County resource guide
Autism Resources in Erie County, Ohio
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Erie County. Ohio statewide resources also apply.
Erie County — home to Sandusky, Huron, and Vermilion — is on Lake Erie in northern Ohio. The Erie County Board of Developmental Disabilities coordinates Level One and Transitions waivers. Families seeking specialized evaluation typically travel to Cleveland or Toledo. Help Me Grow is available for children under 3. OCECD provides free IEP advocacy statewide.
Immediate resources
Key contacts for Erie County
Phone numbers you can call today — no referral needed for most.
Federally funded PTI center serving Ohio families.
Provider directory
Local Providers7 providers in Erie 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.
Sandusky
Firelands Regional Medical Center — Developmental Pediatrics Referral
Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky is the primary hospital for Erie County. Families are typically referred to Cleveland Clinic or Akron Children's Hospital for full autism evaluations, approximately one hour east.
Ask your Firelands pediatrician for a referral to Cleveland Clinic Children's developmental pediatrics or Akron Children's autism program.
Port Clinton · multi-county
ProMedica Toledo Children's Hospital — Autism & Developmental Pediatrics
ProMedica Toledo Children's Hospital provides autism evaluations and developmental pediatrics services accessible to Ottawa County families. Port Clinton is approximately 45 miles east of Toledo, making Toledo-based specialists the primary evaluation hub. The Lake Erie islands and peninsula geography of Ottawa County gives families reasonable highway access to Toledo.
Toledo (~45 miles west) is the primary specialist hub. Mercy Health — Children's in Toledo is also an option for families with Mercy insurance.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Sandusky
Erie County Help Me Grow — Early Intervention
Ohio's Help Me Grow program for Erie County children birth to age 3. Free developmental evaluations and therapy services delivered in the home and community for children with developmental delays.
FREE under IDEA Part C. No diagnosis required — call Help Me Grow to start the process.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Sandusky
BlueSprig Autism — Northeast Ohio
BlueSprig Autism provides evidence-based ABA therapy for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Erie County families can access BlueSprig centers in the greater Cleveland and Toledo areas.
Accepts most major insurance including Medicaid. Sandusky is between Cleveland and Toledo — ask about the nearest available center.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Sandusky
Autism Society of Ohio — North Coast Region
The Autism Society of Ohio supports Erie County families through the OhioASD resource directory, peer networks, and family events along the Lake Erie shoreline and greater Sandusky area.
Statewide organization. Visit the website for north coast Ohio chapter activities and support groups.
Port Clinton · multi-county
Autism Society of Ohio — Northwest Ohio Chapter
The Northwest Ohio chapter of the Autism Society of Ohio serves Ottawa County and the Lake Erie region. Connects Port Clinton and Lake Erie islands families with Toledo-area resources and the broader northwest Ohio autism parent community.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Marion
Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities (OCECD)
Ohio's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. Provides free IEP advocacy, special education training, and one-on-one family support for Erie County parents.
FREE statewide PTI. Essential before any IEP meeting, evaluation, or dispute.
For providers
Be the first featured provider in Erie County
Featured listings include your logo, extended description, a direct contact button, and top placement above standard listings. Families searching for help in Erie County see you first.
Missing a provider? Submit a listing — it’s free →
Helpful guides
Guides for Erie 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 Ohio resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Ohio.
Ohio state guide →Nearby counties in Ohio
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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