County resource guide
Autism Resources in Deschutes County, Oregon
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Deschutes County. Oregon statewide resources also apply.
Deschutes County (Bend, Redmond, Sisters) is one of Oregon's fastest-growing counties, a Central Oregon hub served by St. Charles Medical Center. The provider ecosystem in Bend is growing but still thinner than Portland. Families requiring specialized autism evaluations typically access OHSU services — either in Portland or via telemedicine. Oregon FACETS provides free IEP advocacy statewide. Oregon's ODDS waiver and Early Intervention program apply statewide.
Provider directory
Local Providers23 providers in Deschutes County
About our listings
Provider listings on Autism Parent Club are submitted by practices or researched from public sources. All listings are reviewed by a person before publication, and no provider has paid to appear here. Read how we verify listings, or use the “Suggest a correction” link below to flag anything inaccurate.
0 providers in Deschutes County. Filter by your child’s age — including 18+, which is the hardest to find anywhere.
Based in Deschutes County
Diagnostic clinics
Formal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.
Bend · multi-county
St. Charles Health System — Developmental Pediatrics
Developmental and autism diagnostic services through St. Charles Health System, the dominant healthcare provider in central Oregon. Located in Bend and serving rapidly growing Deschutes County and surrounding high-desert communities.
St. Charles is central Oregon's regional medical center. Telehealth options available for rural families.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Bend
Deschutes County EI/ECSE — Early Intervention
Oregon EI/ECSE early intervention services for children birth through age 5 in Deschutes County. Home visits, developmental therapy, and specialized preschool programming for children with autism and developmental delays.
Free under IDEA. Contact through the Deschutes County ESD for a Child Find screening.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Bend · multi-county
Autism Society of Oregon — Central Oregon Chapter
Central Oregon chapter of the Autism Society of Oregon. Peer support groups, parent meetups, family recreation events, and resource navigation for Bend's fast-growing autism community. Connects to statewide advocacy and policy work.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Bend · multi-county
FACT Oregon — Central Oregon Outreach
FACT Oregon (Family and Community Together) provides free IEP advocacy, special education rights training, and family navigation support in Deschutes County. Oregon's federally funded PTI serves all 36 counties including rapidly growing central Oregon.
FREE statewide PTI. Telehealth consultations available for central Oregon families.
Activities, clubs & recreation
Clubs, sports, camps, and social programs that welcome autistic children and teens — inclusive, adaptive, and special-needs specific.
Bend · multi-county
Oregon Adaptive Sports
Year-round outdoor recreation in central Oregon for people with physical AND cognitive disabilities - alpine skiing, rock climbing and mountain biking - with education for families so they can carry on independently afterwards.
Also serving Deschutes County
These 18 are based elsewhere, or operate nationally, and list Deschutes County in the area they cover. Worth calling to confirm how far they actually travel, and whether telehealth or in-home visits are an option.
Occupational therapy & sensory
Occupational therapy, sensory integration, and sensory diets.
Prineville · multi-county
St. Charles Medical Center — Developmental Pediatrics (Crook Access)
St. Charles Medical Center in Bend provides outpatient pediatric OT and developmental therapy services accessible to Crook County families. Approximately 35 miles from Prineville, St. Charles is the regional children's health hub for central Oregon.
Respite care
Respite care providers giving families a break — in-home, center-based, and overnight.
Statewide · multi-county
Oregon Lifespan Respite — and K Plan respite
Oregon's Lifespan Respite Care Program is deliberately open: it serves any individual or family regardless of age, income, ethnicity, race, need or situation, connecting families to providers and to the money to pay them. Separately, respite is funded through the K Plan — and because the K Plan is a state plan benefit rather than a capped waiver, there is no queue for it. Sixteen regional Area Agencies on Aging deliver locally.
Ask about K Plan respite specifically. Oregon families are often told to wait for a waiver when the K Plan route has no waiting list at all.
Searchable by state
ARCH National Respite Locator
A free national directory of respite providers and programs, run by ARCH, the National Respite Network and Resource Center. ARCH says it is not a complete list, so it works best alongside…
A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
ARCH's advice is to contact your State Respite Coalition or Lifespan Respite program first. Before you pay out of pocket, also check what your state's Medicaid waiver funds.
39 states and DC have been funded
Your state's Lifespan Respite program
Lifespan Respite programs are federally funded, state-run programs that help family caregivers of children or adults, regardless of special need, find and pay for respite.
A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
ARCH lists every state's Lifespan Respite contact and respite coalition on this page. Ask specifically about voucher or stipend programs — that is the part families most often miss.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Prineville · multi-county
Autism Society of Oregon — Central Oregon / Crook County
The Autism Society of Oregon connects Crook County families with the central Oregon autism community. Bend's active autism parent network is accessible from Prineville and serves as a community hub for central Oregon.
Madras · multi-county
Autism Society of Oregon — Central Oregon / Jefferson County
The Autism Society of Oregon connects Jefferson County families to the central Oregon autism community. Bend's active autism parent network is accessible from Madras and serves as a regional hub for Jefferson County.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Klamath Falls · multi-county
FACT Oregon — Klamath Basin Outreach
Free IEP advocacy and special education support for Klamath County families from FACT Oregon, Oregon's only federally funded PTI. Phone and telehealth consultations are the primary access mode for this remote county. Helps families navigate Klamath County and Klamath Falls City School District IEP processes.
FREE. Very rural county — FACT Oregon strongly recommends calling before any IEP meeting.
Activities, clubs & recreation
Clubs, sports, camps, and social programs that welcome autistic children and teens — inclusive, adaptive, and special-needs specific.
Portland · multi-county
Autism Society of Oregon
Runs a sports and camps program alongside its resource work, and does so free of charge with NO official autism diagnosis required. That last detail removes a real barrier - diagnostic waits run to years in much of Oregon, and this is one of the few places a family can get support while still waiting.
227 programs in 32 states
ACEing Autism
Tennis clinics for kids, teens and, in some locations, adults on the autism spectrum.
A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Cost varies by location and scholarships are available. Use the Find a Program search on their site with your zip code.
About 3,900 camps
American Camp Association — camp finder
A free searchable directory of about 3,900 camps, with a filter for disabilities and other special needs alongside distance, activities, session length and cost. A good single starting…
A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Choose day or overnight, then use the "Disabilities and Other Special Needs" filter. Specialized camps can fill early, so start looking in the winter before.
All 50 states — find your local program
Best Buddies
One-to-one friendship matching between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, with programs from elementary school through college and adulthood, plus…
A national program 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 1-800-89-BUDDY, to locate your nearest program.
Local Easterseals across the country
Easterseals — camps and recreation
Day and residential camps for children and adults with disabilities, plus sports, social activities and community outings run by local Easterseals.
A national program 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 locations — use the Find your Easterseals search on the page and check what yours actually runs.
Camps hosted in different towns each year
iCan Shine (iCan Bike)
Teaches people with disabilities to ride a conventional two-wheeled bicycle over a five-day camp, 75 minutes a day. iCan Shine says about 80% of participants ride independently by the end…
A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Check their Camp Locations page for dates — camps run in different towns each year, so somewhere near you may host this year and not next.
Six cities only: Chicago, DC–Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, St. Louis
KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now)
Free, non-competitive, one-to-one recreation for youth ages 5 to 21 with physical or developmental disabilities, led by trained volunteer coaches.
A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Free to families. KEEN runs in six cities plus two university campus chapters (Vanderbilt and the University of Virginia) — outside those, it is not available yet.
Through local Little Leagues — use the League Finder
Little League Challenger Division
Little League's adaptive baseball program for anyone with a physical or intellectual challenge.
A national program 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. Little League's rule is that a player who can take part in regular Little League with reasonable accommodations should do so.
300 leagues — check for one near you
Miracle League
Baseball for children and adults with physical or mental disabilities, played on custom-designed rubberized turf fields that accommodate wheelchairs and other assistive devices.
A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Use the Find a Miracle League page on their site — there are 300 leagues, so coverage is good but not universal.
Nationwide — find your local program
Special Olympics
Year-round sports training and competition for children and adults.
A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Eligibility requires an intellectual disability, a cognitive delay measured by formal assessment, or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay, identified by an agency or professional. If your child is autistic without a cognitive delay, have a direct conversation about fit before signing up rather than after. Ask your local program about any costs.
Through local soccer clubs
TOPSoccer (US Youth Soccer)
The Outreach Program for Soccer — recreational soccer for children and adults with intellectual, emotional or physical disabilities, offered through local US Youth Soccer clubs.
A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.
Find your state association's TOPSoccer clubs through the link on their page, or ask your state association office directly — it is often not advertised on the club's own website.
For providers
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Helpful guides
Guides for Deschutes 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 Deschutes County
Serving families across Deschutes County including Bend, Redmond, Sisters, La Pine, Sunriver, Tumalo, Terrebonne, Crooked River Ranch, Alfalfa and Millican and more.
See all Oregon resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Oregon.
Oregon state guide →Common questions
Answered from the providers currently listed for this county — these update as the directory does.
How many autism providers serve Deschutes County, Oregon?
We list 11 providers serving Deschutes County, covering activities, clubs & recreation, parent & family support, early intervention (0–3), advocacy & legal and respite care, plus 2 more. Some are based in the county and others serve it from nearby areas. Every listing is reviewed by a person before it is published.
Are there telehealth autism services for Deschutes County families?
Yes — 3 providers serving Deschutes County offer telehealth or virtual sessions. This is often the fastest route to support for families in rural areas or on long local waitlists.
Does Medicaid pay for autism services in Oregon?
Oregon families can apply to the K Plan (Community First Choice) and ODDS waivers, a Medicaid waiver that can fund respite, therapies and in-home support. The typical wait is No waitlist for K Plan in-home services, and your place is usually set by the date you apply — so applying early matters even if you are unsure what services you need. Many waivers also disregard parental income, so families who don't qualify for regular Medicaid often still qualify here.
What if I can't find an autism provider in Deschutes County?
If none of the Deschutes County providers is the right fit, these Oregon counties currently have the most listed providers: Multnomah County (21), Washington County (16), Clackamas County (15), Gilliam County (14). Many providers travel or offer telehealth, so it is worth calling even if they are not based nearby. You can also tell us about a provider we are missing.
Nearby counties in Oregon
You know things we don’t
Still missing from Deschutes County
These are the things no database has and every parent knows. If you can answer one of them, another family in Deschutes Countygets an afternoon back. It takes about a minute and you don’t need to know the business details — a name and a rough location is enough for us to check.
- Which dentist here has managed a cleaning without it becoming a fight?
- Who cuts your child's hair without a meltdown?
- Is there a group here where your child has made a friend?
- Which pediatrician here actually listens, and doesn't rush the appointment?
We check everything before it goes up, and nobody pays to be listed. How we verify.
Get told when this page changes
New provider in Deschutes County? We'll email you.
One email when we verify a new provider in Deschutes County — no newsletter, no digest, nothing else. Some counties hear from us a few times a year and some stay quiet for months; we would rather send you nothing than send you filler.
We store your address and county, and nothing else. How we handle it.
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.
Report a correction →Help the community
Know a great provider in Deschutes County?
If a therapist, clinic, or specialist helped your family, tell us about them and we’ll add them to the directory so other families can find them too.
Tell us about a provider →For providers
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