Autism Resources in Nassau County, New York

New Hyde Park · multi-county

Cohen Children's Medical Center — Autism Services

Autism evaluations and behavioral health services at Cohen Children's Medical Center, one of the New York metro's major pediatric hospitals. Serves Queens and Long Island families with comprehensive developmental assessments.

Garden City

Nassau BOCES — Special Education Autism Programs

Nassau County's Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) operates some of Long Island's most comprehensive autism-specific special education programs, including specialized classrooms, community-based instruction, and transition services.

Key school-age resource. BOCES programs supplement district services for students with intensive needs.

Hauppauge · multi-county

Autism Learning Partners — Long Island

In-home and center-based ABA therapy serving Suffolk County families with BCBA-supervised programs. Naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI) approach blended with structured ABA techniques. Accepts most commercial insurance carriers under New York's ABA insurance mandate and coordinates with school districts.

New York requires commercial insurance to cover ABA. Call to confirm Suffolk County availability.

Garden City · multi-county

Autism Learning Partners — Nassau County

In-home and center-based ABA therapy serving Nassau County families with BCBA-supervised individualized programs. Naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention approach. Accepts commercial insurance under New York's ABA mandate and coordinates with Nassau County CPSE teams and school districts.

NY ABA insurance mandate applies to commercial plans.

Massapequa · multi-county

Behavioral Associates — Long Island

Center-based and in-home ABA therapy serving Nassau and western Suffolk counties. BCBA-supervised with naturalistic teaching approach. Accepts commercial insurance and New York Medicaid.

New York ABA insurance mandate applies.

Great Neck · multi-county

Long Island Speech — Nassau County

Long Island Speech's Nassau County locations provide pediatric speech-language therapy for autistic children, including AAC evaluation, social communication groups, feeding therapy, and pragmatic language intervention. Multiple Nassau County offices in Great Neck, Rockville Center, and Plainview make services accessible across the county.

Multiple Nassau locations. One of Long Island's largest and most established pediatric SLP practices.

Commack · multi-county

Long Island Speech — Suffolk County

Long Island Speech is one of Long Island's largest pediatric speech-language pathology practices, with multiple Suffolk County locations including Commack and Huntington. Services include autism communication therapy, AAC device evaluation and training, social skills groups, and feeding therapy. Accepts most commercial insurance plans.

Multiple Suffolk County locations. One of Long Island's most established pediatric SLP practices.

New Hyde Park · multi-county

Cohen Children's Medical Center — Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Cohen Children's Medical Center's occupational therapy program provides sensory integration therapy, fine motor evaluation, and daily living skills training for Nassau County children with autism. As part of Northwell Health, Cohen Children's OT coordinates closely with the hospital's autism diagnostic team for seamless post-diagnosis therapy planning. Accepts most commercial insurance.

Coordinated referral pathway from Cohen Children's autism evaluation. Also see Northwell community OT sites across Nassau.

Hauppauge · multi-county

Northwell Health — Pediatric Occupational Therapy (Long Island)

Northwell Health's pediatric occupational therapy program provides sensory integration therapy, fine motor intervention, and daily living skills training for autistic children across Long Island, including Suffolk County. Multiple locations in Hauppauge, Commack, and Huntington serve families across western and central Suffolk. Accepts most major commercial insurance.

Multiple Suffolk locations. Northwell's network is extensive — call to find the closest location.

Statewide · multi-county

OPWDD respite services — via the Front Door

New York funds respite in the home or out of it, during the day, in the evening or overnight, including cover when a family member is ill or a regular carer is on leave. Access runs through your regional OPWDD Front Door office rather than through providers directly. NY Connects is a single intake line that screens you for OPWDD alongside several other programs in one call.

Start with the OPWDD Front Door for your region. Ask about both in-home and out-of-home respite — families are often told about only one.

~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.

Hauppauge · multi-county

Autism Society of Long Island

Long Island chapter serving Nassau and Suffolk counties with support groups, social programming, family resources, and community events.

Hauppauge · multi-county

Autism Society of Long Island — Suffolk Programs

The Autism Society of Long Island serves both Nassau and Suffolk counties with parent support groups, social skills programming for children and teens, family networking events, and community resource navigation. Regular meetings are held in multiple Suffolk County locations including Hauppauge and Riverhead.

New York · multi-county

INCLUDEnyc — Long Island Outreach

INCLUDEnyc is New York City's federally funded Parent Training and Information (PTI) center that also extends services to Long Island families. Provides free training, information, and one-on-one guidance to help parents navigate special education systems, IEP meetings, and disability-related services for their children.

FREE federal PTI services. Invaluable for IEP disputes and school advocacy.

New York · multi-county

NYU Dentistry Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities

345 E 24th Street, New York, NY 10010

A dedicated center within NYU College of Dentistry for people with developmental disabilities and special needs, wheelchair accessible, in Manhattan. New York State's Office for People With Developmental Disabilities lists it as a provider, which is a useful sign it is set up for OPWDD-connected families rather than treating them as an exception.

Ask whether your OPWDD service coordinator can help arrange the referral.

Stony Brook · multi-county

Stony Brook Clinic for Dental Care for Patients with Disabilities

101 South Drive, Stony Brook, NY 11794

Stony Brook's School of Dental Medicine has been doing this since 1981 and provides comprehensive oral health care to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Treatment happens either in the office or, when that is not workable, in a hospital setting under general anesthesia - so a family is not forced to choose between an impossible appointment and no care at all.

Care starts with a comprehensive evaluation before any treatment is planned. Wheelchair accessible.

New York · multi-county

Autistic Adults NYC

An autistic-run nonprofit and social group of several hundred autistic adults across the New York tri-state area, hosting in-person and online events. Worth singling out: this is run BY autistic people rather than for them, which changes the character of the room entirely and is what many autistic adults say they were looking for and could not find.

Long Island · multi-county

Long Island Rough Riders — sled hockey

Free full-contact sled hockey for young people and adults with physical or cognitive disabilities. Free is genuinely rare in team sport, and sled hockey suits people who want real contact sport rather than a gentler adaptation.

Long Island · multi-county

Nassau / Suffolk Autism Society of America

The Long Island Autism Society chapter, running recreational and social activities and events for autistic children and adults alongside family support. Local chapters like this one typically know about programs that never appear in any directory — worth one call even if their own calendar is not what you need.

New York · multi-county

QSAC (Quality Services for the Autism Community)

253 W. 35th St., 14th Floor, New York, NY 10001

A long-established autism nonprofit serving children and adults across New York City and Long Island with person-centerd services, including recreation and community programs alongside education and family support. Centers across Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Nassau and Suffolk.

Queens · multi-county

YMCA of Greater New York — Cross Island adaptive programs

Adaptive programming at the Cross Island YMCA in Queens. YMCA provision varies branch by branch rather than being uniform, so ask what your nearest branch actually runs — but where it exists it is usually the cheapest structured option available.

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.