Autism Resources in St. Clair County, Michigan

13 providers in Port Huron 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 St. Clair County. Filter by your child’s age — including 18+, which is the hardest to find anywhere.

Based in St. Clair County

Diagnostic clinics

1 provider

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

McLaren Port Huron — Pediatric Developmental Services

Port Huron, MI · serves several counties

McLaren Port Huron is the primary hospital for St. Clair County, providing developmental pediatric evaluations and autism referrals for the greater Port Huron area. McLaren's regional network connects families to specialists across Southeast Michigan. Port Huron's location near the Michigan-Ontario border gives families occasional access to Canadian specialist options as well.

For comprehensive autism evaluations, McLaren Port Huron coordinates referrals to Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit or University of Michigan.

Ages 0–18

Early Intervention (0–3)

1 provider

Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.

Early On St. Clair County

Port Huron, MI

Michigan's Early On program for St. Clair County provides free early intervention for infants and toddlers under age 3. Developmental evaluations, IFSPs, and in-home speech, OT, and developmental therapy in Port Huron and across St. Clair County.

FREE under IDEA Part C. Self-refer — no physician referral required.

Accepting new patientsAges 0–3In-home

ABA therapy

1 provider

Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.

Centria Autism — Port Huron/St. Clair County

Port Huron, MI · serves several counties

In-home ABA therapy serving St. Clair County and the greater Blue Water region. BCBA-supervised individualized programs accepting most commercial insurance and Michigan Medicaid. In-home delivery is practical across this thumb-region county.

Michigan requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.

MedicaidAges 2–21In-home

Advocacy & legal

1 provider

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

Michigan Alliance for Families — East Michigan (St. Clair County)

Port Huron, MI · serves several counties

Michigan Alliance for Families provides free IEP advocacy, special education training, and statewide PTI resources to St. Clair County families in Port Huron and surrounding communities. MAF's expertise in Michigan's special education system is invaluable before any IEP meeting or dispute.

FREE. Federally funded PTI serving all 83 Michigan counties.

Accepting new patientsAll ages

Also serving St. Clair County

These 21 are based elsewhere, or operate nationally, and list St. Clair 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 providers

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

McLaren Lapeer Region — Pediatric Developmental Referrals

Lapeer, MI · serves several counties

McLaren Lapeer Region is the community hospital for Lapeer County, providing pediatric care and developmental referrals. For comprehensive autism evaluations, families are typically referred to McLaren Port Huron, Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, or University of Michigan. Lapeer County sits between Flint and Port Huron.

Ask for referrals to McLaren Port Huron or Children's Hospital of Michigan for full autism evaluations.

Ages 0–18

McLaren Macomb — Developmental Pediatrics

Mount Clemens, MI · serves several counties

McLaren Macomb provides developmental pediatric services in Mount Clemens serving Macomb County families. Evaluation referrals and coordination with Children's Hospital of Michigan and Corewell Health Beaumont for comprehensive autism assessments. Convenient northern Detroit suburb location.

Ages 0–18

ABA therapy

3 providers

Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.

Avid ABA Autism Therapy Centers

Chesterfield Township, MI · serves several counties

Professional ABA home health care for children with autism in Macomb, Oakland, Wayne, and St. Clair counties.

Source: https://avidaba.com

Centria Autism — Lapeer County

Lapeer, MI · serves several counties

In-home ABA therapy serving Lapeer County families. BCBA-supervised individualized programs accepting most commercial insurance and Michigan Medicaid. In-home model is well suited to Lapeer County's rural communities.

Michigan requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.

MedicaidAges 2–21In-home

Early Autism Services — Sterling Heights

Sterling Heights, MI · serves several counties

ABA therapy in Sterling Heights/Macomb County, also serving Wayne, Oakland, and St. Clair counties.

Source: https://www.earlyautismservices.com/locations/sterling-heights

Respite care

3 providers

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

Respite through your Community Mental Health agency (CMHSP)

Statewide, MI · serves several counties

In Michigan the door to respite is your local Community Mental Health Services Program rather than a state office. The CMHSP decides eligibility based on the nature and severity of your child's disability, and administers the Children's Waiver Program, which funds respite among other supports to keep a child living at home. Michigan also publishes a family guide to respite specifically for children, which is unusually practical for a state document.

Michigan Alliance for Families is the free, independent help for getting through the CMHSP process — worth calling before you call the CMHSP.

ARCH National Respite Locator

Searchable by state, MI

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, MI

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.

Advocacy & legal

2 providers

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

Michigan Alliance for Families — Lapeer County

Lapeer, MI · serves several counties

Michigan Alliance for Families provides free IEP advocacy and special education rights support to Lapeer County families. Statewide PTI with expertise in Michigan's special education procedures and dispute resolution.

FREE. Federally funded PTI serving all 83 Michigan counties.

Accepting new patientsAll ages

Michigan Alliance for Families — Thumb Region (Sanilac County)

Sandusky, MI · serves several counties

Michigan Alliance for Families provides free IEP advocacy and special education support to Sanilac County families. Statewide PTI with deep knowledge of Michigan's special education law — especially important for families in rural districts with fewer local advocacy resources.

FREE. Federally funded PTI — serves all 83 Michigan counties.

Accepting new patientsAll ages

Activities, clubs & recreation

11 providers

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

Macomb County - Move More Macomb adaptive recreation

Mount Clemens, MI · serves several counties

The county's own adaptive recreation programming. Public provision is the cheapest and closest option and rarely surfaces in an autism search.

ACEing Autism

227 programs in 32 states, MI

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, MI

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, MI

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, MI

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, MI

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.

See all 11 activities, clubs & recreation providers

KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now)

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

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

Little League Challenger Division

Through local Little Leagues — use the League Finder, MI

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, MI

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, MI

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, MI

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

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About autism services in St. Clair County

St. Clair County — home to Port Huron, Fort Gratiot, and Marysville — is on the eastern edge of the Lower Peninsula along the St. Clair River. McLaren Port Huron provides healthcare services. The St. Clair County Community Mental Health agency coordinates Michigan's Children's Waiver. Michigan's Early On program is available for children under 3. Michigan Alliance for Families provides free statewide IEP advocacy, and families sometimes cross into the Sarnia, Ontario area for additional services.

Helpful guides

Guides for St. Clair County families

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

See all Michigan resources

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

Michigan state guide →

Common questions

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

How many autism providers serve St. Clair County, Michigan?

We list 13 providers serving St. Clair County, covering ABA therapy, early intervention (0–3), activities, clubs & recreation, diagnostic clinics and advocacy & legal, plus 1 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 St. Clair County accept Medicaid?

2 of the providers we list for St. Clair County state that they accept Medicaid, including Centria Autism — Lapeer County and Centria Autism — Port Huron/St. Clair County. Coverage and plan participation change often, so confirm directly with the provider before your first appointment.

Where can I find ABA therapy in St. Clair County?

ABA providers serving St. Clair 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.

Can autism therapy happen at home in St. Clair County?

3 providers serving St. Clair 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 Michigan?

Michigan families can apply to the Habilitation Supports Waiver (HSW), a Medicaid waiver that can fund respite, therapies and in-home support. The typical wait is Multi-year; priority goes to crisis and institutional transition, 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 St. Clair County?

If none of the St. Clair County providers is the right fit, these Michigan counties currently have the most listed providers: Antrim County (25), Oakland County (23), Osceola County (23), Macomb County (21). 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 Michigan

You know things we don’t

Still missing from St. Clair County

These are the things no database has and every parent knows. If you can answer one of them, another family in St. Clair 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 St. Clair County? We'll email you.

One email when we verify a new provider in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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.

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For providers

Are you a provider serving St. Clair County?

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