Local resources in Dover
Ordered by review count, then name. Providers cannot pay to be listed, ranked, or edited.
7 resources in Dover
1. Child Development Watch — Kent and Sussex Counties
Child Development Watch South covers Kent and Sussex counties, including Dover, in Delaware's early intervention programme for children from birth to three. Autism evaluation has been made standard practice here through collaboration between the University of Delaware, the Division of Public Health, Nemours and Delaware's LEND programme, alongside therapy, family training and social work.
Ages Birth to age 3
2. Continuum Behavioral Health — Dover
Continuum Behavioral Health's Dover office, at 260 Beiser Boulevard, delivers in-home ABA therapy across Kent County, with clinic-based sessions also available there.
Ages Children
3. Delaware Autism Program — Kent County Community School
Kent County Community School hosts the Capital School District's site of the Delaware Autism Program, the state's public-school programme for students with autism spectrum disorder aged 2 to 21. Services here include speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and transition programming, within the programme's wider vocational, respite and residential support.
Ages Ages 2 to 21
4. Dover YMCA — Autism Swim Lessons
The Dover YMCA, working with Autism Delaware, runs joint water lessons for autistic children and adults built around strength, confidence and coordination through swimming and creative play at its two indoor pools. A recent set of sessions ran on Sundays, split into groups for ages 6 to 12 and 13 to 17, priced at $49 for members and $95 for non-members.
Ages Ages 6 to 17 in the sessions we saw described
5. First Smile Pediatric Dentistry
First Smile Pediatric Dentistry, with locations in Middletown and West Dover, lists autism and additional-needs care among its specialty expertise, and its dentist trained at UPenn and CHOP. The practice accepts all Delaware Medicaid plans, including Diamond State Health Plan, Diamond State Health Plan Plus, Highmark Health Options and AmeriHealth Caritas Delaware.
Ages Children
6. The Smile Place — Smyrna
The Smile Place, in Smyrna, follows additional-needs dentistry protocols including sensory accommodations and extended appointment times, and accepts Medicaid for patients under 21.
Ages Children through age 20
7. Verbal Beginnings — Delaware
Reaches central Delaware at home, where the centre-based options are all in New Castle County.
Ages Ages 2 to 18
The short answer for Dover
- Under 3: call the Kent and Sussex Counties Birth to Three line at 302-424-7300 (toll-free 800-752-9393). A parent can self-refer, and no diagnosis is required first.
- 3 and up: Capital School District's Special Services office, at 302-857-4239, handles evaluation requests for children living in Dover.
- Delaware's DDDS Exceptional Children and Early Childhood Education office is headquartered in Dover, at 401 Federal Street.
- Autism Delaware keeps an office in Dover in addition to Newark and Lewes, so Kent County families don't need to travel north for in-person help.
Dover is Delaware's capital, and a family here works through Kent County's Birth to Three intake for a child under 3, Capital School District's special services office once a child turns 3, and DDDS for longer-term disability supports — the same statewide DDDS office that happens to sit in Dover as well.
This page sticks to what's publicly listed for each: phone numbers, addresses, and the process each expects a family to start with.
Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Delaware page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Dover (Kent County, Delaware).
Early intervention under 3: Birth to Three Early Intervention (Child Development Watch) — Kent and Sussex Counties
Delaware's Birth to Three program splits its intake by region, and Dover falls under the combined line for Kent and Sussex Counties rather than the New Castle County number used further north. A parent, grandparent, or child care provider can make the referral call directly, without waiting on a pediatrician's recommendation, and staff explain the evaluation process from there. Where a child is found eligible, the family and the Birth to Three team write an Individualized Family Service Plan together.
- Birth to Three Early Intervention (Child Development Watch) — Kent and Sussex Counties
- Referral phone: 302-424-7300
New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.
School districts and special education
Delaware school districts run their own Child Find teams to screen and evaluate children referred to them, at no cost to the family, from age 3 through 21. Capital School District serves most of Dover proper, while Caesar Rodney, based just south in Wyoming, covers a wide swath of the surrounding Kent County suburbs many Dover-area families live in.
- Capital School District — Special Services, 198 Commerce Way, Dover, 302-857-4239; also runs a parent council for families of students with disabilities
- Caesar Rodney School District — Division of Student Services; based in Wyoming, Delaware, just southwest of Dover
Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Dover
We have not yet verified a hospital or university evaluation program with public intake information in Dover. That is a gap in our research, not a sign there is nothing here — and it does not stand between you and an evaluation. The school district evaluation above is free, and early intervention under 3 does not need a private diagnosis first.
Disability services and waivers: Delaware Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDDS)
DDDS is the statewide agency deciding eligibility for Delaware's intellectual and developmental disability system, and it evaluates autism against the same standard used across the state: substantial functional impairment that began before age 22. A Dover family calls the same central intake unit every Delaware family uses, requesting the Lifespan Waiver packet and supplying a current psychological evaluation and adaptive behavior assessment. The agency confirms receipt of a completed application in writing within about a week.
- Delaware Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDDS)
- Phone: 302-744-9700
Local organizations that help Dover families
- Autism Delaware — Dover office — one of the organization's three physical offices statewide, giving Kent County families an in-person option for Family Navigation and support groups
- The Arc of Delaware — Kent & Sussex Counties — 302-736-6140; regional line for the counties south of New Castle, reachable through The Arc of Delaware's statewide contact page
- PIC of Delaware (Parent Training and Information Center) — 302-999-7394; statewide help with IEPs and special education rights, serving families outside New Castle County as well
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.
- Delaware's state special education office, Exceptional Children and Early Childhood Education, is physically headquartered in Dover at 401 Federal Street, Suite Two. (source)
- Capital School District has 60 calendar days from your written consent to evaluate your child and determine eligibility for special education. (source)
- After Kent and Sussex Counties Birth to Three receives a referral, an evaluation and the initial IFSP meeting must be completed within 45 days. (source)
- Delaware eliminated its Developmental Disabilities Waiver waiting list in 2014 and currently has no waitlist for HCBS Waiver services. (source)
Paying for support in Dover
Delaware's autism insurance mandate, 18 Del. C. §3366, requires state-regulated plans to pay for autism screening, diagnosis, and behavioral health treatment such as ABA for anyone under 21; the law was enacted through Senate Bill 22 in 2012. Its written $36,000 yearly limit has largely given way to federal mental health parity rules, though a self-funded employer plan remains outside the mandate. For Medicaid-covered Dover families, ABA access runs through DDDS eligibility rather than this insurance law.
Nothing here is a recommendation — we list what exists, note what a provider says about itself, and let parents tell you the rest.
Common questions from Dover parents
Sources
- [1]Birth to Three Delaware (B23) — Early Intervention Program. Open source
- [2]Capital School District — Special Services. Open source
- [3]Caesar Rodney School District — Student Services. Open source
- [4]Delaware DDDS — Intake. Open source
- [5]Family SHADE — Delaware Department of Education Special Education contact. Open source
- [6]Autism Delaware. Open source
- [7]The Arc of Delaware — Contact Us. Open source
- [8]PIC of Delaware — Parent Training and Information Project. Open source
- [9]18 Del. C. §3366 — Autism spectrum disorders coverage. Open source
Researched 2026-08-14 from published sources. Programs and links change — confirm with the agency before relying on any detail. This page is information, not legal or medical advice.