Autism Resources in Multnomah County, Oregon

Hillsboro · multi-county

Legacy Health — Child Development Program

Developmental and autism evaluations at Legacy Health in Washington County, serving the Portland west suburbs including Beaverton and Hillsboro. More accessible waitlists than OHSU for many families.

Alternative to OHSU with potentially shorter wait times.

Lake Oswego · multi-county

Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center — Developmental Pediatrics

Developmental and autism evaluations at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center in Tualatin, serving the south Portland metro including Clackamas County communities like Lake Oswego and West Linn. Part of Legacy Health's network with referral pathways to OHSU for complex cases.

Legacy network — referrals to OHSU Portland available for complex evaluations.

Portland

OHSU — Institute on Development & Disability

Oregon's premier autism evaluation program at Oregon Health & Science University. The Institute on Development & Disability (IDD) is Oregon's federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) and offers comprehensive multi-disciplinary autism assessments. Gold standard for complex cases in the Pacific Northwest.

Oregon's UCEDD — federally designated center of excellence. Worth the waitlist for complex or adult cases.

Portland

OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital — Developmental Pediatrics

Developmental pediatric evaluations at Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Oregon's only dedicated children's hospital, affiliated with OHSU. Serves Multnomah County and the greater Portland metro.

Portland

Autism Learning Partners — Portland

ABA therapy center at 4620 SE International Way, Portland. Serving Multnomah County since 1988 with 35+ years of evidence-based autism treatment.

Source: https://autismlearningpartners.com/locations/oregon/multnomah-county/portland/

Oregon City · multi-county

BehaviorSpan — Clackamas County

Center-based and in-home ABA therapy serving Clackamas County including Oregon City, Lake Oswego, and Happy Valley. BCBA-supervised individualized programming using naturalistic and play-based methods. Accepts Oregon Health Plan Medicaid and commercial insurance under Oregon's ABA mandate.

Oregon requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.

Portland · multi-county

Cascade Centers — Portland

In-home and center-based ABA therapy in the Portland metro. BCBA-supervised with naturalistic approach. Accepts most commercial insurance and Oregon Medicaid (OHP).

Oregon requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.

Portland

Centria Autism — Portland

Comprehensive ABA therapy and autism diagnostic evaluations by licensed psychologists at the Portland NE Avenue location.

Source: https://centriahealthcare.com/location/portland-centria-autism-6135-ne-avenue/

Portland

Climb Behavioral Solutions — Portland

Expert ABA therapy with verbal behavior focus in Portland, Oregon. Serves Multnomah County families.

Source: https://climbaba.com

Milwaukie · multi-county

Providence Milwaukie Hospital — Pediatric OT & Sensory

Pediatric occupational therapy and sensory integration services through Providence Milwaukie Hospital, serving Clackamas County families in Milwaukie, Gladstone, and Oregon City. SIPT-trained OTs with expertise in sensory processing and autism-related motor challenges.

Providence network spans the Portland metro — referrals across facilities available.

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

Autism Society of Oregon

Oregon's statewide autism organization headquartered in Portland. Support groups, resource navigation, family events, and policy advocacy across Multnomah County and the state.

Hood River · multi-county

FACT Oregon — Hood River County

Free IEP advocacy and special education support for Hood River County families from FACT Oregon, Oregon's federally funded PTI. Helps navigate Hood River County School District IEP processes. The county's proximity to Portland means in-person FACT Oregon events are accessible.

FREE. Hood River's I-84 access to Portland means FACT Oregon in-person training is practical.

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.

Portland · multi-county

Autistic Community Activity Program (ACAP)

In its thirty-third year, providing education through recreation for autistic people in the Portland area. Longevity matters in this category - most autism recreation programs do not last five years, let alone thirty.

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.

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.

Portland · multi-county

Portland Parks & Recreation - Adaptive & Inclusive Recreation (AIR)

Adaptive classes, trips and activities for teenagers and adults, including self-defense, weight training and bowling. Municipal provision aimed at teenagers and adults specifically is unusual and cheap.

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.