County resource guide
Autism Resources in Essex County, Massachusetts
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Essex County. Massachusetts statewide resources also apply.
Essex County (Salem, Lawrence, Gloucester, Haverhill) is a diverse North Shore county with access to MassGeneral for Children satellite services and a solid private provider base. Massachusetts Early Intervention is available for children under 3. The Federation for Children with Special Needs provides free IEP advocacy statewide. Massachusetts requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy, and the Adult Supports waiver supports eligible adults.
School evaluation
Request a School Evaluation
Under IDEA, your school district must evaluate your child for free if you request it in writing. Here’s who to contact in Essex County:
Salem Public Schools Special Ed
Serves Salem city limits within Essex County.
Contacts verified May 2026 — call to confirm current numbers
Learn how to write your evaluation request →Provider directory
Local Providers8 providers in Essex 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.
Salem
MassGeneral Brigham — North Shore Children's Hospital Developmental Pediatrics
North Shore Children's Hospital in Salem (part of Mass General Brigham) provides developmental and behavioral pediatric services including autism evaluations for Essex County families. Offers access to the Mass General Brigham network and can facilitate referrals to the Lurie Center for Autism for complex or adult assessments.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Danvers
North Shore Educational Consortium — Early Intervention
Early Intervention services for Essex County children 0–3 under IDEA Part C, coordinated through the North Shore Educational Consortium. Free evaluations and in-home services including speech, occupational therapy, and developmental therapy for eligible infants and toddlers across the North Shore communities.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Andover · multi-county
Melmark New England
Highly regarded ABA and special education provider serving Greater Boston. Offers intensive center-based programs, day school, and residential services for individuals with complex autism and related challenges. BCBA-supervised.
Massachusetts requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy. Melmark specializes in more intensive needs.
Andover · multi-county
Melmark New England — Essex County
Highly regarded ABA and special education provider with its main New England campus in Andover, Essex County. Offers intensive center-based ABA programs, a special education day school, and residential services for individuals with complex autism and related challenges. BCBA-supervised with nationally recognized clinical standards.
Peabody · multi-county
Trumpet Behavioral Health — North Shore MA
Trumpet Behavioral Health is a national ABA provider with Massachusetts presence serving Essex County families. Offers center-based and home-based ABA therapy for children with autism, with BCBA-supervised individualized treatment plans. Massachusetts commercial insurance mandate and MassHealth authorization accepted.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Boston · multi-county
Autism Society of Massachusetts
Massachusetts's statewide autism chapter with Boston-area programming. Support groups, family events, resource navigation, and connection to the MA DDS service system.
Peabody
Autism Support Group — North Shore / Essex County
Parent-led autism support community for Essex County families through the Autism Society of Massachusetts network. Serves the North Shore corridor from Salem to Newburyport. Monthly support groups, family social events, and resource navigation for the MA DDS system and local provider landscape.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Boston · multi-county
Federation for Children with Special Needs
Massachusetts's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. Free IEP advocacy, training, and one-on-one support for MA families. Knows the Massachusetts IEP process and state special education regulations inside out.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Essential before any IEP meeting in Massachusetts.
For providers
Be the first featured provider in Essex County
Featured listings include your logo, extended description, a direct contact button, and top placement above standard listings. Families searching for help in Essex County see you first.
Missing a provider? Submit a listing — it’s free →
School districts & government services
Public programs and school district contacts for Essex County.
School & special education
- Lynn Public Schools — Special Education
Lynn is the largest city in Essex County.
Services & benefits
- MA DDS — Northeast Area Office
Contact MA DDS's Northeast Area Office for waiver enrollment and DD services.
Adult services
- MA DDS — Northeast Area Office
Contact MA DDS's Northeast Area Office for waiver enrollment and DD services.
Respite & support
- MA DDS — Northeast Area Office
Contact MA DDS's Northeast Area Office for waiver enrollment and DD services.
Helpful guides
Guides for Essex 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 Essex County
Serving families across Essex County including Salem, Lawrence, Lowell (Middlesex), Haverhill, Lynn, Beverly, Peabody, Gloucester, Methuen and Newburyport and more.
See all Massachusetts resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts state guide →Nearby counties in Massachusetts
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 Essex 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
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