Albany families reach New York's Early Intervention Program through the Albany County Department for Children, Youth and Families, pursue school evaluation through their district's Child Find duty, and can get a medical autism evaluation through Albany Medical Center's own developmental-behavioral pediatrics practice.

This page lays out the phone numbers, URLs, and publicly documented timelines behind each of those doors, plus the state OPWDD region that covers longer-term disability supports.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the New York page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Albany (Albany County).

Early intervention under 3: New York State Early Intervention Program (EIP) — Albany County

New York's Early Intervention Program is run locally, and in Albany County that role belongs to the Department for Children, Youth and Families. A parent, doctor, or child care provider can call to begin a referral, and no diagnosis is needed first — only a concern about a child under 3's development. State regulation (10 NYCRR §69-4.11) requires the Individualized Family Service Plan to be completed within 45 days of referral, with services starting within 30 days of a parent's signature, all free to the family.

• New York State Early Intervention Program (EIP) — Albany County
• Referral phone: 518-447-4820

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

School districts and special education

New York districts are required to identify and evaluate children with a suspected disability, from birth through 21, at no cost under the state's Child Find duty. Begin with a written request to your child's school; under 8 NYCRR §200.4, the district has 60 calendar days from your written consent to finish the initial evaluation.

• Albany City School District — Special Education at the Harriet Gibbons Student Services Center, 518-475-6150, 75 Watervliet Avenue
• Bethlehem Central School District — Office of Student Support Services, 518-439-8886, serving Delmar and the southern Albany suburbs

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Albany

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.

• Albany Medical Center — Pediatric Developmental & Behavioral Health — diagnostic evaluation, medication management, and behavioral interventions for autism and related conditions from birth through age 21, including an Autism Specialty Practice and a monthly Autism Medical Home clinic combining sensory-friendly primary care with OPWDD-enrollment help · 518-262-5401 · a completed referral form is required before scheduling; call the number above to request one

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: NYS OPWDD — Capital District region

OPWDD's Capital District regional office covers Albany County along with Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington counties. Call the statewide Infoline (866-946-9733) to be routed to your regional Front Door, or reach the Capital District office directly. From there families move through eligibility determination, a needs evaluation, and Care Manager-led service planning, including Medicaid's Home and Community Based Services Waiver for those who pursue it.

• NYS OPWDD — Capital District region
• Phone: 518-388-0431 (Capital District region) · 866-946-9733 (statewide Infoline)

Local organizations that help Albany families

• Living Resources — 518-218-0000; Albany-based nonprofit supporting more than 1,800 Capital Region families with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Parent to Parent of NYS — Capital District & Northern Region Special Education Information Center — 518-381-4350; federally funded parent training and information help for special education questions
• Autism Learning Partners — Albany — 888-805-0759; ABA therapy provider with an Albany County location
• Special Olympics New York — Capital Region — 518-388-0790; serves more than 3,400 athletes across 12 Capital Region counties including Albany
• 211 Northeast New York — 1-888-366-3211; free referral line covering Albany and Schenectady counties

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.

• An Albany CSE decision isn't the finish line: 8 NYCRR §200.4 gives the district until 60 school days after a parent's signed consent to have the recommended program actually arranged, and just 30 school days from a placement recommendation if the seat is at an approved private school. (source)
• New York's autism insurance mandate carries no age or lifetime dollar limit, but it does cap covered ABA at 680 hours a year per insured child — worth knowing before an Albany family assumes coverage is unlimited. (source)