Autism in Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids families work with two main systems before a school-age evaluation: Early On, Michigan's single statewide early-intervention program, and Kent ISD, the intermediate school district that coordinates special education across Kent County alongside Grand Rapids Public Schools' own Child Find office.

For Medicaid-funded therapy, the county's Community Mental Health Services Program, Network180, is the door — Michigan routes the autism ABA benefit through county behavioral health agencies rather than a separate statewide disability office. This page lists the phone numbers and public contacts for each.

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

Early intervention under 3: Early On Michigan

Early On is Michigan's single early-intervention system for children from birth to their third birthday, and it works the same way in Grand Rapids as anywhere else in the state: a family, relative, or physician calls or submits an online referral, and no prior diagnosis is required to start. State rule requires the local Early On office to send written notice of the family's rights within 10 calendar days of the referral, and to complete the evaluation and hold the first Individualized Family Service Plan meeting within 45 calendar days. Children qualify with either a diagnosed condition likely to cause developmental delay or a documented 20 percent delay in one or more developmental areas. Kent ISD coordinates the local Early On program for Kent County and also runs the handoff into preschool special education once a child turns three. There is no cost for the evaluation, and ongoing services use a sliding fee scale.

• 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

Once a child turns three, responsibility for identifying and evaluating a suspected disability — Child Find — moves to the local school district, with Kent ISD supervising special education practice across every district in the county. Grand Rapids Public Schools runs its own Child Find office for students who live within city boundaries and has designated staff who can guide a family through identification, birth through age 26. Families outside GRPS boundaries, or anyone unsure which district covers their address, can start with Kent ISD's special education parent resources instead.

• Grand Rapids Public Schools — Special Education / Child Find — Child Find contact ChildFind@grps.org or 616-819-3514; district office 616-819-2000; runs a dedicated Autism Spectrum Disorder program
• Kent ISD — Special Education — coordinates special education, Early On, and Build Up Michigan across every Kent County district

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Grand Rapids

We have not yet verified a hospital or university evaluation program with public intake information in Grand Rapids. 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.

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Network180

Michigan does not run a separate statewide disability-waiver agency; instead, each county's Community Mental Health Services Program manages Medicaid-funded behavioral health, including the autism ABA benefit, under a regional Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan overseen by the state. For Kent County, that agency is Network180, based at 790 Fuller Ave NE in Grand Rapids. Families begin by calling Network180's access line to check Medicaid eligibility and complete a screening; a child found eligible is connected to a contracted ABA provider for a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation and an Individualized Plan of Service. Network180 also coordinates broader intellectual and developmental disability services, including Michigan's Habilitation Supports Waiver for people who need an institutional level of care at home.

• Network180
• Phone: 616-336-3909 · 800-749-7720

Local organizations that help Grand Rapids families

• Special Olympics Michigan — headquartered in Grand Rapids (160 68th St SW); year-round adapted sports training and competition, including the Young Athletes program for children as young as 2 (616-221-7664)
• Autism Alliance of Michigan — MiNavigator — free statewide navigation line for diagnosis, school, and funding questions (877-463-2266)
• Michigan Alliance for Families — federally funded parent training and information center for special education rights, birth through age 26 (800-552-4821)
• Michigan 211 — free 24/7 referral line for food, housing, and family support — 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.

• Michigan's autism insurance mandate (MCL 500.3406s) lets insurers cap the annual benefit by the child's age: $50,000 through age 6, $40,000 for ages 7 to 12, and $30,000 for ages 13 to 18, rather than requiring unlimited annual coverage. (source)
• Michigan's principal long-term Medicaid waiver for intellectual and developmental disabilities, the Habilitation Supports Waiver, serves an estimated 7,500 people statewide — a program families access through their county Community Mental Health Services Program, not a separate application agency. (source)
• From the day Grand Rapids Public Schools or Kent ISD receives signed consent, Michigan allows only 30 school days to both finish the evaluation and hold the initial IEP Team meeting. (source)
• Michigan's Medicaid Autism Benefit sets ABA hours by treatment intensity: roughly 16 to 25 hours a week for a comprehensive plan, or 5 to 15 hours weekly for a focused one, for a diagnosed person under 21. (source)