Autism Resources in Sabine County, Texas

8 providers in Hemphill and nearby, plus 12 national programs. Waitlists change often, so it’s worth calling a few.

How we check listings

Filter by age

0 providers in Sabine County. Filter by your child’s age — including 18+, which is the hardest to find anywhere.

Based in Sabine County

Diagnostic clinics

1 provider

Formal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.

UT Health East Texas — Developmental Pediatrics Referral

Hemphill, TX

Sabine County families travel to UT Health East Texas in Tyler for comprehensive autism evaluations. UT Health's developmental-behavioral pediatrics program provides multidisciplinary assessments for children across the Deep East Texas region. Telehealth screening appointments are available to reduce initial travel burden.

Tyler is approximately 2 hours from Hemphill. Ask about telehealth intake options to reduce the number of in-person trips before evaluation.

Telehealth

Early Intervention (0–3)

1 provider

Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.

Texas ECI — Sabine County (Deep East Texas)

Hemphill, TX

Texas Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) provides free developmental services for children birth to 3 in Sabine County. Services include speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, and service coordination delivered in the home or natural environment. Referrals are accepted from anyone.

FREE for eligible children. Start the referral immediately if you have concerns — do not wait for a formal diagnosis.

In-home

ABA therapy

1 provider

Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.

Region 7 ESC — Special Education Cooperative Services

Hemphill, TX

Education Service Center Region 7 in Kilgore supports Sabine County ISD special education programs and can connect families with contracted ABA providers and behavioral specialists. ESC consultants help schools implement evidence-based behavior intervention plans for students with autism.

Contact your local ISD's special education director to request Region 7 support services. ESC services supplement but do not replace direct therapy.

Parent & family support

1 provider

Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.

Autism Society of Texas — Deep East Texas Connections

Hemphill, TX

The Autism Society of Texas connects Sabine County families to statewide resources, parent communities, and advocacy networks. Families in this rural area can access online support groups and are encouraged to connect with the Nacogdoches-area chapter for peer support.

Rural families may find the statewide online parent groups particularly valuable for peer connection.

Advocacy & legal

1 provider

Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.

Partners Resource Network — Texas PTI (Statewide)

Hemphill, TX

Partners Resource Network is Texas's federally funded Parent Training and Information center, serving Sabine County families. Free IEP advocacy, special education rights training, and one-on-one support navigating the school system — available in English and Spanish.

FREE statewide PTI. Essential first call for any family whose school is not meeting their child's needs under IDEA.

Spanish

Also serving Sabine County

These 15 are based elsewhere, or operate nationally, and list Sabine 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.

Diagnostic clinics

1 provider

Formal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.

UT Health East Texas — Lufkin / Angelina County

Lufkin, TX · serves several counties

UT Health East Texas serves Angelina County from their Lufkin facility, providing developmental pediatric screenings and referrals into the broader UT Health East Texas specialist network based in Tyler. Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) in nearby Nacogdoches also contributes to regional developmental services.

For comprehensive autism evaluation, UT Health Tyler (Smith County, ~1 hr) is the primary academic referral center for East TX.

Ages 0–18

Speech therapy

1 provider

Speech-language pathology, AAC, pragmatic language, and feeding.

Stephen F. Austin State University — Communication Sciences & Disorders Clinic

Nacogdoches, TX · serves several counties

University-based speech-language pathology clinic at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches. Offers autism-specific communication therapy, AAC assessment, and social communication groups at reduced cost, supervised by licensed SLPs. A critical resource for families in Nacogdoches County and surrounding Deep East Texas.

University clinic — lower cost. Supervised graduate clinicians under licensed SLPs. Key resource for East TX.

Ages 0–18

Respite care

2 providers

Respite care providers giving families a break — in-home, center-based, and overnight.

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.

Advocacy & legal

1 provider

Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.

Texas Parent to Parent (TxP2P) — Nacogdoches County

Nacogdoches, TX · serves several counties

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

Federally funded PTI — free for all families. Especially valuable in rural East TX.

All ages

Activities, clubs & recreation

10 providers

Clubs, sports, camps, and social programs that welcome autistic children and teens — inclusive, adaptive, and special-needs specific.

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.

Ages elementary school through adult

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.

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.

Ages 5–21
See all 10 activities, clubs & recreation providers

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.

Ages 4–18 (to 22 if in school); Senior League 15+

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.

Ages 8+ (Young Athletes: 2–7)

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 guide

For providers

Are you a provider serving this county?

Help families find accurate information about your services. Submit your practice for review so parents in this area can better understand their options.

Missing a provider? Submit a listing — it’s free →

About autism services in Sabine County

Sabine County is a small East Texas county centered on Hemphill. Hemphill ISD serves local students. Most autism services are accessed in Lufkin or Nacogdoches; telehealth fills significant gaps.

Helpful guides

Guides for Sabine County families

Step-by-step help on the topics that matter most.

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 Sabine County, Texas?

We list 8 providers serving Sabine County, covering parent & family support, advocacy & legal, ABA therapy, speech therapy and early intervention (0–3), plus 1 more. Some are based in the county and others serve it from nearby areas. Every listing is reviewed by a person before it is published.

Where can I find ABA therapy in Sabine County?

ABA providers serving Sabine County are listed in the ABA therapy section of this page, with phone numbers and websites. Many deliver services in the family's home or at school as well as in a clinic. Ask about waitlists when you call — they vary widely and change month to month.

Are there telehealth autism services for Sabine County families?

Yes — 1 provider serving Sabine County offers telehealth or virtual sessions. This is often the fastest route to support for families in rural areas or on long local waitlists.

Can autism therapy happen at home in Sabine County?

1 provider serving Sabine County delivers services in the family's home. Many children do better in a familiar setting than in an unfamiliar clinic room, and in-home visits remove the travel burden.

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 Sabine County?

If none of the Sabine 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 Sabine County

These are the things no database has and every parent knows. If you can answer one of them, another family in Sabine 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.

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 Sabine County? We'll email you.

One email when we verify a new provider in Sabine 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 Sabine 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

Are you a provider serving Sabine County?

Add your practice so families searching for help can find you. Listings are free.

Add your practice →