Autism Resources in Lane County, Oregon

Eugene · multi-county

PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center — Pediatric Developmental Services

Developmental and autism evaluations through PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene, Lane County's major regional health system. Serves Eugene and the broader south Willamette Valley with developmental pediatric specialists. Coordinates with OHSU for complex or adult-onset cases.

PeaceHealth is the dominant health system in Lane County. Referral typically required from primary care.

Eugene

Lane County EI/ECSE — Early Intervention

Oregon EI/ECSE early intervention services for children birth through age 5 in Lane County, administered through the Lane Education Service District. Home visits, developmental therapy, and ECSE preschool programming for children with autism and developmental delays in Eugene, Springfield, and surrounding communities. Free under federal IDEA Part C.

Free under IDEA. Contact Lane ESD for Child Find intake.

Eugene · multi-county

Cascade Centers — Eugene

Center-based and in-home ABA therapy serving Eugene and Lane County. BCBA-supervised naturalistic programming for children and teens. Accepts Oregon Health Plan Medicaid and most commercial insurance plans under Oregon's ABA mandate.

Oregon mandates commercial insurance ABA coverage. OHP accepted.

Eugene

University of Oregon — Communication Disorders & Sciences Clinic

University of Oregon's speech-language clinic in Eugene offers speech therapy at reduced cost, supervised by licensed SLPs. Serves Lane County families seeking communication support for autistic children, including AAC evaluation and pragmatic language therapy.

University clinic — reduced-cost services supervised by licensed SLPs. Excellent local option.

Eugene

White Bird Clinic — Behavioral Health & Mental Health

White Bird Clinic in Eugene provides behavioral and mental health services including support for autistic children, teens, and adults experiencing co-occurring anxiety, depression, or crisis. A Eugene institution since 1970 with sliding-scale fees and OHP acceptance. Integrated, community-based care model.

Sliding-scale fees available. Long-standing Eugene community health resource.

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.

~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.

Portland · multi-county

Oregon FACETS

Oregon's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. Free IEP advocacy, training, and one-on-one support for Oregon families. Knows Oregon's special education regulations and IEP timelines.

FREE. Federally funded PTI. Call before any IEP meeting or dispute in Oregon.

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.

Foster · multi-county

Camp Attitude

A camp on 34 acres of riverfront at Foster for disabled children and adults, with families able to attend together.

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.

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.