Local resources in Buffalo
Ordered by review count, then name. Providers cannot pay to be listed, ranked, or edited.
17 resources in Buffalo
1. A Better Way ABA — Buffalo
In-home ABA therapy with individualised treatment plans for Buffalo families. The page does not publish ages, funding, or an address.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
2. Autism Learning Partners — Buffalo
A purpose-fitted ABA centre in south Buffalo offering either a comprehensive programme covering many skill areas or a focused one aimed at a shorter list of goals.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
3. Blossom ABA Therapy — Buffalo
A smaller, behaviour-analyst-owned practice in western New York, working with children from toddler age through to 18 and billing insurance rather than charging families directly.
Ages Ages 2 to 18
4. Double Care ABA — Buffalo
In-home ABA therapy delivered at the family's home in Buffalo. Little further programme detail is published on the page itself.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
5. Empower ABA — Buffalo
In-home ABA therapy covering Buffalo city neighbourhoods and nearby suburbs such as Cheektowaga and Amherst. Sessions are home-based rather than centre-based.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
6. Golden Care Therapy — Buffalo
In-home ABA therapy for Buffalo families, delivered by a dedicated team in the home. Little further detail is published on the page itself.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
7. Golisano Children's Hospital of Buffalo — Autism Spectrum Disorder Center
A multidisciplinary team evaluates and diagnoses autism spectrum disorder in a single visit, combining a physical, neurological and developmental assessment with a standardised interview (ADI-R) and clinical observation (ADOS).
Ages Children
8. Golisano Children's Hospital of Buffalo — Autism Spectrum Disorder Center: appointments and referrals
This page sets out the Golisano Children's Hospital of Buffalo's route into an autism evaluation: a paediatrician's referral, an information packet the family completes and returns, then a roughly two-hour evaluation appointment, with a pointer to the Parent Network of Western New York for parent support groups.
Ages Children
9. JCC of Greater Buffalo — Au-Some Swim Lessons
Swimming taught with the sensory side of a pool in mind — noise, echo, water temperature — rather than a mainstream lesson a child is expected to cope with.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
10. Level Up ABA — Buffalo
An in-home ABA service, which matters if travelling to a centre several times a week is not workable — the therapist comes to you instead.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
11. Liberty POST — Buffalo
A county Early Intervention and preschool special-education team, not a private ABA clinic, blending DIRFloortime with ABA for children referred through New York's EI system. Families reach it through an EI or school-district referral rather than by calling directly for private therapy.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
12. Miracle League of Western New York
Summer baseball built around not committing: one game a week, no practices, and no obligation to turn up every week — which is the difference between joining and not joining for a lot of families.
Ages Children and young adults
13. Proud Moments ABA — Buffalo & Hamburg
An ABA provider covering Buffalo and neighbouring Hamburg. Its own page is one of the few in the area that states a waiting-list position rather than leaving it to the intake call.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you callWait Says it is accepting new clients with no waitlist — confirm when you call
14. SABAH
A long-running adaptive skating programme with a Buffalo rink of its own and three more across the region, running weekly through the winter half of the year.
Ages Children and adults
15. Strides ABA — Buffalo
In-home ABA therapy for Buffalo and several nearby suburbs, with individually built treatment plans. This is a distinct New York/New Jersey company, not the similarly named Stride Autism Centers chain.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
16. University at Buffalo — Autism Diagnostic Clinic
This is a psychiatry fellowship training clinic at Golisano Children's Hospital, where supervised child and adolescent psychiatry fellows and a licensed psychologist evaluate children and adolescents referred for autism spectrum disorder.
Ages Children and young people
17. Yellow Bus ABA — Buffalo
ABA therapy for ages 2 to 21, available either in-home or at Yellow Bus's own centres in Buffalo. As a multi-state network provider, exact centre amenities may vary by location.
Ages Ages 2 to 21
The short answer for Buffalo
- Under 3: call the Erie County Department of Health's Early Intervention Program at 716-858-6161. Any adult can refer, and no diagnosis is required to start.
- 3 and up: send a written evaluation request to your child's school. Buffalo Public Schools and every district around it must identify and evaluate children with a suspected disability at no cost to families.
- Long-term disability supports run through OPWDD's Western New York & Finger Lakes region — call the statewide Infoline at 866-946-9733, or the regional office directly at 716-517-2010.
- State regulation caps the initial school evaluation at 60 calendar days from your written consent, and early intervention's family service plan meeting at 45 days from referral.
Buffalo families work through New York's Early Intervention Program via the Erie County Department of Health, school district Child Find under state special-education regulations, and OPWDD's Western New York regional office for longer-term disability supports — three separate doors, each with its own phone line and timeline.
This page lists those doors along with the publicly documented facts behind them, so you know who to call first and what to expect once you do.
Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the New York page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Buffalo (Erie County).
Early intervention under 3: New York State Early Intervention Program (EIP) — Erie County
New York runs Early Intervention county by county, and in Erie County the Department of Health serves as the local Early Intervention Official. A parent, pediatrician, child care provider, or any other adult can start a referral by phone — no diagnosis is required, only a concern about how a child under 3 is developing, moving, playing, or communicating. Under state regulation (10 NYCRR §69-4.11), the team must convene to complete the Individualized Family Service Plan within 45 days of referral, and once a parent signs it, services must begin within 30 days. Evaluation and the IFSP are free, and any insurance or Medicaid billing for ongoing services happens without becoming an out-of-pocket cost to the family.
- New York State Early Intervention Program (EIP) — Erie County
- Referral phone: 716-858-6161
New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.
School districts and special education
Every New York public school district has a Child Find duty to identify, locate, and evaluate children with a suspected disability from birth through 21, at no cost to families. Start with a written request to your child's principal or the district's special education office; state regulation (8 NYCRR §200.4) sets a 60-calendar-day cap on completing the initial evaluation once you've given written consent.
- Buffalo Public Schools — district main line 716-816-3500; the Committee on Preschool Education (CPSE) handles evaluations for ages 3-5
- Williamsville Central School District — Office of Exceptional Education 716-626-8064, serving East Amherst and the northern Buffalo suburbs
Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Buffalo
We have not yet verified a hospital or university evaluation program with public intake information in Buffalo. 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: NYS OPWDD — Western New York & Finger Lakes region
New York's Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) covers long-term supports for autistic children and adults, and Erie County sits inside OPWDD's Western New York & Finger Lakes regional office. Call the statewide Infoline at 866-946-9733 and ask to be transferred to your regional Front Door, or dial the region directly. The process runs in stages — eligibility determination, a needs evaluation, then a Care Manager to help build a service plan — and families pursuing Medicaid's Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waiver apply for Medicaid and the waiver together. A child does not need a diagnosis in hand to start the conversation.
- NYS OPWDD — Western New York & Finger Lakes region
- Phone: 716-517-2010 (Western New York & Finger Lakes region) · 866-946-9733 (statewide Infoline)
Local organizations that help Buffalo families
- The Arc Erie County — 833-272-3743; local chapter of The Arc New York providing services and family support across Erie County
- Parent Network of Western New York — 716-332-4170 (Spanish 716-449-6394, toll-free 866-277-4762); NYS Parent Center offering free help navigating special education and disability services
- Proud Moments ABA — Hamburg/Buffalo — 716-205-6040; ABA therapy provider serving the Buffalo area
- Special Olympics New York — Western Region — 716-580-3346; covers Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Genesee, and Orleans counties
- Miracle League of Western New York — adaptive baseball league for children and adults with disabilities, based near Grand Island
- 211 Western New York — 1-888-696-9211; free referral line operated by United Way of Buffalo & Erie County
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.
- State regulation doesn't let a Buffalo-area CSE stop at a written IEP: services have to be arranged within 60 school days of consent, or within 30 school days of the recommendation if it's a placement at an approved private school. (source)
- Buffalo families with a state-regulated plan get autism coverage with no age or dollar ceiling, but the mandate itself limits ABA to 680 billed hours per child each year. (source)
Paying for support in Buffalo
New York Insurance Law §§3216, 3221, and 4303 require state-regulated commercial plans to cover autism screening, diagnosis, and treatment, including ABA — self-funded employer plans are exempt from that mandate. Erie County families whose child is on Medicaid can also access ABA through an enrolled Licensed Behavior Analyst once a formal ASD diagnosis is on file.
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 Buffalo parents
Sources
- [1]Erie County Department of Health — Early Intervention Program. Open source
- [2]NYS DOH — county-by-county Early Intervention Official contact list. Open source
- [3]10 NYCRR §69-4.11 — Individualized Family Service Plan timelines. Open source
- [4]8 NYCRR §200.4 — special education evaluation and IEP timelines. Open source
- [5]Buffalo Public Schools — Department of Special Education. Open source
- [6]Williamsville Central School District — Office of Exceptional Education. Open source
- [7]OPWDD — Contact Us (regional office numbers). Open source
- [8]OPWDD — Front Door / Get Started. Open source
- [9]The Arc Erie County (via The Arc New York chapter directory). Open source
- [10]Parent Network of Western New York. Open source
- [11]Proud Moments ABA — locations. Open source
- [12]Special Olympics New York — Western Region. Open source
- [13]211 Western New York. Open source
Last checked 2026-08-11. Programs and links change — confirm with the agency before relying on any detail. This page is information, not legal or medical advice.