Autism Resources in Columbia County, Wisconsin
17 providers in Portage and nearby, plus 12 national programs. Waitlists change often, so it’s worth calling a few.
0 providers in Columbia County. Filter by your child’s age — including 18+, which is the hardest to find anywhere.
Based in Columbia County
Diagnostic clinics
1 providerFormal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.
UW Health — Columbia County Developmental Pediatrics Referrals
Portage, WI · serves several counties
Columbia County families in Portage access developmental pediatric evaluations through UW Health referral pathways to UW American Family Children's Hospital and the Waisman Center in Madison (~40 miles south). The Waisman Center is one of the nation's top autism evaluation programs.
Madison (Waisman Center / UW Health) is ~40 miles south — an excellent option for comprehensive evaluations.
Early Intervention (0–3)
1 providerFree services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Columbia County Birth to 3 Program
Portage, WI
Columbia County administers Wisconsin's Birth to 3 early intervention program under IDEA Part C. Free in-home developmental services for children under 3. Serves Portage, Wisconsin Dells, and surrounding rural communities.
FREE under IDEA Part C. No diagnosis required.
ABA therapy
1 providerApplied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Applied Behavior Consultants — Columbia County
Portage, WI · serves several counties
In-home and community-based ABA therapy for children in Columbia County. BCBA-supervised naturalistic behavioral intervention. Accepts commercial insurance under Wisconsin's ABA coverage mandate and ForwardHealth.
Wisconsin requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.
Parent & family support
1 providerParent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Autism Society of Greater Wisconsin — Columbia County
Portage, WI · serves several counties
Autism Society of Wisconsin family support for Columbia County. Resource navigation and peer support connecting Portage and Wisconsin Dells area families with Madison-area statewide autism services.
Advocacy & legal
1 providerLegal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Wisconsin Family Ties — IEP Advocacy (Columbia County)
Portage, WI · serves several counties
Free IEP and special education advocacy for Columbia County families from Wisconsin's federally funded PTI. Covers Portage Community and Wisconsin Dells school districts.
FREE. Federally funded PTI.
Also serving Columbia County
These 24 are based elsewhere, or operate nationally, and list Columbia 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
2 providersFormal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.
SSM Health — Dodge County Pediatric Developmental Referrals
Beaver Dam, WI · serves several counties
Dodge County families access developmental pediatric evaluations through SSM Health Agnesian in Fond du Lac or UW Health in Madison. Beaver Dam's central location between Madison and Milwaukee provides flexibility for specialist access at either major academic medical center.
Dodge County is equidistant between Madison and Milwaukee — families can choose UW Health or Children's Wisconsin.
SSM Health St. Clare — Baraboo Pediatric Services
Baraboo, WI · serves several counties
SSM Health's Baraboo campus provides pediatric and developmental services for Sauk County, with referral pathways to SSM Health specialists in Madison. Baraboo's location between Madison and the Wisconsin Dells corridor makes UW Health resources in Madison readily accessible.
Madison (UW Health, Waisman Center) is ~50 miles east — accessible for full evaluations.
ABA therapy
3 providersApplied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Applied Behavior Consultants — Dodge County
Beaver Dam, WI · serves several counties
In-home and community-based ABA therapy for children in Dodge County. BCBA-supervised naturalistic ABA programs. Accepts commercial insurance under Wisconsin's ABA mandate and ForwardHealth. Serves Beaver Dam, Waupun, and surrounding communities.
Wisconsin requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.
Applied Behavior Consultants — Sauk County
Baraboo, WI · serves several counties
In-home and community-based ABA therapy serving Sauk County children. BCBA-supervised naturalistic behavioral intervention. Accepts commercial insurance under Wisconsin's ABA mandate and ForwardHealth.
Wisconsin requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.
Autism Learning Partners — Wisconsin
Madison, WI · serves several counties
In-home and center-based ABA therapy in Dane County. BCBA-supervised with naturalistic approach. Accepts most commercial insurance under Wisconsin's ABA insurance mandate.
Wisconsin requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.
Respite care
2 providersRespite care providers giving families a break — in-home, center-based, and overnight.
ARCH National Respite Locator
Searchable by state, WI
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, WI
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.
Parent & family support
3 providersParent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Autism Society of Greater Wisconsin — Dodge County
Beaver Dam, WI · serves several counties
Autism Society of Wisconsin family support for Dodge County including Beaver Dam, Waupun, and Mayville. Resource navigation and peer support connecting families to statewide and regional autism services.
Autism Society of Greater Wisconsin — Sauk County
Baraboo, WI · serves several counties
Autism Society of Wisconsin family support for Sauk County and the Wisconsin Dells / Baraboo corridor. Support groups, resource navigation, and connection to Madison-area statewide autism services.
Autism Society of Wisconsin — Madison
Madison, WI · serves several counties
Madison area programming from the Autism Society of Wisconsin. Support groups, family events, resource navigation, and connection to Wisconsin's DD service system.
Advocacy & legal
2 providersLegal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Wisconsin Family Ties — IEP Advocacy (Dodge County)
Beaver Dam, WI · serves several counties
Free IEP coaching and special education rights support for Dodge County families from Wisconsin's federally funded PTI. Covers Beaver Dam Unified, Waupun Unified, Mayville, and surrounding school districts.
FREE. Federally funded PTI.
Wisconsin Family Ties — IEP Advocacy (Sauk County)
Baraboo, WI · serves several counties
Free IEP advocacy and special education support for Sauk County families from Wisconsin's federally funded PTI. Covers Baraboo, Reedsburg, and Sauk Prairie school districts.
FREE. Federally funded PTI.
Autism-friendly dentists
1 providerDentists experienced with autistic patients — desensitisation visits, sensory accommodations, and staff who take the time it takes.
Marquette Delta Dental Urgent and Special Care Clinic
Milwaukee, WI · serves several counties
Wisconsin's only dental school runs this clinic, opened in December 2024 after a $28 million renovation, with the specific aim of treating up to 500 patients with special needs a year - more than a 65% increase on what it could manage before. Care is delivered by dental students supervised by licensed faculty, and the school draws patients from 66 of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
Call Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, to book the initial screening consultation - you cannot skip that step.
Activities, clubs & recreation
11 providersClubs, sports, camps, and social programs that welcome autistic children and teens — inclusive, adaptive, and special-needs specific.
Camp AweSum
Wisconsin, WI · serves several counties
Autism-specific camps in Wisconsin, run in two forms - one for young people and one for whole families together. Family camp is unusual and solves a real problem: it lets siblings and parents take part rather than a family splitting for the week.
ACEing Autism
227 programs in 32 states, WI
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, WI
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, WI
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, WI
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, WI
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, WI
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, WI
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, WI
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, WI
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, WI
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 Columbia County
Columbia County (Portage, Wisconsin Dells, Columbus) is a south-central Wisconsin county near Madison, giving families excellent access to UW Health's Waisman Center. Divine Savior Healthcare covers local medical needs. Portage Community School District provides special education. FACETS provides free IEP advocacy statewide. Wisconsin's CLTS waiver and Birth to 3 program serve eligible residents.
Helpful guides
Guides for Columbia 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.
See all Wisconsin resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin state guide →Common questions
Answered from the providers currently listed for this county — these update as the directory does.
How many autism providers serve Columbia County, Wisconsin?
We list 17 providers serving Columbia County, covering ABA therapy, parent & family support, activities, clubs & recreation, early intervention (0–3) and autism-friendly dentists, plus 2 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 Columbia County?
ABA providers serving Columbia 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.
Can autism therapy happen at home in Columbia County?
5 providers serving Columbia County deliver 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 Wisconsin?
Wisconsin families can apply to the Children's Long-Term Support (CLTS) Waiver; Family Care and IRIS for adults, a Medicaid waiver that can fund respite, therapies and in-home support. The typical wait is No waitlist — continuous enrollment, roughly 70 days from eligibility, 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 Columbia County?
If none of the Columbia County providers is the right fit, these Wisconsin counties currently have the most listed providers: Marathon County (23), Outagamie County (22), Brown County (21), Calumet County (21). 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 Wisconsin
You know things we don’t
Still missing from Columbia County
These are the things no database has and every parent knows. If you can answer one of them, another family in Columbia 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.
- 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?
- Who has managed an eye exam here?
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 Columbia County? We'll email you.
One email when we verify a new provider in Columbia 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 Columbia 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 Columbia County?
Add your practice so families searching for help can find you. Listings are free.
Add your practice →