Local resources in Peoria
Ordered by review count, then name. Providers cannot pay to be listed, ranked, or edited.
14 resources in Peoria
1. Caravel Autism Health — Peoria
Will see a child at 12 months and diagnoses as well as treats — the two things that matter most in the window where waiting is costliest.
Ages From 12 months
2. Central Illinois Autism Association
The Central Illinois Autism Association, the Peoria Regional Chapter of the Autism Society of America, awards small grants toward autism-related costs for central Illinois families, therapists, teachers and autistic individuals, paying vendors directly. It also runs the monthly Journey Autism support group in Pekin and a separate group for young autistic adults.
Ages Autistic individuals and their families across central Illinois
3. Cultivate Behavioral Health & Education — Peoria
ABA therapy covering the Peoria metro area, including a Peru, Illinois site — check which physical location is closest before enrolling.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
4. Easterseals Central Illinois — ABA & Autism Services
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) therapy, DIR/Floortime approaches, assistive-technology clinics, adaptive swim lessons, care management and social-skills groups for autistic people up to age 21, with individualised treatment plans developed through a multi-disciplinary team.
Ages Up to age 21
5. Easterseals Central Illinois — ASD Diagnostic Clinic
Comprehensive autism spectrum disorder diagnostic evaluations for children and young people, resulting in an autism diagnosis or identification of other developmental conditions, with recommendations for follow-up support and services.
Ages Children and youth
6. Heart of Illinois Special Recreation Association (HISRA)
Recreation programmes for disabled and autistic children and adults, including Camp Free to Be (an eight-week day camp for ages 4–21), adapted sports, Special Olympics, and the FOCUS Adult Day Programme for adults aged 22 and over.
Ages Ages 4 to 21 for its day camp; 18 and older for its adult day programme
7. Just Kidz Dentistry
Just Kidz Dentistry has served Peoria and Washington, Illinois since 2003, with a calm setting and staff trained in positive-reinforcement techniques for children with additional needs. It accepts most insurance but not Medicaid.
Ages Children
8. Lifelong Access — Peoria/Bartonville
A newly opened paediatric ABA clinic just outside Peoria in Bartonville. Close enough to serve Peoria families, but note the clinic itself sits outside Peoria's city limits.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
9. Majestic Care ABA — Peoria
Home-delivered hours downstate, where centre-based options thin out quickly.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
10. OSF Autism Pathways
A free phone-based navigation service connecting autistic individuals and their families to local resources including diagnosis, therapies, school advocacy and community support, with personalised needs assessments completed within three business days.
Ages Autistic children, teens and adults, and their families
11. OSF HealthCare — EASE Program
A streamlined autism diagnostic evaluation programme for children aged 2–6, designed to complete assessments within a few weeks rather than the typical long wait. Evaluations include child observation during play, developmental history discussion and physical examination.
Ages Ages 2 to 6 (current focus of the programme)Wait Evaluations are designed to be completed within a few weeks of referral
12. Step Forward ABA — Peoria
An ABA provider serving Peoria and nearby communities. Ages, address and funding were not published on the page found, so confirm directly.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
13. Team PBS — Peoria
In-home and community-based behaviour support in Peoria for people of all ages, not only children — worth asking about specifically if seeking support for a teen or adult.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
14. Total Spectrum (LEARN Behavioral) — Peoria
Flexible ABA delivery in Peoria — at home, in the community, at school, or at their Learning Center. Total Spectrum's own pages give conflicting age ranges across locations, so confirm directly what ages the Peoria site itself serves.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
The short answer for Peoria
- Under 3: Illinois Early Intervention. Peoria's Child and Family Connections office is in the city — call 309-672-6360 (toll-free 888-482-4300). Any adult can refer a child, no diagnosis needed first.
- 3 and up: send a written evaluation request to Peoria Public Schools District 150's Special Education office, which then has 14 school days to decide whether an evaluation is warranted, and up to 60 more once you consent.
- Easterseals Central Illinois, based in Peoria, offers ABA therapy — call 309-686-1177.
- Long-term disability supports run through Illinois' PUNS waitlist, not a Peoria County office — enroll with an Independent Service Coordination agency by calling 1-888-DD-PLANS.
- Whether ABA is covered depends on where your coverage comes from — Illinois' private-insurance mandate on one side, Illinois Medicaid's separate ABA benefit on the other.
Peoria's Child and Family Connections office for Early Intervention sits right in the city, and Peoria Public Schools District 150 handles the bulk of school-age special education, with a smaller neighboring district covering the Peoria Heights area.
Peoria is also home to a regional Easterseals affiliate offering ABA therapy — a genuinely local option rather than a drive to Chicago — alongside the statewide systems that apply the same way everywhere in Illinois: Early Intervention referral, the PUNS disability waiver waitlist, and how ABA gets funded.
Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Illinois page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Peoria (Peoria County).
Early intervention under 3: Illinois Early Intervention (Part C)
Illinois Early Intervention is for children from birth to age 3, and responsibility for running it shifted on July 1, 2026 to the newly formed Illinois Department of Early Childhood. Peoria's own Child and Family Connections office, at 1014 W. Pioneer Pkwy., also covers Henry, Stark, Tazewell, and Woodford counties. There's no cost for that first evaluation and no diagnosis required either — a parent, relative, or doctor can simply make the referral.
- Illinois Early Intervention (Part C)
- Referral phone: 309-672-6360 (CFC 14, Peoria County) · 1-800-843-6154 (statewide locator)
New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.
School districts and special education
Child Find is what Illinois calls a district's duty to find and evaluate, at no cost to families, any child from birth through 21 who may need special education. Peoria Public Schools District 150 is the largest district and serves most of the city, while Peoria Heights Community Unit School District 325 covers the Peoria Heights suburb and adjacent parts of the city. Written requests start two clocks running — 14 school days for the district to decide whether to evaluate, and after your written consent, up to 60 school days to complete the evaluation and hold the eligibility meeting.
- Peoria Public Schools District 150 — the largest district in the city; district-wide special education services
- Peoria Heights Community Unit School District 325 — covers the Peoria Heights suburb and adjacent area
Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Peoria
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.
- Easterseals Central Illinois — Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for children with autism, using evidence-based strategies for communication, social, and daily living skills, plus pediatric rehabilitation services · 309-686-1177
Disability services and waivers: IDHS Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD)
Illinois routes long-term disability supports through Medicaid waivers, accessed by joining PUNS, a statewide waitlist, rather than through a Peoria County agency. Eligibility and the PUNS interview go through an Independent Service Coordination agency, and a child can be entered starting at age 2.5. Adults in the 'Seeking Services' category are, under the state's Ligas Consent Decree commitment, meant to be selected for waiver funding within five years of enrolling.
- IDHS Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD)
- Phone: 1-888-DD-PLANS (1-888-337-5267) · 1-866-376-8446 (TTY)
Local organizations that help Peoria families
- Easterseals Central Illinois — ABA therapy and pediatric rehabilitation services based in Peoria; 507 E. Armstrong Ave., 309-686-1177
- The Arc of Illinois — Family Support Network — statewide help with PUNS enrollment and waiver navigation; 708-331-7370
- Equip for Equality — Illinois' Protection & Advocacy agency; statewide helpline 800-537-2632
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.
- Illinois Early Intervention gives Peoria's Child and Family Connections office 45 days from a referral to finish evaluating a toddler and hold the initial IFSP meeting. (source)
- The state's autism insurance mandate sets a $36,000 annual limit on the plans it covers, though self-insured employer plans, not unusual among Peoria's larger employers, fall outside its reach. (source)
Paying for support in Peoria
Illinois law (215 ILCS 5/356z.14) requires most state-regulated health plans to cover autism care, ABA included, up to age 21, and a separate Illinois Medicaid ABA benefit is available to children with a qualifying diagnosis regardless of whether that insurance mandate applies to their family's plan.
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 Peoria parents
Sources
- [1]Illinois Department of Early Childhood — Early Intervention Services. Open source
- [2]Child and Family Connections Listing of Illinois (rev. 3-2026). Open source
- [3]Peoria Public Schools District 150 — Special Education. Open source
- [4]Peoria Heights CUSD 325 — Children with Special Needs. Open source
- [5]Easterseals Central Illinois. Open source
- [6]ISBE — Educational Rights and Responsibilities: Understanding Special Education in Illinois (Jan. 2026). Open source
- [7]IDHS — Illinois PUNS, Division of Developmental Disabilities. Open source
- [8]The Arc of Illinois — Family Support Network. Open source
- [9]Illinois Autism Insurance Coalition — Medicaid ABA benefit. Open source
Last checked 2026-08-11. Programs and links change — confirm with the agency before relying on any detail. This page is information, not legal or medical advice.