County resource guide
Autism Resources in Polk County, Minnesota
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Polk County. Minnesota statewide resources also apply.
Polk County — home to Crookston and East Grand Forks — is in the Red River Valley of northwestern Minnesota. Altru Health System serves the broader region, and University of Minnesota Crookston contributes to regional professional training. East Grand Forks and Crookston school districts provide special education. Families benefit from access to Fargo-Moorhead providers across the border. PACER Center provides free IEP advocacy statewide.
Provider directory
Local Providers21 providers in Polk 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.
Crookston · multi-county
Altru Health System — Developmental Pediatrics (Grand Forks)
Altru Health System in Grand Forks, ND is the nearest comprehensive developmental pediatrics center for Polk County, Minnesota. Autism evaluations, multi-disciplinary assessments, and follow-up coordination available for Crookston-area families crossing the border for specialized care.
Cross-border care — Altru in Grand Forks, ND is approximately 25 miles from Crookston.
Ada · multi-county
Altru Health System — Developmental Referral (Grand Forks)
Altru Health System in Grand Forks, ND provides the nearest comprehensive autism evaluations for Norman County families. Telehealth intake and in-person evaluations serve the Ada and Halstad areas of northwest Minnesota.
Cross-border care in Grand Forks, ND — nearest comprehensive developmental center.
Bagley · multi-county
Essentia Health — Bemidji Developmental Services
Essentia Health's Bemidji regional center is the primary hub for developmental pediatrics and autism evaluation referrals from Clearwater County. Telehealth intake reduces the travel burden for families in Bagley and rural Clearwater County.
Red Lake Falls · multi-county
Sanford Health — Red Lake County Developmental Referral
Red Lake County families in Red Lake Falls access developmental and autism evaluation referrals through Sanford Health's Crookston or Thief River Falls facilities. Red Lake County is one of Minnesota's smallest and most rural counties in the northwest Red River Valley.
Very rural. Crookston (~25 miles) and Thief River Falls (~20 miles) are the nearest health system facilities.
Thief River Falls · multi-county
Sanford Health — Thief River Falls Developmental Services
Sanford Health Thief River Falls is the primary regional hospital for Pennington County and the far northwest corner of Minnesota. Provides developmental pediatric evaluations and autism referrals. Complex cases are coordinated with Sanford's Fargo-Moorhead campus or the Twin Cities.
Sanford Fargo-Moorhead and Altru Grand Forks are the primary specialist referral centers for Pennington County families.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Crookston
Crookston Public Schools — Early Childhood Special Education
Crookston Public Schools and the Northwest Service Cooperative provide free Early Childhood Special Education for Polk County children birth through age 5. Evaluations, IFSPs, and therapy services under IDEA Part C and Part B.
FREE under IDEA. Contact Crookston Public Schools' special education department.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Mahnomen · multi-county
Bluestone Physician Services — Mahnomen County
Bluestone Physician Services provides telehealth ABA and behavioral health services reaching Mahnomen County. Culturally responsive programming important in this county with a large White Earth Nation Ojibwe community. Accepts Minnesota Medical Assistance and commercial insurance.
Minnesota requires commercial insurance to cover ABA. Ask about culturally responsive services for White Earth families.
Warren · multi-county
Bluestone Physician Services — Marshall County
Bluestone Physician Services provides ABA and behavioral health services reaching Marshall County in the Red River Valley. Telehealth-supported programming for families in Warren and rural north-central Marshall County. Accepts Minnesota Medical Assistance and commercial insurance.
Minnesota requires commercial insurance to cover ABA. Telehealth essential in this remote northern Red River Valley county.
Thief River Falls · multi-county
Bluestone Physician Services — Pennington County
Bluestone Physician Services provides ABA and behavioral health services reaching Pennington County. Telehealth-supported in-home programming for families in Thief River Falls and rural northwest Minnesota. Accepts Minnesota Medical Assistance and commercial insurance.
Minnesota requires commercial insurance to cover ABA. Telehealth is essential in this remote northwest county.
Red Lake Falls · multi-county
Bluestone Physician Services — Red Lake County
Bluestone Physician Services provides integrated behavioral health and telehealth-supported ABA reaching Red Lake County. In-home and telehealth services for families in Red Lake Falls. Accepts Minnesota Medical Assistance and commercial insurance.
Telehealth is critical for this extremely rural northwest MN county.
Mental health
Therapists and psychiatrists experienced with autistic children and adults.
Bagley · multi-county
Lakeland Mental Health Center — Clearwater County
Lakeland Mental Health Center provides outpatient mental health services in Clearwater County including therapy and psychiatric evaluation for individuals with autism and co-occurring behavioral health conditions. Serves Bagley and the surrounding rural area.
Ada · multi-county
Lakeland Mental Health Center — Norman County
Lakeland Mental Health Center serves Norman County with outpatient mental health and behavioral health services for individuals with autism and co-occurring conditions. Therapy and psychiatric support available in Ada with telehealth options.
Crookston · multi-county
Lakeland Mental Health Center — Polk County
Lakeland Mental Health Center provides outpatient mental health and behavioral health services for Polk County including children and adults with autism. Therapy, psychiatric evaluation, and case management available in Crookston.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Ada · multi-county
Autism Society of Minnesota — Norman County Support
Autism Society of Minnesota provides helpline services, peer support, and resource referrals for Norman County families in one of Minnesota's most rural and isolated regions. Virtual connections and statewide resources help bridge the service gap.
FREE helpline. Essential resource for extremely rural NW Minnesota families.
Bagley · multi-county
Autism Society of Minnesota — Northwest MN Support
Autism Society of Minnesota provides virtual peer support, helpline services, and resource referrals for Clearwater County families. Staff assist with waiver programs, school advocacy, and connecting to regional providers.
FREE helpline. Virtual support essential for northwest MN's geographic isolation.
Crookston · multi-county
Autism Society of Minnesota — Northwest Outreach
Autism Society of Minnesota offers helpline services, virtual peer support, and resource navigation for Polk County families. Assists with finding evaluators, waiver programs, and connecting to the broader Minnesota autism community.
FREE helpline. Virtual support available for rural northwest Minnesota.
Red Lake Falls · multi-county
Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) — Northwest MN (Red Lake County)
AuSM provides statewide peer support and resource referrals for Red Lake County families. One of Minnesota's smallest and most remote counties — statewide virtual networks are the primary community connection for autism families here.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Ada · multi-county
Northwest Service Cooperative — Norman County Special Ed
The Northwest Service Cooperative provides special education support and consultation for Norman County districts, assisting with autism evaluations, IEP development, and school programming across northwest Minnesota.
Thief River Falls · multi-county
Northwest Service Cooperative — Special Education
The Northwest Service Cooperative (NWSC) supports Polk County school districts with special education consultation, evaluation, and programming for students with autism. Provides regional support across northwest Minnesota counties.
Thief River Falls · multi-county
PACER Center — Pennington County & Far Northwest MN
PACER Center provides free IEP advocacy and virtual consultation for Pennington County families navigating Thief River Falls area schools. Virtual consultations are critical for families in this remote northwest Minnesota county.
FREE. Federally funded PTI serving all 87 MN counties. Virtual consultations important for this remote border area.
Red Lake Falls · multi-county
PACER Center — Red Lake County Families
PACER Center, Minnesota's federally funded PTI, provides free IEP advocacy and remote consultation for Red Lake County families. Virtual consultations are especially important for families in this remote northwest Minnesota county.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Virtual consultations are essential for Red Lake County's remote location.
For providers
Be the first featured provider in Polk County
Featured listings include your logo, extended description, a direct contact button, and top placement above standard listings. Families searching for help in Polk County see you first.
Missing a provider? Submit a listing — it’s free →
Helpful guides
Guides for Polk 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
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 Polk 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 Polk County?
Add your practice so families searching for help can find you. Listings are free.
Add your practice →