Autism Resources in Starke County, Indiana

17 providers in Knox and nearby, plus 12 national programs. Waitlists change often, so it’s worth calling a few.

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Filter by age

0 providers in Starke County. Filter by your child’s age — including 18+, which is the hardest to find anywhere.

Based in Starke County

Early Intervention (0–3)

1 provider

Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.

First Steps — Starke County Early Intervention

Knox, IN

Indiana First Steps provides free in-home early intervention for Starke County children birth to 3. Evaluations available for families with developmental or autism concerns in Knox and surrounding areas.

Accepting new patientsAges 0–3In-home

ABA therapy

1 provider

Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.

Centria Autism — South Bend Region

Knox, IN · serves several counties

Centria Autism provides in-home ABA therapy for Starke County children from the South Bend office. BCBA-supervised home sessions coordinated with Knox-area families.

Accepting new patientsAges 0–21In-home

Parent & family support

1 provider

Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.

Advocacy & legal

1 provider

Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.

IN*SOURCE — Special Education Advocacy

Knox, IN · serves several counties

IN*SOURCE provides free IEP advocacy for Starke County families. Statewide hotline and regional workshops help parents navigate special education rights.

Accepting new patientsAll ages

Also serving Starke County

These 25 are based elsewhere, or operate nationally, and list Starke County in the area they cover. Worth calling to confirm how far they actually travel, and whether telehealth or in-home visits are an option.

Diagnostic clinics

3 providers

Formal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.

Beacon Children's Hospital — Developmental Pediatrics

South Bend, IN · serves several 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.

Michiana's leading children's hospital. Chicago and Ann Arbor specialists accessible for complex evaluation needs.

Ages 0–18

Franciscan Health Michigan City — Developmental Pediatrics

Michigan City, IN · serves several counties

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.

Ages 0–18

Pulaski Memorial Hospital — Developmental Pediatrics Referrals

Winamac, IN · serves several counties

Pulaski Memorial Hospital in Winamac provides local pediatric services with referral pathways to Parkview Health in Fort Wayne and Riley Hospital in Indianapolis for comprehensive autism evaluations. Pulaski is one of Indiana's most rural counties — telehealth with Riley or IU Health is strongly recommended.

Highly rural — telehealth through Riley at IU Health is a valuable option. Ask about IU Health virtual developmental pediatrics.

Ages 0–18Telehealth

ABA therapy

3 providers

Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.

Centria Autism — LaPorte County

La Porte, IN · serves several counties

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.

MedicaidAges 2–18In-home

Centria Autism — Pulaski County

Winamac, IN · serves several counties

Centria Autism provides in-home ABA therapy for Pulaski County children. BCBA-supervised with individualized treatment plans adapted for rural service delivery. Accepts commercial insurance under Indiana's ABA mandate and Medicaid waiver.

Indiana requires all commercial insurers to cover ABA therapy.

MedicaidAges 2–18In-home

Hopebridge Autism Therapy Centers — Marshall County Area

Plymouth, IN · serves several counties

Hopebridge provides ABA therapy for Marshall County children with in-home and center-based options. BCBA-supervised individualized programs. Accepts commercial insurance under Indiana's ABA mandate and Medicaid waiver.

MedicaidAges 2–18In-home

Respite care

2 providers

Respite care providers giving families a break — in-home, center-based, and overnight.

ARCH National Respite Locator

Searchable by state, IN

A free national directory of respite providers and programs, run by ARCH, the National Respite Network and Resource Center. ARCH says it is not a complete list, so it works best alongside…

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

ARCH's advice is to contact your State Respite Coalition or Lifespan Respite program first. Before you pay out of pocket, also check what your state's Medicaid waiver funds.

Your state's Lifespan Respite program

39 states and DC have been funded, IN

Lifespan Respite programs are federally funded, state-run programs that help family caregivers of children or adults, regardless of special need, find and pay for respite.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

ARCH lists every state's Lifespan Respite contact and respite coalition on this page. Ask specifically about voucher or stipend programs — that is the part families most often miss.

Parent & family support

3 providers

Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.

Advocacy & legal

4 providers

Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.

IN*SOURCE — IEP Advocacy (LaPorte County)

La Porte, IN · serves several counties

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.

Accepting new patientsAll ages

IN*SOURCE — IEP Advocacy (Marshall County)

Plymouth, IN · serves several counties

Indiana's federally funded PTI provides free special education advocacy for Marshall County families covering Plymouth Community Schools and surrounding rural districts.

FREE statewide PTI.

Accepting new patientsAll ages

IN*SOURCE — IEP Advocacy (Pulaski County)

Winamac, IN · serves several counties

Indiana's federally funded PTI provides free special education advocacy for Pulaski County families covering West Central School Corporation and surrounding rural districts.

FREE statewide PTI.

Accepting new patientsAll ages

IN*SOURCE — IEP Advocacy for St. Joseph County

South Bend, IN · serves several counties

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.

Accepting new patientsAll ages

Activities, clubs & recreation

10 providers

Clubs, sports, camps, and social programs that welcome autistic children and teens — inclusive, adaptive, and special-needs specific.

ACEing Autism

227 programs in 32 states, IN

Tennis clinics for kids, teens and, in some locations, adults on the autism spectrum.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Cost varies by location and scholarships are available. Use the Find a Program search on their site with your zip code.

American Camp Association — camp finder

About 3,900 camps, IN

A free searchable directory of about 3,900 camps, with a filter for disabilities and other special needs alongside distance, activities, session length and cost. A good single starting…

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Choose day or overnight, then use the "Disabilities and Other Special Needs" filter. Specialized camps can fill early, so start looking in the winter before.

Best Buddies

All 50 states — find your local program, IN

One-to-one friendship matching between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, with programs from elementary school through college and adulthood, plus…

A national program 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 1-800-89-BUDDY, to locate your nearest program.

Ages elementary school through adult

Easterseals — camps and recreation

Local Easterseals across the country, IN

Day and residential camps for children and adults with disabilities, plus sports, social activities and community outings run by local Easterseals.

A national program 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 locations — use the Find your Easterseals search on the page and check what yours actually runs.

iCan Shine (iCan Bike)

Camps hosted in different towns each year, IN

Teaches people with disabilities to ride a conventional two-wheeled bicycle over a five-day camp, 75 minutes a day. iCan Shine says about 80% of participants ride independently by the end…

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Check their Camp Locations page for dates — camps run in different towns each year, so somewhere near you may host this year and not next.

KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now)

Six cities only: Chicago, DC–Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, St. Louis, IN

Free, non-competitive, one-to-one recreation for youth ages 5 to 21 with physical or developmental disabilities, led by trained volunteer coaches.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Free to families. KEEN runs in six cities plus two university campus chapters (Vanderbilt and the University of Virginia) — outside those, it is not available yet.

Ages 5–21
See all 10 activities, clubs & recreation providers

Little League Challenger Division

Through local Little Leagues — use the League Finder, IN

Little League's adaptive baseball program for anyone with a physical or intellectual challenge.

A national program 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. Little League's rule is that a player who can take part in regular Little League with reasonable accommodations should do so.

Ages 4–18 (to 22 if in school); Senior League 15+

Miracle League

300 leagues — check for one near you, IN

Baseball for children and adults with physical or mental disabilities, played on custom-designed rubberized turf fields that accommodate wheelchairs and other assistive devices.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Use the Find a Miracle League page on their site — there are 300 leagues, so coverage is good but not universal.

Special Olympics

Nationwide — find your local program, IN

Year-round sports training and competition for children and adults.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Eligibility requires an intellectual disability, a cognitive delay measured by formal assessment, or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay, identified by an agency or professional. If your child is autistic without a cognitive delay, have a direct conversation about fit before signing up rather than after. Ask your local program about any costs.

Ages 8+ (Young Athletes: 2–7)

TOPSoccer (US Youth Soccer)

Through local soccer clubs, IN

The Outreach Program for Soccer — recreational soccer for children and adults with intellectual, emotional or physical disabilities, offered through local US Youth Soccer clubs.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Find your state association's TOPSoccer clubs through the link on their page, or ask your state association office directly — it is often not advertised on the club's own website.

Not sure which kind of therapy you need?

Start with our plain-language guide to ABA, speech and OT — what each one is, and questions to ask on the first call.

Read the guide

For providers

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About autism services in Starke County

Starke County — home to Knox — is in northwestern Indiana. Starke Hospital provides some healthcare. Oregon-Davis and Knox Community schools provide special education. Families travel to South Bend or Plymouth for specialized autism evaluation and therapy. Indiana's First Steps is available, and IN*SOURCE provides free statewide IEP advocacy.

Helpful guides

Guides for Starke County families

Step-by-step help on the topics that matter most.

See all Indiana resources

Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Indiana.

Indiana state guide →

Common questions

Answered from the providers currently listed for this county — these update as the directory does.

How many autism providers serve Starke County, Indiana?

We list 17 providers serving Starke County, covering parent & family support, diagnostic clinics, ABA therapy, early intervention (0–3) and advocacy & legal. 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 Starke County accept Medicaid?

3 of the providers we list for Starke County state that they accept Medicaid, including Centria Autism — LaPorte County, Centria Autism — Pulaski County and Hopebridge Autism Therapy Centers — Marshall County Area. Coverage and plan participation change often, so confirm directly with the provider before your first appointment.

Where can I find ABA therapy in Starke County?

ABA providers serving Starke 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 Starke County families?

Yes — 1 provider serving Starke County offers 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 Starke County?

5 providers serving Starke 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 Indiana?

Indiana families can apply to the Family Supports Waiver (FSW) and Community Integration and Habilitation Waiver (CIH), a Medicaid waiver that can fund respite, therapies and in-home support. The typical wait is Years for FSW; CIH is crisis-entry only, 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 Starke County?

If none of the Starke County providers is the right fit, these Indiana counties currently have the most listed providers: Allen County (30), Marion County (30), Monroe County (27), Fountain County (25). 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 Indiana

You know things we don’t

Still missing from Starke County

These are the things no database has and every parent knows. If you can answer one of them, another family in Starke 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.

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 Starke County? We'll email you.

One email when we verify a new provider in Starke 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 Starke 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 Starke County?

Add your practice so families searching for help can find you. Listings are free.

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