Detroit families touch three separate systems on the way to an autism diagnosis and support: a single statewide early-intervention program for children under three, the Detroit Public Schools Community District (or a Wayne County suburban district) for school-age evaluation, and Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network for Medicaid-funded therapy. Each has its own phone number, its own timeline, and its own paperwork, and none of them wait on the others.

This page lists those doors in the order most families need them, with the phone numbers and public timelines each agency has posted, plus two Metro Detroit evaluation and ABA pathways and the statewide organizations that help when a door is hard to find.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Michigan page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Detroit (Wayne County).

Early intervention under 3: Early On Michigan

Every county in Michigan runs early intervention through the same statewide program, Early On, which serves children from birth to their third birthday who show a 20 percent delay in a developmental area or who have a diagnosed condition likely to cause one. A referral can come from a parent, a grandparent, a pediatrician, or a childcare provider, and the family does not need a diagnosis or a doctor's order before calling. After a referral reaches the local Early On office, the family gets written notice of their rights within 10 calendar days, and the evaluation plus the first Individualized Family Service Plan meeting must happen within 45 calendar days of that referral. In Wayne County, referrals route through Wayne RESA, the county's intermediate school district, which also coordinates the handoff to preschool special education once a child turns three. Evaluation is always free, and ongoing services use a sliding-fee scale so cost is not a barrier.

• Early On Michigan
• Referral phone: 1-800-327-5966 (1-800-EARLY-ON)

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

School districts and special education

From age three, Michigan school districts and their intermediate school district (ISD) share responsibility for Child Find — the legal duty to locate and evaluate any child who might have a disability, at no cost to the family. In Wayne County that means two doors: Detroit Public Schools Community District runs its own Exceptional Student Education department for students who live within the district, while Wayne RESA operates a countywide referral hotline that routes requests by age, from Early On transitions through kindergarten-and-up Child Find. A written or verbal request to either office starts the clock on a free evaluation.

• Detroit Public Schools Community District — Exceptional Student Education — serves more than 7,000 learners birth through age 26; district office (313) 240-4377; runs a dedicated Autism Spectrum Disorder program with its own evaluation and classroom continuum
• Wayne RESA — Special Education and Early Intervention Services — countywide referral hotline (734) 334-1393; routes families by age to Early On, Build Up Learning (ages 2 years 11 months to 4), or kindergarten-and-up Child Find

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Detroit

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.

• Henry Ford Health — Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities (CADD) — diagnostic evaluation and ongoing ABA therapy for children ages 2 to 17; the center describes itself as a Blue Cross Blue Shield-approved autism evaluation center and has served Metro Detroit families since 2008 · 313-972-9009 (diagnostic evaluation) · 313-972-3050 (ABA therapy)
• Judson Center — Autism Connections — applied behavior analysis delivered by a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst-led team, beginning with an intake assessment; also runs Bridges to Success, a transition-focused ABA program for teens and young adults, at locations across Metro Detroit · 248-549-4339

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN)

Michigan does not run a separate disability-waiver agency the way many states do; instead, each county's Community Mental Health Services Program manages both behavioral health and the Medicaid autism benefit, under a regional Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan structure set by the state. In Wayne County, that agency is Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network. DWIHN describes its intake as having 'no wrong door' — a parent, pediatrician, therapist, or teacher can all start the process by calling the Access Call Center, which checks Medicaid status, completes a CMH screening, and runs an autism screening tool by phone. A child who screens positive is scheduled for an autism case management intake, where a clinician confirms eligibility and builds an Individualized Plan of Service; most approved ABA plans run 5 to 25 hours of direct intervention per week depending on medical necessity. DWIHN separately coordinates intellectual and developmental disability services, including access to Michigan's Habilitation Supports Waiver for beneficiaries who qualify for an institutional level of care.

• Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN)
• Phone: 1-800-241-4949

Local organizations that help Detroit families

• Autism Alliance of Michigan — MiNavigator — free, statewide navigation line for any family touched by autism (877-463-2266); headquartered in Southfield, just north of Detroit
• Michigan Alliance for Families — the state's federally funded parent training and information center for special education, birth through age 26 (800-552-4821, with Spanish and Arabic lines)
• The Arc Michigan — statewide advocacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; operates Michigan Alliance for Families and publishes guardianship and public-benefits guidance
• Michigan 211 — free, 24/7 referral line covering food, housing, and family-crisis support in 180-plus languages — dial 211 or 844-875-9211

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.

• As of a July 2026 procurement notice, Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network was actively recruiting new ABA providers/vendors for children ages 0 to 21 residing in Wayne County, with bids for RFQ 2026-007 REBID due July 30, 2026 — a sign the county was still building out ABA provider capacity in mid-2026. (source)
• Michigan's insurance mandate lets insurers cap the annual autism benefit by the insured child's age — $50,000 through age 6, $40,000 for ages 7 through 12, and $30,000 for ages 13 through 18 — rather than requiring unlimited coverage, per the text of MCL 500.3406s. (source)
• Michigan's primary long-term Medicaid waiver for intellectual and developmental disabilities, the Habilitation Supports Waiver, serves an estimated 7,500 beneficiaries statewide — a small program relative to Michigan's population, administered under a federal 1915(c) agreement. (source)
• Michigan's autism insurance mandate does not reach self-funded employer health plans, which are regulated under federal ERISA law rather than state insurance law — families should confirm with their employer or plan administrator which type of plan they have. (source)
• Michigan compresses the initial special-education process into a single 30-school-day clock: Detroit's Exceptional Student Education team (or Wayne RESA) must both complete the evaluation and hold the first IEP Team meeting inside that window. (source)
• The state's Medicaid Autism Benefit — open to a diagnosed individual under 21 — is generally authorized at 16 to 25 ABA hours weekly for comprehensive intervention or 5 to 15 hours weekly for a more focused plan. (source)