Boise's autism-related public systems mostly run through state agencies rather than city government: the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare administers early intervention and disability-waiver intake by region, and the Idaho State Department of Education sets Child Find policy that individual school districts carry out. Ada County — Boise, plus neighboring Meridian and Eagle — falls under DHW's Region 4 office in Boise itself.

This guide lists the specific numbers behind those systems: the statewide early-intervention line, the two school districts whose boundaries reach into Boise, evaluation clinics operating in the Treasure Valley, and the Region 4 office that opens the door to Idaho's Medicaid developmental disabilities services.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Idaho page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Boise metro (Ada County).

Early intervention under 3: Idaho Infant Toddler Program (ITP)

The Infant Toddler Program is Idaho's statewide Part C system for children from birth to age 3 who have a developmental delay or a condition, such as prematurity or Down syndrome, likely to cause one. A Boise-area parent can refer a child directly, without waiting on a doctor, or have a pediatrician or other provider submit the referral; the program also offers an online developmental screener a family can complete before ever making a call. Once accepted, ITP's core service is coaching — helping parents and caregivers weave developmental support into everyday routines — delivered through service coordination and, where needed, developmental therapy, hearing, and vision services. It costs families nothing, drawing instead on a mix of Medicaid, private insurance, and state and federal funds.

• Idaho Infant Toddler Program (ITP)
• Referral phone: 208-334-5514

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

School districts and special education

Idaho's Child Find duty sits with each local school district under statewide policy set by the Idaho State Department of Education's Special Education division, currently codified in the 2025 Idaho Special Education Manual. A Boise address is usually served by Boise School District, but West Ada School District — Idaho's largest, primarily known for covering Meridian — also has boundaries that extend into part of Boise itself, a quirk of how the districts were originally drawn. A family requests an evaluation in writing from whichever district serves their address.

• Boise School District — Special Education — Services Center, 8169 W. Victory Rd, Boise, ID 83709; 208-854-4000
• West Ada School District — Child Find — district line 208-855-4500; boundaries include part of Boise in addition to Meridian

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Boise City

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.

• K-Counseling & Anxiety Treatment — autism evaluations for children, teens, and adults using a battery of evidence-based diagnostic tools; the practice describes having no waiting list, with appointments typically available within a few days · 208-258-3510
• St. Luke's Children's — Developmental Pediatrics — evaluation and ongoing care for autism, ADHD, developmental delays, and related conditions in children from birth through age 18, serving families across the Treasure Valley from its Meridian clinic · 208-381-7312

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare — Region 4 (Boise)

Idaho's Medicaid developmental disabilities services are administered regionally, and Region 4, headquartered in Boise, covers Ada, Boise, Elmore, and Valley counties. Eligibility requires a developmental disability that appeared before age 22 and causes substantial functional limitations in at least three life areas, and a child must already be Medicaid-approved before applying; from there, a regional office forwards the application to an independent assessment provider, who schedules an eligibility evaluation, and an approved family is assigned a case manager. Behavioral intervention itself — including services that used to be billed as ABA — now runs through Idaho's Children's Habilitation Intervention Services (CHIS) program for Medicaid members from birth through age 21, which the state moved to direct administration on December 1, 2025, after several years under a managed-care behavioral health contractor.

• Idaho Department of Health and Welfare — Region 4 (Boise)
• Phone: 208-334-0900 (Region 4 office) · 208-334-6500 or 877-333-9681 (statewide DD intake)

Local organizations that help Boise City families

• Idaho Parents Unlimited (IPUL) — Boise-based, statewide parent training and information center; special education guidance, early intervention information, and behavioral health support (208-342-5884)
• Disability Rights Idaho — the state's federally designated protection-and-advocacy agency, providing free legal services statewide
• Game Changers Idaho — Boise-based inclusive youth sports nonprofit running adaptive flag football, soccer, gymnastics, and more across the Treasure Valley (208-917-0427)
• City of Boise — Adaptive Recreation — city-run recreational, social, and educational programs for youth and adults with disabilities, based at Fort Boise Community Center (208-608-7680)

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.

• Boise School District must complete an evaluation and make an eligibility determination within 60 calendar days of receiving your written consent to evaluate. (source)
• Once found eligible, Boise School District must schedule an IEP meeting within 30 calendar days of the eligibility determination. (source)
• Idaho's Infant Toddler Program must complete evaluation and hold the initial IFSP meeting within 45 calendar days of receiving your referral. (source)
• Idaho has no waiting list for its Developmental Disabilities Waiver; the state reported zero people waiting as of 2025. (source)