Warren is Michigan's third-largest city, but it has no single school district of its own — several districts, including Center Line Public Schools, cover different parts of the city, while Macomb Intermediate School District (Macomb ISD) runs a countywide Child Find referral system that any Warren family can use regardless of address.

For diagnosis and Medicaid-funded therapy, Macomb County Community Mental Health is the county's public behavioral health authority and the door to the state's ABA benefit. This page lists the direct phone numbers each agency has published, plus statewide organizations that can help when a family isn't sure which door applies.

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

Early intervention under 3: Early On Michigan

Early On covers the entire state of Michigan as one program for children from birth through age two, and Warren families use the same front door as everyone else: a phone call or online referral, made by a parent, relative, or physician, with no diagnosis required in advance. State policy sets a 10-calendar-day deadline for written notice of family rights after a referral, and a 45-calendar-day deadline to finish the evaluation and hold the first Individualized Family Service Plan meeting. Eligibility follows either a documented 20 percent delay in a developmental area or a diagnosed condition likely to cause one. In Macomb County, Macomb ISD's Infant Preschool Program administers Early On locally and later coordinates the transition into preschool special education at age three. The evaluation itself is always free.

• 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

Warren sits inside the territory of several separate school districts rather than one, so which office handles a family's Child Find request depends on their exact address — but Macomb ISD, the county's intermediate school district, runs a single countywide Child Find line that works no matter which local district a family lives in, plus free developmental evaluations for children under three. Center Line Public Schools, whose district traces back to a school founded as part of Warren Township in 1875, still serves families along its shared border with Warren and runs its own Special Education department for evaluation requests.

• Macomb Intermediate School District (Macomb ISD) — Child Find — countywide Child Find serving birth through age 25; appointments 586-228-3321; free evaluations for children under 3 in audiology, OT, PT, psychology, and speech
• Center Line Public Schools — Special Services — serves Center Line and adjoining Warren addresses; Special Services 586-510-2050; birth-to-3 referrals route through Macomb ISD's Early On program

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Warren

We have not yet verified a hospital or university evaluation program with public intake information in Warren. 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: Macomb County Community Mental Health (MCCMH)

Rather than operating a separate statewide disability-waiver office, Michigan channels the Medicaid autism benefit through each county's Community Mental Health Services Program, working under a regional Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan. In Macomb County that program is MCCMH, based in Clinton Township. A family starts by calling MCCMH's Customer Service line, which registers the child, checks Medicaid eligibility, and arranges a clinician phone screening. A child who screens positive for autism spectrum disorder is scheduled for an intake appointment with one of MCCMH's contracted Autism Case Management Programs — Easterseals MORC, Specialized Children & Family Services, or Hope Network — where a person-centered plan and an Individualized Plan of Service are built together with the family. MCCMH also coordinates broader intellectual and developmental disability supports, including access to Michigan's Habilitation Supports Waiver.

• Macomb County Community Mental Health (MCCMH)
• Phone: 855-99-MCCMH (855-996-2264)

Local organizations that help Warren families

• Autism Alliance of Michigan — MiNavigator — free statewide navigation line covering diagnosis, school, and funding questions (877-463-2266); based in nearby Southfield
• Michigan Alliance for Families — federally funded parent training and information center for special education rights, birth through age 26 (800-552-4821)
• The Arc Michigan — statewide advocacy organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families
• Michigan 211 — free 24/7 referral line covering food, housing, and family-crisis 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) permits insurers to cap the annual benefit by age — $50,000 through age 6, $40,000 for ages 7 to 12, and $30,000 for ages 13 to 18 — rather than guaranteeing unlimited yearly coverage. (source)
• Center Line Public Schools' own history page traces the district back to a school built around 1875 as District No. 2 of Warren Township, before Center Line became a separate city — a reminder that district boundaries in this part of Macomb County don't always match current city lines. (source)
• Macomb ISD or Center Line Public Schools has only 30 school days from signed consent to both complete the evaluation and hold the initial IEP Team meeting under Michigan rule. (source)
• For a diagnosed child or young adult under 21, Michigan's Medicaid Autism Benefit typically authorizes 5 to 15 ABA hours weekly for a focused plan or 16 to 25 hours weekly for a comprehensive one. (source)