Autism Resources in Ocean County, New Jersey

Toms River · multi-county

Hackensack Meridian Community Medical Center — Pediatric Developmental Referrals

Ocean County families access autism evaluations primarily through Community Medical Center (Hackensack Meridian Health) in Toms River, which coordinates pediatric developmental referrals to K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune or CHOP in Philadelphia. Ocean County's large population and geographic spread make early referral essential.

Ask your pediatrician for a referral to K. Hovnanian Children's (Neptune) or CHOP for a comprehensive autism evaluation. Start early — waitlists are long.

Neptune · multi-county

Hackensack Meridian K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital — Developmental Pediatrics

Comprehensive autism and developmental evaluations at K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, the leading children's hospital serving Monmouth County. Multi-disciplinary team with developmental pediatrics, neuropsychology, and speech pathology. One of New Jersey's major children's hospital resources for the Jersey Shore region.

Referral from pediatrician typically required. Waitlists can be long — request early.

Toms River

Ocean County Early Intervention — County Lead Agency

Ocean County's federally funded Early Intervention program for children birth to 3. Free evaluations and IFSP services including speech, OT, developmental therapy, and ABA for eligible infants and toddlers throughout Ocean County.

Free evaluation — call to start. EI is the fastest route to services for children under 3 in NJ.

Freehold · multi-county

Behavior Therapy Associates — Monmouth County

Center-based and in-home ABA therapy from one of New Jersey's established behavioral therapy practices. BCBA-supervised with individualized programming for children and teens. Accepts most commercial insurance under NJ's ABA mandate and NJ Medicaid/DDD waiver. Serving Freehold and the broader Monmouth County area.

One of NJ's established ABA practices. Ask about BCBA caseload ratios and in-home availability.

Toms River · multi-county

Cornerstone Therapeutic Services — Ocean County

Center-based and in-home ABA therapy serving Ocean County families in Toms River and surrounding communities. BCBA-supervised with individualized behavioral programming. Accepts most commercial insurance under NJ's ABA insurance mandate and NJ Medicaid/DDD waiver.

Ocean County is a large, growing county — waitlists for ABA are common. Start the enrollment process as early as possible.

Toms River · multi-county

Ocean County Speech and Language Associates

Private speech-language pathology practice serving Ocean County children and teens with autism, language delays, AAC, and social communication challenges. Individual and small-group therapy options. Accepts most commercial insurance.

Private practice — verify your insurance plan accepts out-of-network or in-network providers before scheduling.

Statewide · multi-county

New Jersey respite — the door changes at 21

New Jersey splits respite at age 21 and families routinely knock on the wrong door for years. UNDER 21: respite sits inside Family Support Services through the Department of Children and Families' Children's System of Care, with PerformCare as the contracted point of access. OVER 21: respite is a Family Support Service through the Division of Developmental Disabilities, available to unpaid caregivers including family members and guardians. Same service, different agency, and nobody tells you when it changes.

Autism NJ publishes a plain guide to accessing respite in either system, and The Arc of NJ Family Institute has a 'respite go bag' checklist worth having ready before you need it.

~3,000 providers nationwide

ARCH National Respite Locator

A free national database of respite providers searchable by state and locality — home care agencies, community-based organizations and state programs. The single best starting point for finding respite anywhere in the country, and it is the tool state agencies themselves point families toward.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Before you pay out of pocket, check what your state's Medicaid waiver funds — respite is covered by nearly every state waiver, and many families never think to ask.

Most states run one

Your state's Lifespan Respite Care Program

Lifespan Respite Care Programs are federally seeded, state-run programs that help families of any age and any disability find and pay for respite — often including vouchers or subsidies that do not depend on having a Medicaid waiver. Most states have one, they are chronically under-used, and they are rarely mentioned by anyone else in the system.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Search for "[your state] Lifespan Respite" or use the ARCH directory. Ask specifically about voucher or subsidy programs — that is the part families most often miss.

Mount Holly · multi-county

Autism New Jersey — Burlington County Families

Autism New Jersey's statewide helpline and resource navigation serves Burlington County families. Provider referrals, insurance advocacy, DDD eligibility guidance, and connection to local support groups. One of the most respected autism organizations in the state.

FREE helpline. Call for provider referrals and DDD waiver guidance specific to South Jersey.

Freehold · multi-county

Autism New Jersey — Monmouth County Families

Autism New Jersey's helpline and statewide network serve Monmouth County families with resource navigation, provider referrals, DDD waiver guidance, and connection to local parent support groups. Monmouth County has an active parent community given the county's large population.

FREE helpline. Monmouth County has an active special education parent community — Autism NJ can connect you to local groups.

Mount Holly · multi-county

SPAN — Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (Burlington County)

NJ's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center serves Burlington County families at no cost. IEP preparation, Child Study Team navigation, and due process support. Free one-on-one appointments available.

FREE. Essential before any IEP meeting or Child Study Team dispute in NJ.

Toms River · multi-county

SPAN — Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (Ocean County)

NJ's federally funded PTI serves Ocean County families at no cost. Free IEP advocacy, Child Study Team navigation, and special education rights training. Ocean County has a large school-age population — SPAN is essential before any IEP dispute.

FREE. Federally funded PTI. One of the most effective IEP advocacy resources in New Jersey.

New Jersey · multi-county

Autism Family Services of New Jersey

After-school care and Saturday recreation programs built around social skills and community involvement. They also run the annual Autism Beach Bash at Belmar, the largest gathering of autism families in the state, which includes a surf camp run by Surfers Healing.

Brick · multi-county

POAC Autism Services

A long-running New Jersey autism nonprofit offering recreational and support services alongside parent and educator training, and training for police and first responders working with autistic children and adults - which is worth knowing about separately from recreation.

Oakhurst · multi-county

Rising Treetops at Oakhurst

Summer camp and respite programs for children AND adults with special needs including autism and physical and intellectual disabilities. Adult provision and respite in the same place is an unusually useful combination.

200+ locations nationwide

ACEing Autism

Weekly Saturday tennis clinics built specifically for autistic children aged 5 to 18, run by volunteers at more than 200 locations across the country, serving over 7,000 players. Sessions run in six-week blocks of an hour. This is the clearest example of the interest-based model working: the sport supplies the structure, the turn-taking and the reason to be there, so the social side happens sideways rather than being the task.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Cost varies by location — around $120 for a six-week session at some sites, with scholarships available. Use the map on their site to find your nearest program, schedule and local contact.

~4,000 camps nationwide

American Camp Association — camp finder

A free searchable directory of close to 4,000 summer camps that can be filtered for camps serving autistic campers, by distance, session length, activities and cost. The best single starting point for finding a day or overnight camp anywhere in the country.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Registration for specialized camps typically opens December–February and popular overnight camps fill within days. Start the funding conversation in autumn.

Nationwide — find your local chapter

Best Buddies

One-to-one friendship matching between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, plus employment, leadership and inclusive living programs. Over 4,000 chapters across all 50 states, serving school-age through adult. If what your family wants is a friend rather than an activity, this is the most direct answer in the country.

A national programme 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 1-800-89BUDDY, to locate your nearest chapter.

Local affiliates across most of the country

Easterseals — camps and recreation

Day and overnight camps run through local Easterseals affiliates, several of them autism-specific, with weekend respite and family camp sessions as well. Many affiliates operate sliding-scale fees, and several camps serve adults alongside children.

A national programme 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 affiliates — check what your nearest one actually runs rather than assuming the national description applies.

Week-long camps hosted nationwide

iCan Shine (iCan Bike)

Teaches people with disabilities to ride a conventional two-wheeled bicycle, using adapted roller bikes over a week-long camp that gradually transfers balance to the rider. Learning to ride a bike is a milestone a lot of autistic children are quietly written off for, and this is the program that most reliably delivers it. Camps are hosted by local organizations across the country, so availability is by host town rather than by chapter.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Check their site for host locations and dates — camps run in different towns each year, so somewhere near you may host this year and not next.

Local chapters in a number of US cities

KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now)

Volunteer-led one-to-one recreation for children and young adults with developmental and physical disabilities, at no cost to families or carers. The one-to-one model is the point: a volunteer is paired with your child for the session, which makes it workable for people who cannot manage a group setting unsupported.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Free to families. Runs through local chapters in a number of US cities rather than everywhere — check whether yours has one.

900+ divisions nationwide

Little League Challenger Division

Baseball for children and adults with a physical or intellectual disability, across more than 900 divisions. The main division serves ages 4–18, or up to 22 if still enrolled in school; the Senior League Challenger Division serves 15 and above with no upper age limit.

A national programme 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.

200+ communities

Miracle League

Baseball on purpose-built accessible fields in more than 200 communities. Every player bats and every player scores, so ability differences do not decide the game.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Check their location list for the nearest field — coverage is good but not universal.

Every state — county-level programs

Special Olympics

Year-round sports training and competition at no cost to the athlete or their family, for children and adults alike. Programs run at county level in every state.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Eligibility centers on intellectual disability or a closely related developmental disability. If your child is autistic without an intellectual disability, have a direct conversation about fit before signing up rather than after.

Through local clubs and state associations

TOPSoccer (US Youth Soccer)

The Outreach Program for Soccer — recreational soccer for children and adults with intellectual, emotional or physical disabilities, usually with buddy support on the pitch. Run through ordinary local soccer clubs rather than as a separate organization.

A national programme with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Ask your state youth soccer association which local clubs run TOPSoccer — it is often not advertised on the club's own website.