Local resources in Bismarck
Ordered by review count, then name. Providers cannot pay to be listed, ranked, or edited.
6 resources in Bismarck
1. A to Z Pediatric Dentistry
A to Z Pediatric Dentistry in Bismarck is a dedicated children's dental office that describes caring for children with additional dental health needs.
Ages Not stated in the sources we saw
2. Anne Carlsen Center — Bismarck
Anne Carlsen Center's Bismarck location provides speech and occupational therapy, behavioural health and autism assistance, plus in-home and respite care, with autism support hours running 6am to 8pm.
Ages All ages, per the provider
3. CHI St. Alexius Health — Archway Mental Health Services
CHI St. Alexius Health's Archway Mental Health Services provides psychiatric health evaluations, including for autism spectrum concerns, in a dedicated Bismarck clinic.
Ages Not stated in the sources we saw
4. Missouri Valley Family YMCA — Let's Swim / Adaptive Swim
The Missouri Valley Family YMCA's Let's Swim programme offers free adaptive swim lessons for autistic children and children with Down syndrome or sensory disorders, taught by specially trained instructors.
Ages Not stated in the sources we saw
5. North Dakota Autism Center — Bismarck (Regional Reach)
Families in Bismarck reach North Dakota Autism Center through its telehealth and flexible-delivery options, since the nonprofit is centred more than 190 miles away in West Fargo.
Ages Not stated in the sources we saw
6. Right Track — North Dakota Early Intervention
Right Track sends its early intervention consultants directly to a family's home anywhere in North Dakota, including Bismarck, at no cost.
Ages Birth to three
The short answer for Bismarck
- Under 3: BECEP delivers Right Track, North Dakota's free early intervention program, to Burleigh and eight neighboring counties, with no income or diagnosis requirement to begin a developmental screening.
- 3 and up: put your evaluation request in writing to Bismarck Public Schools' special education office, or to Mandan Public Schools if you live across the river — Mandan works through the Morton-Sioux Special Education Unit.
- Longer-term disability services and the state autism Medicaid waiver route through the DD Division's West Central Behavioral Health Clinic on Divide Avenue in Bismarck.
- The Bismarck-area regional DD office also covers Emmons, Grant, Kidder, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, and Sheridan counties, so families moving within the region keep the same point of contact.
Bismarck families reach Right Track, North Dakota's Part C program, through BECEP — the Bismarck Early Childhood Education Program — which delivers early intervention across a nine-county region centered on Burleigh County, and school-age evaluations run through Bismarck Public Schools' Child Find duty, with Mandan Public Schools covering the district just across the Missouri River.
For longer-term disability supports, Burleigh County sits inside the DD Division's West Central regional office, and this page lists the direct phone numbers and web addresses for each of those routes.
Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the North Dakota page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Bismarck (Burleigh County).
Early intervention under 3: Right Track via BECEP — North Dakota Part C Early Intervention
Right Track is North Dakota's no-cost early intervention program for children from birth to three, and in the Bismarck area it's delivered by BECEP, the Bismarck Early Childhood Education Program, which covers Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, Kidder, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, and Sheridan counties. Referrals need no income qualification and no diagnosis — a phone call to BECEP's Right Track Coordinator starts a home-based developmental screening, and the team builds services around whatever the screening finds.
- Right Track via BECEP — North Dakota Part C Early Intervention
- Referral phone: 701-328-8985 (toll-free 888-328-2662)
New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.
School districts and special education
Bismarck and Mandan sit in different special education structures: Bismarck Public Schools runs its own program, while Mandan participates in the Morton-Sioux Special Education Unit, a cooperative covering seven districts across the river. Both carry the same Child Find duty to identify and evaluate children ages three through twenty-one at no cost.
- Bismarck Public Schools — Special Education Director 701-323-4029; district also publishes an annual Child Find notice
- Mandan Public Schools — Mandan belongs to the Morton-Sioux Special Education Unit, a seven-district cooperative
Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Bismarck
We have not yet verified a hospital or university evaluation program with public intake information in Bismarck. 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.
Disability services and waivers: North Dakota DD Division — West Central Behavioral Health Clinic (Bismarck regional office)
Burleigh County's regional DD office is the West Central Behavioral Health Clinic on West Divide Avenue in Bismarck, covering nine counties including Emmons, Grant, Kidder, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, and Sheridan. A call there opens an eligibility determination with a Developmental Disabilities Program Manager, who builds a service plan and connects families to funded supports, including North Dakota's Medicaid Autism Spectrum Disorder Birth through Age 17 Waiver.
- North Dakota DD Division — West Central Behavioral Health Clinic (Bismarck regional office)
- Phone: 701-328-8888 (toll-free 888-328-2662)
Local organizations that help Bismarck families
- The Arc of Bismarck — advocacy and family support for intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Bismarck-Mandan area
- Family Voices of North Dakota — statewide family network with an autism and special-education resource library
- Pathfinder Family Center — North Dakota's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center
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.
- North Dakota schools have 60 calendar days from the date you sign consent to complete the initial evaluation and hold an Integrated Written Assessment meeting to determine eligibility. (source)
- Right Track must complete the initial evaluation, assessment, and first IFSP meeting within 45 days of your referral. (source)
- As of November 1, 2025, there are 141 children waiting for North Dakota's Autism Spectrum Disorder Birth through Age 20 Waiver. (source)
Paying for support in Bismarck
State-regulated health plans in North Dakota must cover autism treatment on the same terms as other medical care, a requirement the state insurance department set out in a bulletin dated July 10, 2018 that took effect January 1, 2019; coverage a large employer self-funds is usually outside that rule. Medicaid-enrolled children can access Applied Behavior Analysis through North Dakota's Autism Spectrum Disorder Birth through Age 17 Waiver, active since November 1, 2023, with a diagnosis, an EPSDT screening, and a physician referral in hand.
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 Bismarck parents
Sources
- [1]North Dakota HHS — Early Intervention (Right Track). Open source
- [2]BECEP — Right Track (Birth to Age 3). Open source
- [3]North Dakota HHS — Developmental Disabilities Regional Offices. Open source
- [4]North Dakota HHS — Burleigh County Human Service Zone. Open source
- [5]Bismarck Public Schools — About Special Education. Open source
- [6]Mandan Public Schools — Morton-Sioux Special Education Unit. Open source
- [7]North Dakota HHS — Autism ABA Service Policy and Procedures. Open source
- [8]The Arc of Bismarck. Open source
- [9]Family Voices of North Dakota. Open source
- [10]Pathfinder Family Center — Parent Training and Information. Open source
Researched 2026-08-14 from published sources. Programs and links change — confirm with the agency before relying on any detail. This page is information, not legal or medical advice.