Autism Resources in El Paso County, Texas
5 providers in El Paso and nearby, plus 12 national programs. Waitlists change often, so it’s worth calling a few.
0 providers in El Paso County. Filter by your child’s age — including 18+, which is the hardest to find anywhere.
Based in El Paso County
Diagnostic clinics
1 providerFormal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.
UTEP Center for Autism and Intellectual Disabilities
El Paso, TX
University-based autism evaluation and research clinic at the University of Texas at El Paso. Provides comprehensive diagnostic assessments and connects families to evidence-based intervention resources. Bilingual (Spanish/English) services available.
Spanish-speaking families: bilingual staff available. University clinic may have lower cost options.
Parent & family support
1 providerParent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Autism Society of El Paso
El Paso, TX
Local chapter of the Autism Society providing family support groups, community events, and resource navigation in the El Paso border region. Bilingual support available for Spanish-speaking families.
Covers both El Paso and families across the Texas-New Mexico border region.
Advocacy & legal
1 providerLegal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Texas DARS — El Paso Vocational Rehabilitation
El Paso, TX
Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services office providing vocational rehabilitation for autistic teens and adults in El Paso. Employment planning, job coaching, and transition support.
Transition-age youth (14+): connect early to start the vocational rehabilitation process before age 16.
Also serving El Paso County
These 14 are based elsewhere, or operate nationally, and list El Paso 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.
Respite care
3 providersRespite care providers giving families a break — in-home, center-based, and overnight.
Take Time Texas — Texas Lifespan Respite Care Program
Statewide, TX · serves several counties
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.
ARCH National Respite Locator
Searchable by state, TX
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.
Your state's Lifespan Respite program
39 states and DC have been funded, TX
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.
Activities, clubs & recreation
11 providersClubs, sports, camps, and social programs that welcome autistic children and teens — inclusive, adaptive, and special-needs specific.
Special Olympics Texas
San Antonio, TX · serves several counties
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 centralized.
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.
ACEing Autism
227 programs in 32 states, TX
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.
American Camp Association — camp finder
About 3,900 camps, TX
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.
Best Buddies
All 50 states — find your local program, TX
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.
Easterseals — camps and recreation
Local Easterseals across the country, TX
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.
iCan Shine (iCan Bike)
Camps hosted in different towns each year, TX
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.
See all 11 activities, clubs & recreation providersShow fewer
KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now)
Six cities only: Chicago, DC–Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, St. Louis, TX
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.
Little League Challenger Division
Through local Little Leagues — use the League Finder, TX
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.
Miracle League
300 leagues — check for one near you, TX
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.
Special Olympics
Nationwide — find your local program, TX
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.
TOPSoccer (US Youth Soccer)
Through local soccer clubs, TX
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.
Not sure which kind of therapy you need?
Start with our plain-language guide to ABA, speech and OT — what each one is, and questions to ask on the first call.
Read the guideFor providers
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About autism services in El Paso County
El Paso County is a major border metro anchored by El Paso, Texas's fourth-largest city, along with Socorro and San Elizario. El Paso ISD, Socorro ISD, and Ysleta ISD serve the area. The county has a growing network of autism providers connected to Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso.
Helpful guides
Guides for El Paso 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 El Paso County
Serving families across El Paso County including El Paso, Socorro, San Elizario, Horizon City, Fabens, Anthony, Clint, Canutillo, Vinton and San Juan and more.
See all Texas resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Texas.
Texas state guide →Common questions
Answered from the providers currently listed for this county — these update as the directory does.
How many autism providers serve El Paso County, Texas?
We list 5 providers serving El Paso County, covering parent & family support, activities, clubs & recreation, respite care, advocacy & legal and diagnostic clinics. Some are based in the county and others serve it from nearby areas. Every listing is reviewed by a person before it is published.
Does Medicaid pay for autism services in Texas?
Texas families can apply to the Home and Community-based Services (HCS) Waiver, a Medicaid waiver that can fund respite, therapies and in-home support. The typical wait is 10–13 years, 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 El Paso County?
If none of the El Paso County providers is the right fit, these Texas counties currently have the most listed providers: Tarrant County (25), Dallas County (23), Harris County (21), Rusk County (19). 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 Texas
You know things we don’t
Still missing from El Paso County
These are the things no database has and every parent knows. If you can answer one of them, another family in El Paso 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 El Paso County? We'll email you.
One email when we verify a new provider in El Paso 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 El Paso 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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