County resource guide
Autism Resources in Crow Wing County, Minnesota
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Crow Wing County. Minnesota statewide resources also apply.
Crow Wing County — home to Brainerd and Baxter — is a central Minnesota county with a strong tourism economy around the Brainerd Lakes area. Essentia Health Brainerd provides healthcare services. Brainerd Public Schools provides special education programs. Provider availability is limited; families often travel to St. Cloud or the Twin Cities for specialized autism evaluation. PACER Center provides free statewide IEP advocacy.
Provider directory
Local Providers14 providers in Crow Wing 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.
Brainerd · multi-county
Essentia Health — Developmental Pediatrics Brainerd
Essentia Health's Brainerd clinic provides developmental pediatrics and autism evaluations for Crow Wing County and the surrounding lakes region. Connected to Essentia's northern Minnesota network with telehealth links to Duluth specialists.
Grand Rapids · multi-county
Essentia Health — Grand Rapids Clinic
Essentia Health's Grand Rapids clinic serves Itasca County with developmental pediatrics consultations and referrals to autism diagnostic specialists. Telehealth access to Duluth's multi-disciplinary evaluation teams is available for complex cases.
Walker · multi-county
Essentia Health — Telehealth Developmental Services
Essentia Health provides telehealth-based developmental pediatrics evaluations for Cass County families, connecting rural residents with Duluth and Brainerd specialists. Serves Walker and the broader Leech Lake area with remote consultation and referral support.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Brainerd
ISD 181 Brainerd — Early Childhood Special Education
Brainerd Public Schools (ISD 181) provides free Early Childhood Special Education for children birth through age 5 in Crow Wing County. Developmental evaluations, IFSPs, and school-based therapy services under IDEA.
FREE under IDEA Part C/B. Contact the district's special education office to begin.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Aitkin · multi-county
Bluestone Physician Services — Aitkin County
Bluestone Physician Services provides integrated behavioral health and ABA-aligned services reaching Aitkin County. In-home and telehealth-supported programming for children with autism in rural north-central Minnesota. Accepts Minnesota Medical Assistance and commercial insurance.
Minnesota requires commercial insurance to cover ABA. Telehealth is critical in this rural lake-country county.
Brainerd · multi-county
CentraCare — Behavioral Health Brainerd
CentraCare Behavioral Health provides applied behavior analysis and autism support services in Brainerd, serving Crow Wing and neighboring central Minnesota counties. BCBA-supervised programming with in-clinic and community-based options.
Wadena · multi-county
Essentia Health — Telehealth Autism Services
Essentia Health offers telehealth and outreach behavioral health services for Wadena County, connecting families to autism specialists in the Brainerd and Duluth regions. In-home support coordination available for waiver-eligible individuals.
Brainerd · multi-county
Minnesota Autism Center — Brainerd
Minnesota Autism Center operates a clinic in Brainerd serving Crow Wing County with comprehensive ABA therapy. BCBA-led programming for children and teens with Medicaid and private insurance accepted.
Walker · multi-county
Minnesota Autism Center — In-Home ABA
Minnesota Autism Center offers in-home and community-based ABA therapy for Cass County children who cannot access a clinic site. BCBA-supervised services with coordination through the Brainerd regional office.
Grand Rapids · multi-county
Trumpet Behavioral Health — Northern MN
Trumpet Behavioral Health provides BCBA-supervised ABA therapy across northern Minnesota including Itasca County. In-home and community-based services available for families in Grand Rapids and the surrounding region.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
St. Paul · multi-county
Autism Society of Minnesota — Rural Outreach
Autism Society of Minnesota provides statewide support including resource navigation, peer support, and family connections. Rural Cass County families can access virtual support groups and one-on-one resource specialists.
FREE. Call the helpline for resource navigation specific to rural northern MN.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Aitkin · multi-county
PACER Center — Aitkin County & North-Central MN
PACER Center, Minnesota's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center, provides free IEP advocacy, training, and remote consultation for Aitkin County families navigating local school districts and rural north-central Minnesota special education.
FREE. Federally funded PTI serving all 87 MN counties statewide.
Little Falls · multi-county
PACER Center — Morrison County & Central MN
PACER Center serves all Minnesota families including those in Morrison County with free IEP advocacy, training, and remote consultation. Little Falls-area families navigating Morrison County schools benefit from PACER's statewide expertise and CentraCare system connections.
FREE. Federally funded PTI serving all 87 MN counties statewide.
Minneapolis · multi-county
PACER Center — Statewide Advocacy
PACER Center is Minnesota's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center, offering free IEP advocacy, workshops, and one-on-one support. Crow Wing County families can access virtual sessions and on-site assistance for school disputes and rights navigation.
FREE. Minnesota's PTI — serves all 87 counties virtually.
For providers
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Helpful guides
Guides for Crow Wing 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 Minnesota resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Minnesota.
Minnesota state guide →Nearby counties in Minnesota
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