Autism Resources in Waldo County, Maine
14 providers in Belfast and nearby, plus 12 national programs. Waitlists change often, so it’s worth calling a few.
0 providers in Waldo County. Filter by your child’s age — including 18+, which is the hardest to find anywhere.
Based in Waldo County
Diagnostic clinics
1 providerFormal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.
Northern Light Waldo County Hospital — Pediatrics
Belfast, ME
Northern Light Waldo County Hospital in Belfast provides pediatric primary care and developmental screenings for Waldo County. Comprehensive autism evaluations typically require referral to Bangor (EMMC, ~45 min) or Pen Bay Medical Center in Knox County.
Belfast is a small coastal city. Specialty services require travel to Bangor or Pen Bay.
Early Intervention (0–3)
1 providerFree services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Child Development Services — Waldo County
Belfast, ME
IDEA Part C Early Intervention for children 0–3 in Waldo County. Free evaluations, service coordination, and home-based therapies to address developmental delays and autism early.
FREE under IDEA Part C. Ask your pediatrician for a referral or self-refer by calling the CDS regional office.
Occupational therapy & sensory
1 providerOccupational therapy, sensory integration, and sensory diets.
Northern Light Waldo County Hospital — Outpatient Rehab
Belfast, ME
Outpatient occupational therapy and physical therapy for children through the Northern Light Waldo County Hospital rehab program. Provides sensory processing evaluation and intervention for autistic children.
Mental health
1 providerTherapists and psychiatrists experienced with autistic children and adults.
Wellspring — Waldo County Mental Health
Belfast, ME
Community mental health and crisis support services for Waldo County. Provides outpatient therapy and support for autistic individuals and families with co-occurring mental health needs. Accepts MaineCare.
MaineCare accepted. Crisis line available 24/7 for Waldo County residents.
Also serving Waldo County
These 22 are based elsewhere, or operate nationally, and list Waldo 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
2 providersFormal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.
Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital — Pediatric Care
Pittsfield, ME · serves several counties
Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield provides primary care and initial developmental screenings. Families needing full autism evaluations are typically referred to Augusta (MaineGeneral) or Bangor (EMMC).
Somerset County families often travel to Bangor or Augusta for comprehensive autism evaluations — both are about 45 minutes away.
Pen Bay Medical Center — Pediatric Services
Rockport, ME · serves several counties
Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport is the primary hospital for Knox County and the Midcoast region. Provides pediatric primary care and developmental screenings; complex autism evaluations typically require referral to Portland or Bangor.
Pen Bay is the hub for Midcoast Maine. Portland and Bangor are each about 1.5 hours away for specialty services.
Early Intervention (0–3)
1 providerFree services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Child Development Services — Midcoast Region
Rockland, ME · serves several counties
IDEA Part C Early Intervention services for children 0–3 in Knox, Lincoln, and Waldo counties. Free evaluations and home-based services for infants and toddlers with developmental concerns.
FREE under IDEA Part C. Serves Knox, Lincoln, and Waldo counties from the Rockland area.
ABA therapy
1 providerApplied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Autism Learning Partners — Bangor
Bangor, ME · serves several counties
Center-based and in-home ABA therapy serving the Bangor area. BCBA-supervised programs for children and adolescents. Accepts MaineCare (Medicaid) and major commercial insurance under Maine's ABA mandate.
MaineCare (Maine Medicaid) covers ABA therapy. Bangor is the only significant ABA hub for a large portion of northern Maine.
Speech therapy
1 providerSpeech-language pathology, AAC, pragmatic language, and feeding.
Pen Bay Medical Center — Speech-Language Pathology
Rockport, ME · serves several counties
Outpatient speech-language pathology for children at Pen Bay Medical Center. Addresses communication delays, autism-related language disorders, and AAC needs for Knox County and Midcoast Maine families.
Mental health
1 providerTherapists and psychiatrists experienced with autistic children and adults.
Acadia Hospital — Child & Adolescent Services
Bangor, ME · serves several counties
Acadia Hospital in Bangor provides outpatient mental health services to Hancock County families, including therapy and psychiatric support for autistic children and adolescents with co-occurring anxiety, depression, or behavioral challenges.
Hancock County families often travel to Bangor for specialty mental health services. Telehealth options may be available.
Respite care
3 providersRespite care providers giving families a break — in-home, center-based, and overnight.
NAMI Maine Family Respite — and the Respite for ME pilot
Statewide, ME · serves several counties
The route most relevant to autism families is the NAMI Maine Family Respite Program, which provides certified providers to care for children with significant developmental delays and behavioral or emotional disorders so that caregivers can get a break. Separately, Respite for ME is a state pilot run with the five Area Agencies on Aging offering caregiver grants. Maine's children's behavioral health services also fund respite directly.
Maine is mid-transition on its waivers — ask about respite under the new Lifespan waiver rather than by the old Section 21 and 29 numbers.
ARCH National Respite Locator
Searchable by state, ME
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, ME
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.
Activities, clubs & recreation
13 providersClubs, sports, camps, and social programs that welcome autistic children and teens — inclusive, adaptive, and special-needs specific.
Autism Society of Maine - summer camps listing
Winthrop, ME · serves several counties
The state Autism Society maintains a summer camps listing for Maine families, alongside the University of Maine Autism Institute's recreation and camps resource. Between them these are the most complete indexes for a very rural state.
Camp CaPella
Dedham, ME · serves several counties
Recreation and education for children and adults with disabilities aged five and up, on Phillips Lake at Dedham with full accessible access to the water for swimming, boating and fishing.
Pine Tree Camp
Rome, ME · serves several counties
Barrier-free outdoor camping for Maine children AND adults with disabilities since 1945. Full and partial tuition assistance is available, and they state that they have never turned away a camper because a family could not pay - which is worth taking them at their word on.
ACEing Autism
227 programs in 32 states, ME
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, ME
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, ME
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.
See all 13 activities, clubs & recreation providersShow fewer
Easterseals — camps and recreation
Local Easterseals across the country, ME
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, ME
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, ME
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.
Little League Challenger Division
Through local Little Leagues — use the League Finder, ME
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.
Miracle League
300 leagues — check for one near you, ME
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, ME
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.
TOPSoccer (US Youth Soccer)
Through local soccer clubs, ME
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 guideFor 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 →
About autism services in Waldo County
Waldo County (Belfast, Searsport, Unity) is a mid-coast Maine county served by Waldo County General Hospital (MaineHealth) for local healthcare. Families access Pen Bay Medical Center or Maine Medical Center in Portland for specialized autism evaluations. Belfast City School Department and other county schools provide special education. Maine Parent Federation provides free IEP advocacy statewide.
Helpful guides
Guides for Waldo 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 Maine resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Maine.
Maine state guide →Common questions
Answered from the providers currently listed for this county — these update as the directory does.
How many autism providers serve Waldo County, Maine?
We list 14 providers serving Waldo County, covering mental health, ABA therapy, activities, clubs & recreation, early intervention (0–3) and respite care, plus 3 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 Waldo County accept Medicaid?
1 of the providers we list for Waldo County state that they accept Medicaid, including Autism Learning Partners — Bangor. Coverage and plan participation change often, so confirm directly with the provider before your first appointment.
Where can I find ABA therapy in Waldo County?
ABA providers serving Waldo 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 Waldo County families?
Yes — 1 provider serving Waldo 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 Waldo County?
3 providers serving Waldo 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 Maine?
Maine families can apply to the Sections 21 and 29 — transitioning to the new Lifespan waiver, a Medicaid waiver that can fund respite, therapies and in-home support. The typical wait is Section 29's waiting list has ended; both are closing to new enrollment, 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 Waldo County?
If none of the Waldo County providers is the right fit, these Maine counties currently have the most listed providers: Franklin County (13), Hancock County (12), Washington County (12), Androscoggin County (11). 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 Maine
You know things we don’t
Still missing from Waldo County
These are the things no database has and every parent knows. If you can answer one of them, another family in Waldo 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?
- Where do parents here actually talk to each other?
- Is there a group here where your child has made a friend?
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 Waldo County? We'll email you.
One email when we verify a new provider in Waldo 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 Waldo 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 Waldo County?
Add your practice so families searching for help can find you. Listings are free.
Add your practice →