Autism Resources in Marion County, Oregon

Salem · multi-county

Salem Health — Developmental Pediatrics

Developmental and autism evaluations through Salem Health, the primary health system for Marion County and the greater Salem area. Serves Salem, Keizer, and surrounding mid-Willamette Valley communities with developmental pediatric specialists. Coordinates with OHSU Portland for complex cases.

Salem Health is the regional hub for the mid-Willamette Valley. Referral typically required from primary care.

Dallas · multi-county

Salem Health — Developmental Pediatrics (Polk County)

Developmental pediatric and autism evaluation services through Salem Health, the primary health system serving the greater mid-Willamette Valley. Polk County families in Dallas and Monmouth access Salem Health's specialists in adjacent Marion County — Salem is just 15 miles east of Dallas.

Polk County families typically access Salem Health services in Salem — short drive from Dallas or Independence.

Salem

Marion County EI/ECSE — Early Intervention

Oregon EI/ECSE early intervention services for children birth through age 5 in Marion County, administered through the Willamette Education Service District. Home visits, developmental therapy, and ECSE preschool programming for children with autism and developmental delays in Salem, Keizer, and Woodburn. Free under federal IDEA Part C.

Free under IDEA. Contact Willamette ESD for Child Find intake. No income requirements.

Dallas · multi-county

ACI of Oregon — Mid-Willamette Valley

In-home and community-based ABA therapy for Polk County children and families. BCBA-supervised programs serving Dallas, Monmouth, and Independence. Accepts Oregon Health Plan and commercial insurance under Oregon's ABA coverage mandate.

Salem · multi-county

BehaviorSpan — Salem

Center-based and in-home ABA therapy serving Marion County including Salem and Keizer. BCBA-supervised individualized programs using evidence-based naturalistic methods. Accepts Oregon Health Plan Medicaid and commercial insurance under Oregon's ABA mandate.

Oregon requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.

Salem · multi-county

Salem Speech & Language Services

Speech-language pathology clinic in Salem providing communication therapy for autistic children and teens in Marion County. Services include AAC evaluation and training, pragmatic language therapy, and social communication groups. Accepts Oregon Health Plan and major commercial insurers.

AAC specialists on staff. Accepts OHP and commercial insurance.

Salem · multi-county

Willamette Valley Pediatric Therapy — OT & Sensory

Pediatric occupational therapy and sensory integration services in Salem serving Marion County families. Specializes in sensory processing, fine motor development, and self-regulation for autistic children. SIPT-certified therapists with experience in sensory diets and school readiness.

Accepts most commercial insurance and OHP. Sensory gym on site.

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.

Dallas · multi-county

Autism Society of Oregon — Mid-Valley West Network

Parent support network for Polk County families affiliated with the Autism Society of Oregon. Peer connections spanning Dallas, Monmouth, and Independence, with links to the larger Salem-area autism support community and statewide ASO resources.

Albany · multi-county

FACT Oregon — Mid-Willamette Valley

FACT Oregon delivers free IEP and special education advocacy for Linn County families. Oregon's only federally funded PTI center. Telehealth navigation, training workshops, and one-on-one support for parents through the IEP process.

FREE. Oregon's federally funded PTI. Available by phone and telehealth for rural families.

Dallas · multi-county

FACT Oregon — Polk County

Free IEP advocacy and special education rights support for Polk County families from FACT Oregon, Oregon's federally funded PTI. Helps families in Dallas, Monmouth, and Independence navigate school district IEP evaluations and meetings. Phone and telehealth support available.

FREE. Oregon's federally funded PTI — also covers Western Oregon University families in Monmouth.

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

OHSU — Special Needs Dental Services

Oregon Health & Science University's dental clinics provide care for patients whose medical, physical, psychological or social circumstances require modified dental treatment, through its General Practice Residency. Dental school clinics trade time for expertise: appointments run longer because students do the work under supervision, and there can be a wait for a first visit. In exchange you get a team that treats disabled patients every day, usually at a lower cost, and they generally accept Medicaid.

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.

Lake Oswego · multi-county

Camp Yakety Yak

A Lake Oswego camp for young people aged 6 to 22 with additional needs, focused on communication and social and emotional growth. The age range running to 22 covers the transition years, which most camps do not.

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.