Overland Park sits inside Johnson County, on the Kansas side of the Kansas City metro, and its public school coverage splits between two large districts rather than one citywide system. Its medical and disability infrastructure benefits from proximity to the wider Kansas City metro — Children's Mercy operates a satellite campus in the city itself, and Special Olympics Kansas is headquartered next door in Mission.

This guide lists the specific contacts behind Overland Park's autism-related systems: the statewide early-intervention network, the two school districts covering the city, evaluation pathways both local and a short drive into Kansas City, and the county CDDO office that opens Kansas's Medicaid waiver system.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Kansas page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Overland Park (Johnson County, Kansas City metro).

Early intervention under 3: Infant Toddler Services of Kansas (tiny-k)

Kansas guarantees a free developmental evaluation to every child from birth to age 3 who might have a delay or disability, delivered through 29 local early intervention programs coordinated statewide by the tiny-k Alliance and overseen by Kansas Early Childhood Developmental Services. A Johnson County family finds their local program through the Infant Toddler Services of Kansas website by entering their county or zip code; referrals can come from a parent, a pediatrician, or anyone else who knows the child. There is no cost to families, and services are delivered in natural settings — home or childcare — before the system transitions a child to school-based special education at age 3.

• Infant Toddler Services of Kansas (tiny-k)

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

School districts and special education

Overland Park doesn't have its own single school district — its neighborhoods split between Blue Valley USD 229 and Shawnee Mission USD 512, and Kansas's statewide Child Find rule applies to both: a written evaluation request triggers a response within 15 school days, and the district has 60 school days total to complete the evaluation and, if the child qualifies, put an IEP in place. Blue Valley's Infant and Toddler Services partner in Johnson County handles the transition from early intervention to the district's preschool program at age 3.

• Blue Valley USD 229 — Special Education — 15020 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS 66223; district line 913-239-4347; Executive Director of Special Education 913-239-4028
• Shawnee Mission School District (USD 512) — Special Education — 913-993-8600; early childhood special education for ages 3-5 through a dedicated early childhood center

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Overland Park

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.

• Children's Mercy — College Boulevard — developmental and behavioral health services among 14 pediatric specialties at a Johnson County satellite campus, extending Children's Mercy's Kansas City services into Overland Park · 913-696-8000
• Children's Mercy — Autism Clinic — comprehensive diagnostic evaluation for children whose families suspect autism or a related disorder, through self-triage or provider referral; based at the main Kansas City campus, roughly 20 minutes from Overland Park · 816-234-3674

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Johnson County Community Developmental Disability Organization (CDDO)

Kansas designates one Community Developmental Disability Organization per region as the single point of entry for intellectual and developmental disability services, and Johnson County's CDDO — based in Olathe — fills that role for Overland Park. A family applying for Kansas's HCBS-IDD waiver, which serves individuals age 5 and older who meet the state's disability definition, starts here for eligibility determination and waitlist placement; this is a separate track from both Infant Toddler Services and school-based special education. A separate program, Kansas's Medicaid Autism Waiver, covers parent training and respite for a child under 6 with an ASD diagnosis, but not ABA itself, and runs through the state's KDADS agency rather than the CDDO.

• Johnson County Community Developmental Disability Organization (CDDO)
• Phone: 913-826-2500

Local organizations that help Overland Park families

• Families Together, Inc. — Kansas's federally designated Parent Training and Information Center, reaching Johnson County from its Topeka office (785-233-4777) with a Spanish-language line (800-499-9443)
• Disability Rights Center of Kansas — the state's federally designated protection-and-advocacy agency (785-273-9661, toll-free 877-776-1541)
• Kansas Family Support Center — statewide program at the University of Kansas Medical Center, a short drive from Overland Park, supporting families of autistic children (913-945-6619)
• Special Olympics Kansas — headquartered in neighboring Mission, Kansas; year-round sports and a Young Athletes program for ages 2 to 7 that has run sessions in Overland Park (913-236-9290)

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.

• Both Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission work off the same statewide clock: KSDE's process handbook gives a district 60 school days from consent to complete testing and decide eligibility, plus a further 30 days to finalize an IEP if the child qualifies. (source)
• Johnson County's Infant-Toddler Network is bound by the same 45-calendar-day deadline every Kansas tiny-k program follows, running from the date of referral to the child's first IFSP meeting. (source)
• Legislative testimony on Kansas's HCBS I/DD waiver reported around 4,300 people statewide waiting roughly eight to nine years for a slot, a backlog the state is trying to address with a new Community Support Waiver targeted for 2026. (source)