Las Cruces families use New Mexico's statewide FIT Program before age 3 and Las Cruces Public Schools' Child Find process afterward, the same two-step path most of the state follows.

What makes Las Cruces different is New Mexico State University's Papen-Aprendamos Autism Diagnostic Center — the only center in southern New Mexico that provides a medical autism diagnosis, sparing families a drive to Albuquerque for that step.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the New Mexico page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Las Cruces (Doña Ana County).

Early intervention under 3: New Mexico Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program

New Mexico's Part C early intervention system is now run by the Early Childhood Education & Care Department, following a 2020 reorganization that moved it out of the Department of Health. Any parent, doctor, or child care provider in Doña Ana County can call the statewide referral line to start; a diagnosis isn't required, just a concern about how a child is developing. A regional FIT provider then completes a free evaluation and, if the child qualifies, an Individualized Family Service Plan.

• New Mexico Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program
• Referral phone: 1-877-696-1472

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

School districts and special education

Las Cruces Public Schools is responsible for locating, identifying, and evaluating every child from birth through 21 who may need special education services, including children in private or religious schools, migrant and homeless children, and students who are still advancing grade to grade. Its Special Education Department coordinates that Child Find process directly; for a question the district can't resolve, the New Mexico Public Education Department's Special Education Bureau in Santa Fe is the state office that sets the rules every district, including Las Cruces, has to follow.

• Las Cruces Public Schools — Special Education Department — 575-527-5800; responsible for Child Find identification, referral, and evaluation from birth through age 21

Other places to ask — not a substitute for the district

An evaluation request has to go to the school district itself; only the district can start the legal timeline. These are for asking questions about the process, or for when the district has not responded.

• New Mexico Public Education Department — Special Education Bureau — the state office, not a district — 505-470-7898, Santa Fe; oversees Child Find compliance statewide, including for Las Cruces Public Schools

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Las Cruces

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.

• NMSU Papen-Aprendamos Autism Diagnostic Center — the only center in southern New Mexico providing a DSM-5 medical diagnosis of autism, needed for insurance funding and access to other community-based services; requires a referral from a licensed healthcare provider plus a completed autism screener · 575-646-3177

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: New Mexico DDSD — DD Waiver & Mi Via Waiver

Las Cruces families apply for New Mexico's developmental-disability supports the same way families do statewide: through DDSD's Central Registry, kept by the Intake and Eligibility Bureau, which functions as the waiting list for the traditional Medicaid DD Waiver. The self-directed Mi Via Waiver draws from that same registry but lets a family control its own budget for staff and supports instead of working through an agency. Advocacy groups have reported waits as long as 10 to 12 years for the traditional waiver, which is why many families register as soon as eligibility is confirmed rather than waiting on other pieces to fall into place first. Start with the DD Waiver (HCBS) Application through the state Health Care Authority or a regional Pre-Service Specialist.

• New Mexico DDSD — DD Waiver & Mi Via Waiver

Local organizations that help Las Cruces families

• The Arc of New Mexico — 505-883-4630; statewide advocacy and family-support organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism
• Parents Reaching Out — 800-524-5176; New Mexico's parent training and information center, offering telephone assistance and workshops on special-education rights statewide, including southern New Mexico

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.

• Once testing is finished, New Mexico requires an eligibility meeting inside 15 calendar days — the evaluation that precedes it has its own separate 60-day window measured from the date you sign consent. (source)
• New Mexico's own regulation, NMAC 8.9.8, restates the federal Part C deadline rather than loosening it for FIT Program families: a completed IFSP within 45 days of referral. (source)