County resource guide
Autism Resources in New Hanover County, North Carolina
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in New Hanover County. North Carolina statewide resources also apply.
New Hanover County — home to Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, and Carolina Beach — is served by Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center and Cape Fear Center for Children for developmental evaluations. New Hanover County Schools provides Exceptional Children services across the district. NC Early Intervention is available through the county CDSA for children under 3. ECAC provides free IEP advocacy statewide, and provider density in Wilmington has grown as the coastal metro has expanded.
Provider directory
Local Providers9 providers in New Hanover 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.
Wilmington
Novant Health New Hanover Regional — Developmental Pediatrics
Developmental and autism evaluations at New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Wilmington's primary academic medical center. Multi-disciplinary team serves coastal southeastern North Carolina.
Wilmington
UNC TEACCH Autism Program — Wilmington Regional Center
TEACCH's Wilmington regional center offering autism evaluations, structured teaching consultation, and school team support. One of the most respected autism programs in the country, with a direct regional presence for coastal NC families.
Internationally recognized. Regional TEACCH center with local appointments — shorter waits than Chapel Hill.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Leland · multi-county
Behavioral Innovations — Brunswick County
Center-based ABA therapy serving Brunswick County families in the Leland and Bolivia area. BCBA-supervised programming accepts NC Medicaid and commercial insurance under NC's ABA insurance mandate. Brunswick County's rapid coastal growth has increased local demand for autism services.
NC requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy. Medicaid accepted.
Wilmington
Behavioral Innovations — Wilmington
Center-based ABA therapy serving Wilmington and New Hanover County. BCBA-supervised with naturalistic teaching approach. Accepts most commercial insurance under NC's ABA insurance mandate.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Leland · multi-county
Autism Society of North Carolina — Brunswick County
ASNC support for Brunswick County families, connected to the Wilmington coastal region network. Parent support groups, crisis support line, and statewide resources. Brunswick County's rapid growth has expanded the local parent community.
Wilmington · multi-county
Autism Society of North Carolina — Wilmington
ASNC coastal region support connecting Wilmington-area families to support groups, adult services, crisis help, and statewide programming. A trusted hub for New Hanover and Brunswick County families.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Davidson · multi-county
Exceptional Children's Assistance Center (ECAC)
NC's federally funded PTI provides free IEP advocacy for Onslow County families — including military families navigating Onslow County Schools after a PCS move. Staff understand both IDEA rights and the unique challenges of frequent school transitions.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Experienced with military family school transitions.
Davidson · multi-county
Exceptional Children's Assistance Center (ECAC)
NC's federally funded PTI providing free IEP advocacy for Brunswick County families. Staff help navigate Brunswick County Schools' EC department and understand IDEA rights. Brunswick County's growth has made its EC department busier — ECAC advocacy is especially valuable.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Call before any IEP dispute.
Davidson · multi-county
Exceptional Children's Assistance Center (ECAC) — Coastal Families
North Carolina's PTI center provides free IEP and special education advocacy to New Hanover families. Staff can attend IEP meetings virtually, review evaluations, and explain family rights under IDEA.
FREE. Federally funded. Serves all NC counties including coastal communities.
For providers
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Helpful guides
Guides for New Hanover 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 North Carolina resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in North Carolina.
North Carolina state guide →Nearby counties in North Carolina
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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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