County resource guide
Autism Resources in Charles County, Maryland
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Charles County. Maryland statewide resources also apply.
Charles County (Waldorf, La Plata) is a fast-growing Southern Maryland county served by University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center. Families access Children's National Hospital in DC and Kennedy Krieger in Baltimore for specialized evaluations. Charles County Public Schools provides special education. Parent's Place of Maryland provides free IEP advocacy statewide.
Provider directory
Local Providers16 providers in Charles 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.
Children's National Hospital — Autism Diagnostic & Treatment Center
Greenbelt · serves multiple counties
Children's National Hospital in Washington DC is the closest major pediatric hospital to Prince George's County and a nationally ranked autism center. The Autism Diagnosis and Evaluation program provides comprehensive multi-disciplinary assessments for children and adolescents. An Autism Treatment Network (ATN) site with world-class expertise easily accessible from PG County.
Kennedy Krieger Institute — Autism Programs
Baltimore · serves multiple counties
One of the world's foremost centers for autism research and clinical care, headquartered in Baltimore. The Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) at Kennedy Krieger offers comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, behavioral treatment, and specialized programs for complex presentations. An Autism Treatment Network (ATN) site and federally designated Center of Excellence. Families travel from across Maryland and the mid-Atlantic region for care here.
La Plata
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital — Developmental Pediatrics
Developmental pediatrics referral services through MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital in La Plata, serving Charles County and the broader southern Maryland region. Coordinates with Kennedy Krieger and Children's National for complex evaluations.
Leonardtown · multi-county
MedStar St. Mary's Hospital — Developmental Pediatrics
MedStar St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown is the primary hospital for St. Mary's County. Developmental pediatrics referrals coordinate with Children's National in DC and Kennedy Krieger in Baltimore — both accessible from the southern Maryland peninsula. Families near Patuxent River NAS have additional TRICARE-covered options.
Military families near Patuxent River NAS should also check TRICARE-covered evaluation options through the base clinic.
Leonardtown · multi-county
MedStar St. Mary's Hospital — Developmental Pediatrics Referral
Developmental pediatrics referral coordination through MedStar St. Mary's Hospital, serving the southern Maryland peninsula including Calvert County. Coordinates evaluations with Children's National Medical Center in Washington DC and Kennedy Krieger in Baltimore, both accessible from southern Maryland.
Northern Virginia and DC specialists are often more accessible than Baltimore for Calvert families.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Prince Frederick · multi-county
Helping Hands Behavioral Solutions — Calvert County
In-home ABA therapy serving Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's counties in southern Maryland. BCBA-supervised with a naturalistic developmental behavioral approach. Accepts Maryland Medicaid and most commercial insurance under Maryland's ABA insurance mandate.
In-home model well-suited for southern Maryland's dispersed geography.
Waldorf · multi-county
Helping Hands Behavioral Solutions — Southern MD
In-home ABA therapy serving Charles, St. Mary's, and Calvert counties. BCBA-supervised with a naturalistic developmental behavioral approach. Accepts Maryland Medicaid and most commercial insurance under Maryland's ABA mandate.
In-home model well-suited for southern Maryland's suburban/rural geography.
Lexington Park · multi-county
Helping Hands Behavioral Solutions — St. Mary's County
In-home ABA therapy in St. Mary's County and the broader southern Maryland region. BCBA-supervised with a naturalistic developmental approach. Accepts Maryland Medicaid and most commercial insurance under Maryland's ABA mandate. TRICARE also accepted for military families near Patuxent River NAS.
TRICARE accepted — essential for military families at Patuxent River NAS.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Bowie · multi-county
Autism Society of Maryland — Prince George's County
The Autism Society of Maryland serves Prince George's County families with peer support groups, family resource events, recreational programming, and connections to statewide advocacy. Prince George's is Maryland's second-largest county by population and has a vibrant, diverse autism parent community.
Waldorf · multi-county
Southern Maryland Autism Support Group
Parent-led support group for families of autistic children and adults in Charles, St. Mary's, and Calvert counties. Monthly gatherings, resource sharing, and peer connections in a fast-growing suburban region with limited local autism-specific services.
Prince Frederick · multi-county
Southern Maryland Autism Support Group
Parent-led support community for families of autistic children and adults across Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's counties. Provides peer connection, resource sharing, and local service navigation in a fast-growing region with limited specialized autism programming.
Lexington Park · multi-county
Southern Maryland Autism Support Group
Parent-led support community for autistic children and adults across St. Mary's, Calvert, and Charles counties. Monthly gatherings, resource sharing, and peer connections — valuable in a peninsula region where families can feel isolated from the larger Baltimore/DC autism service networks.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Prince Frederick · multi-county
Maryland Coalition of Families — Southern Maryland
MCF provides free family peer support and advocacy for southern Maryland families navigating developmental, behavioral, and mental health systems. Calvert County families can connect with family peer specialists who have lived experience raising a child with similar needs.
FREE. Family-run organization. Peer specialists have their own experience with a child with disabilities.
Leonardtown · multi-county
Maryland Coalition of Families — Southern Maryland
MCF family peer specialists support St. Mary's County families navigating developmental, behavioral, and educational systems. Provides phone and virtual support, IEP advocacy guidance, and connections to statewide resources. Especially valuable for military families unfamiliar with Maryland's specific programs.
FREE. Military families: MCF can help you quickly understand Maryland's IEP and waiver systems when you're new to the state.
Largo · multi-county
Parents' Place of Maryland (PPM) — Prince George's County
Maryland's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center supporting Prince George's County families with free IEP advocacy coaching, special education rights training, and dispute navigation. Staff familiar with Prince George's County Public Schools and the county's diverse multilingual community. Bilingual support available.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Bilingual staff available — essential before any IEP meeting in PGCPS.
La Plata · multi-county
The Arc of the Chesapeake — Southern Maryland
Advocacy, family support, employment services, and residential support for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Charles and neighboring southern Maryland counties. Important transition planning resource for families approaching adulthood.
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Helpful guides
Guides for Charles 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 Charles County
Serving families across Charles County including La Plata, Waldorf, White Plains, Indian Head, Port Tobacco, Hughesville, Bryans Road, Benedict, Pomfret and Marbury and more.
See all Maryland resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Maryland.
Maryland state guide →Nearby counties in Maryland
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