County resource guide
Autism Resources in Stearns County, Minnesota
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Stearns County. Minnesota statewide resources also apply.
Stearns County — home to St. Cloud, Waite Park, and Sartell — is central Minnesota's largest city region. St. Cloud Hospital (part of CentraCare Health) provides some developmental services. St. Cloud Area School District provides special education programs. Minnesota's Early Intervention program is available through county services. PACER Center provides free IEP advocacy statewide, and the provider ecosystem in the St. Cloud metro is growing.
Provider directory
Local Providers14 providers in Stearns 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.
Foley · multi-county
CentraCare — Benton County Pediatric Services
CentraCare Health serves Benton County families through its St. Cloud-area network, which includes the Foley area. Autism evaluations and developmental pediatric referrals are coordinated through CentraCare's St. Cloud specialists — Benton County's proximity to St. Cloud gives families excellent access to this central Minnesota hub.
CentraCare St. Cloud (~20 miles west) provides full autism evaluation services for Benton County families.
St. Cloud
CentraCare — Pediatric Developmental Clinic
CentraCare Health's pediatric developmental clinic in St. Cloud offers autism evaluations and developmental assessments for central Minnesota families. The primary health system for Stearns County and the St. Cloud region. Providers include developmental pediatricians and licensed psychologists.
CentraCare is the dominant health system for central MN. Note: St. Cloud has a significant Somali-American community — ask about culturally and linguistically competent evaluators.
Glenwood · multi-county
CentraCare — West Central Clinic Developmental Referral (Pope County)
Pope County families in Glenwood access developmental and autism evaluation referrals through the CentraCare network, with the Willmar campus (~30 miles south) as the primary regional specialist hub. Glenwood sits on Lake Minnewaska in west-central Minnesota's lake country.
CentraCare Willmar (~30 miles south) is the primary evaluation hub for Pope County families.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
St. Cloud
Stearns County Early Childhood Special Education
Stearns County and the St. Cloud-area school districts provide free Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) services for children birth through age 5. Evaluations, IFSPs, and developmental therapy. Entry point for early intervention services in central Minnesota.
FREE under IDEA. St. Cloud Area School District coordinates ECSE services. Multilingual services available.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Little Falls · multi-county
Bluestone Physician Services — Morrison County
Bluestone Physician Services provides ABA and behavioral health services reaching Morrison County. In-home and telehealth-supported ABA for families in Little Falls and rural Morrison County. Accepts Minnesota Medical Assistance and commercial insurance per Minnesota's ABA mandate.
Minnesota requires commercial insurance to cover ABA. Telehealth is especially important in rural Morrison County.
Foley · multi-county
REACH for Resources — Benton County ABA
ABA therapy services for Benton County families in Foley and Sauk Rapids. In-home and community-based BCBA-supervised programming. Accepts Minnesota Medical Assistance and commercial insurance under Minnesota's ABA insurance mandate.
Minnesota requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.
Buffalo · multi-county
REACH for Resources — Wright County ABA
ABA therapy services for Wright County families in Buffalo, Monticello, and surrounding communities. In-home and community-based BCBA-supervised programming. Accepts Minnesota Medical Assistance and commercial insurance per Minnesota's ABA coverage mandate.
In-home ABA is especially practical for this exurban county. Minnesota requires commercial insurance to cover ABA.
St. Cloud
Relate Counseling Center — ABA & Behavioral Services
ABA and behavioral support services for children and youth in St. Cloud and Stearns County. BCBA-supervised with community-based and in-home options. Accepts Minnesota Medical Assistance and commercial insurance under Minnesota's ABA mandate.
Minnesota requires commercial insurance to cover ABA. Stearns County has a diverse community — inquire about multilingual or culturally responsive services.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
St. Cloud
Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) — Central MN
AuSM supports families in Stearns County and central Minnesota with support groups, adult programming, and the STRIDE employment program. The St. Cloud-area chapter reflects the cultural diversity of the region.
Contact AuSM about culturally responsive programming in the St. Cloud area given the significant Somali-American community.
Foley · multi-county
Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) — Central MN (Benton County)
AuSM connects Benton County families to the St. Cloud-area autism support community and statewide programming. Proximity to St. Cloud gives Benton County families good access to metro-area AuSM resources.
Contact AuSM for central Minnesota support group schedules serving Benton County.
Buffalo · multi-county
Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) — West/Central Metro
AuSM connects Wright County families to autism support groups, social programming, and statewide resources. Adults can access the STRIDE employment program.
Contact AuSM to find the nearest support group to Wright County.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Foley · multi-county
PACER Center — Benton County Families
PACER Center provides free IEP advocacy, parent training, and one-on-one support to Benton County families navigating the Benton/Stearns county school districts and the St. Cloud metro area special education system.
FREE. Federally funded PTI serving all 87 MN counties.
Minneapolis
PACER Center — Stearns County & Central MN
PACER Center serves all Minnesota families statewide, including Stearns County and the St. Cloud area. Free IEP advocacy, training, and workshops in English and select other languages. Critical resource for MN's federally funded parent advocacy.
FREE. PACER has multilingual resources important for St. Cloud's Somali-American community. Federally funded PTI.
Minneapolis · multi-county
PACER Center — Wright County Families
PACER Center, Minnesota's nationally recognized federally funded PTI, provides free IEP advocacy, parent training, and one-on-one support to Wright County families. First call for any IEP dispute or special education concern.
FREE. Federally funded PTI serving all 87 MN counties.
For providers
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Helpful guides
Guides for Stearns 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 Stearns County
Serving families across Stearns County including St. Cloud, Waite Park, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, St. Joseph, Cold Spring, Clearwater, Kimball, Paynesville and Richmond and more.
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.
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