Pediatrics
Beacon Health System's Goshen Hospital serves Elkhart County with pediatric developmental evaluations. The dominant health system for Elkhart County, with referral access to South Bend specialists. Note: Elkhart County has a large Amish population — Beacon staff are experienced with culturally sensitive communication around evaluations.
Elkhart County includes a significant Amish community — providers are experienced with culturally considerate approaches to evaluation and services.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
South Bend
First Steps — St. Joseph County Early Intervention
Indiana First Steps provides free IDEA Part C early intervention for St. Joseph County children birth to age 3. Developmental evaluations, service coordination, speech, OT, and family support at no cost. Home and community-based delivery throughout South Bend and Mishawaka.
FREE. No diagnosis required. Contact First Steps immediately with any developmental concern about a child under 3.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
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.
Elkhart · multi-county
Hopebridge Autism Therapy Centers — Elkhart
Hopebridge's Elkhart center provides multidisciplinary autism therapy — ABA, speech, and OT — for Elkhart County children. BCBA-supervised with individualized programs. Accepts commercial insurance under Indiana's ABA mandate and Medicaid waiver.
Note cultural considerations for Amish families in Elkhart County — discuss service delivery format at intake.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Goshen · multi-county
Autism Society of Indiana — Elkhart County
Autism Society of Indiana family support for Elkhart County. Support groups, resource navigation, and community events for Goshen, Elkhart, and Nappanee families in northern 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.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Goshen · multi-county
IN*SOURCE — IEP Advocacy (Elkhart County)
Indiana's federally funded PTI provides free special education advocacy for Elkhart County families covering Goshen Community Schools, Elkhart Community Schools, and Baugo Township schools.
FREE statewide PTI.
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 →
School districts & government services
Public programs and school district contacts for St. Joseph County.
School & special education
Services & benefits
- BDDS — St. Joseph County Regional Office
Contact BDDS's St. Joseph County office for waiver enrollment and DD services.
Adult services
- BDDS — St. Joseph County Regional Office
Contact BDDS's St. Joseph County office for waiver enrollment and DD services.
Respite & support
- BDDS — St. Joseph County Regional Office
Contact BDDS's St. Joseph County office for waiver enrollment and DD services.
Helpful guides
Guides for St. Joseph 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. Joseph County
Serving families across St. Joseph County including South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, Lakeville, Osceola, Roseland, Walkerton, Wyatt, New Carlisle and Crumstown and more.
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.
Report a correction →Help the community
Know a great provider in St. Joseph 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. Joseph County?
Add your practice so families searching for help can find you. Listings are free.
Add your practice →