San Diego's youngest residents are covered by one regional center for the whole county, but the school side splits differently — San Diego Unified handles most of the city, while a slice of neighborhoods in the north, including Rancho Bernardo and Del Sur, fall inside Poway Unified's boundary instead. This page lays out both systems, plus the state programs that fund evaluation and therapy, with a source for every fact.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the California page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to San Diego (San Diego County).

Early intervention under 3: California Early Start

Early Start is California's early intervention system for children from birth to 36 months, and eligibility follows one of three paths: a developmental delay of at least 25 percent in one area, an established risk condition with a known cause, or a documented combination of biomedical risk factors. Anyone can make the referral — a parent, grandparent, doctor, or child care provider — and there's no charge for evaluation, assessment, or service coordination. San Diego Regional Center coordinates most Early Start services locally, though some are arranged through a local education agency depending on the type of delay. State policy requires a service coordinator, completed evaluation, and written family plan within 45 days of referral. Eligibility is reassessed under a different, stricter standard when a child turns 3.

• California Early Start
• Referral phone: 800-515-BABY (800-515-2229) — statewide Early Start Babyline

New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.

School districts and special education

Every California district carries a Child Find duty — locating, identifying, and evaluating students with a suspected disability at no cost to families, from birth through age 21 (Education Code 56043). After a written referral, the district has 15 calendar days to send a proposed assessment plan; you get at least 15 days to consent, and the district then has 60 calendar days from your signature to finish the assessment and, if your child qualifies, hold the IEP meeting. Autism is a standalone eligibility category under state regulations, defined by a significant effect on communication and social interaction that shows up before age three.

• San Diego Unified School District — Child Find covers birth through age 21; district office (619) 725-7700
• Poway Unified School District — 21 of the district's schools sit inside San Diego city limits (Rancho Bernardo, Del Sur, and nearby neighborhoods); district office (858) 521-2800

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in San Diego

These are hospital and university programs with public intake information. Listing here is informational — it is not a recommendation, and it is not medical advice. Public school evaluation is free and does not require any of these.

• Rady Children's Hospital — Autism Discovery Institute — neurodiversity-affirming autism evaluation and behavioral support from a team of clinical psychologists, board-certified behavior analysts, and collaborating speech and occupational therapists; also runs Alexa's PLAYC preschool program for ages 18 months to 5 years · 858-966-7453

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: San Diego Regional Center

San Diego Regional Center is the county's single point of entry into California's Lanterman Act system — the network of 21 regional centers statewide that coordinate lifelong developmental-disability and Medicaid waiver services. For children 3 and older, eligibility requires one of five qualifying diagnoses (intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, or a closely related condition) plus a 'substantial disability': meaningful limits in at least three of seven major life activities. State law requires initial intake within 15 working days of a request, with an eligibility decision inside 120 days — or 60 days if any delay would put a child's health, safety, or development at risk.

• San Diego Regional Center
• Phone: 858-576-2996

Local organizations that help San Diego families

• Autism Society San Diego — Autism Ask Line (858) 715-0678; runs support groups, Camp I CAN, and a surf camp for autistic kids and adults

Documented waits and access notes

Wait times change. Each note below links to the public source it came from — confirm current status directly with the program.

• California's DDS estimates 1,293 San Diego County 8-year-olds were autistic and Lanterman-eligible in 2025, a 3.11 percent share of the county's roughly 41,521 children that age — among the higher county prevalence estimates in the state. (source)
• San Diego Regional Center reported 23,366 autistic clients out of a total caseload of 38,197 in FY 2024-2025 (61 percent) — the largest raw autism caseload of any of California's 21 regional centers, ahead of North Los Angeles County's 21,461. (source)
• San Diego commercial plans under SB 946 do not carry an age limit or a yearly dollar cap on ABA the way plans in some other states do, since California wrote the mandate around medical necessity. (source)