Autism Resources in Bexar County, Texas

San Antonio

CHRISTUS Children's — Autism & Developmental Evaluation

CHRISTUS Children's Hospital in San Antonio provides comprehensive autism evaluations through its developmental-behavioral pediatrics program. As one of San Antonio's largest pediatric systems, CHRISTUS offers multidisciplinary assessments and care coordination for autistic children in Bexar County.

Seguin · multi-county

CHRISTUS Santa Rosa — Seguin Pediatric Referrals

CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System, the major Catholic health system in Central Texas, provides pediatric care in the Seguin area with referrals into the CHRISTUS specialist network in San Antonio. Guadalupe County families have access to CHRISTUS Children's Hospital in San Antonio (30–40 min west) for comprehensive autism evaluations.

Full autism evaluation typically at CHRISTUS Children's San Antonio. Guadalupe County is growing — act early.

San Antonio · multi-county

UT Health San Antonio — Children's Developmental Clinic

San Antonio · multi-county

Action Behavior Centers — San Antonio

Action Behavior Centers operates multiple ABA therapy clinics across San Antonio and the greater Bexar County area. Texas's ABA insurance mandate ensures broad commercial insurance coverage. BCBA-supervised clinic and in-home services available.

San Antonio

Autism Treatment Center of San Antonio

The Autism Treatment Center of San Antonio provides speech-language therapy, AAC services, and social skills groups for autistic children and teens in Bexar County. Specialized in functional communication and pragmatic language development.

San Antonio

UT Health San Antonio — Pediatric OT & Sensory

UT Health San Antonio provides pediatric occupational therapy with sensory integration expertise through its rehabilitation sciences department. Services include sensory diets, fine motor development, and ADL training for autistic children.

Statewide · multi-county

Take Time Texas — Texas Lifespan Respite Care Program

The state's respite program, for families caring for someone of any age with any chronic condition or disability. It provides vouchers of roughly $800 to $1,000 per eligible family, usable for in-home or facility-based respite, all at once or spread across three months. Apply through your local Area Agency on Aging. Texas is one of the more generous states here and the money is routinely left unclaimed.

Ask for the Texas Lifespan Respite Care Program by name. The Texas Respite Coordination Center is the central point of contact if your Area Agency is unhelpful.

~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.

San Antonio · multi-county

Autism Society of San Antonio

Autism Society of San Antonio provides family support groups, resource navigation, and advocacy for autistic individuals and their families in Bexar County. Regular meetings, social events, and a helpline connect families to local services.

New Braunfels · multi-county

Autism Society of Texas — Comal County / New Braunfels

Comal County families connect to the Autism Society through the San Antonio and Austin area chapters. Support groups and resource navigation for New Braunfels, Canyon Lake, and surrounding communities in this growing I-35 corridor county.

Seguin · multi-county

Autism Society of Texas — Guadalupe County Families

Guadalupe County families connect through the San Antonio area chapter of the Autism Society of Texas. Parent support and resource navigation for Seguin, Schertz, and surrounding Guadalupe County communities.

Austin · multi-county

Texas Parent to Parent (TxP2P)

Statewide peer support and advocacy network connecting families of children with disabilities. Parent mentors, IEP navigation support, and resource connection. Free to families.

Federally funded Parent Training and Information (PTI) center for Texas.

Seguin · multi-county

Texas Parent to Parent (TxP2P) — Guadalupe County

Statewide PTI connecting Guadalupe County families to IEP navigation, peer mentors, and disability resources. Free for all Texas families.

Center Point · multi-county

Camp CAMP (Children's Association for Maximum Potential)

515 Skyline Drive, Center Point, TX 78010

A 55-acre American Camp Association-accredited camp on the Guadalupe River, running since 1979, with an aquatic center, healthcare center, arts and crafts center, nature center and cabins. Summer camp runs as six-day, five-night sessions for children AND adults aged 5 to 55 with mild to severe disabilities — medical, physical, intellectual or developmental — and siblings aged 5 to 13 without a disability can attend alongside them. Medical staff and a care clinic are available to campers around the clock. Respite weekend camps run monthly through the school year from September to May, Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon, so a family can get an actual break without waiting for summer.

Accepts respite funding through the CLASS, DBMD, HCS, Texas Home Living and STAR Kids/MDCP waivers, and offers subsidised rates based on income — so a family already on a waiver may pay little or nothing. San Antonio office: (210) 439-9581.

San Antonio · multi-county

Morgan's Wonderland

5223 David Edwards Drive, San Antonio, TX 78233

The world's first ultra-accessible theme park, built in San Antonio by a father whose autistic daughter was left out of play by other children on holiday. Twenty-five acres of rides, three playgrounds on rubberized surfaces under misted awnings, adapted and traditional swings that take a wheelchair, a 500-seat amphitheater, and a Sensory Village with a grocery store, an interactive theater and a simulated TV station. The adjoining Morgan's Inspiration Island splash park has waterproof wheelchairs available. Over three million people have visited since 2010.

Admission is free for anyone with a special need, and has been since the park opened — no questions asked. Under-3s free; $19 adult day pass otherwise, less for under-18s, over-62s and military. Worth the drive from anywhere in central or south Texas.

San Antonio · multi-county

Special Olympics Texas

P.O. Box 47106, San Antonio, TX 78265

Year-round sports training and competition at no cost to athletes or families, organized into local Areas across the state so training is genuinely local rather than centralised.

Find your Area on their site rather than ringing the state office. Greater Dallas (Area 10): (817) 284-0074. North Texas (Area 9): (737) 704-6379. Houston / Heart of East Texas (Area 6): (832) 617-0930. Eligibility centers on intellectual disability — ask about fit if your family member is autistic without one.

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.