Local resources in Dayton
Ordered by review count, then name. Providers cannot pay to be listed, ranked, or edited.
14 resources in Dayton
1. Achieving Stars Therapy — Dayton
Achieving Stars Therapy offers BCBA-led, play-based in-home ABA therapy in Montgomery County for children aged 2 to 18, advertising no waitlist and a start within 1 to 2 weeks of the first call. It accepts Ohio Medicaid and private plans regulated under Ohio's autism insurance law, and states that Medicaid covers ABA with no dollar cap for children under 21 with an autism diagnosis.
Ages 2 to 18 yearsWait No waitlist advertised; most families start within 1-2 weeks of the first call
2. Adina ABA — Dayton
Early-intervention-focused ABA in Dayton limited to younger children (up to age 6), so families with older children or teens will need a different provider.
Ages Ages 18 months to 6
3. Applied Learning Institute — Oakwood/Dayton
Clinic-based ABA in Dayton/Oakwood that also runs early intervention, parent training and social skills groups, with telehealth as a backup option. Led by a BCBA with two decades of experience, per its own site.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
4. April ABA — Dayton
In-home ABA therapy provider covering Dayton and the surrounding area. Few specifics beyond service area are published on this page, so confirm ages, funding and wait times by phone.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
5. Beavercreek Pediatric Dentistry
Beavercreek Pediatric Dentistry treats children from birth to age 18 who need extra time, specific treatment adjustments, or particular communication methods to feel comfortable during visits, referring patients over 18 who need this level of accommodation elsewhere. It builds personalised care plans and offers flexible payment plans for families without dental insurance.
Ages 0-18 years (patients over 18 referred elsewhere)
6. Childwise ABA — Dayton
General ABA provider serving Dayton and the wider Ohio area. This page does not publish ages, address or funding, so confirm those by phone.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
7. Dayton Autism Society
Dayton Autism Society is a volunteer-run nonprofit serving an estimated 4,000 families across Montgomery, Miami, Greene, Darke and Preble counties, with free monthly sensory-friendly outings and events. Its Family Grant and Adopt-A-Family programmes give financial assistance toward therapy or equipment, alongside support groups and workshops on early intervention and Ohio scholarships.
Ages All ages
8. Dayton Children's Hospital — Autism Diagnostic Clinic
Dayton Children's Hospital's Autism Diagnostic Clinic evaluates children under 5, aiming for testing, diagnosis and guidance in one visit. A questionnaire on history, concerns and milestones comes first, then a developmental paediatrician and child psychologist assess the child; a definitive diagnosis is usually possible that day, though very young children may need to return in three to six months.
Ages Under 5 yearsWait Aims for 10 days from completed questionnaire
9. Heartland ABA — Dayton
At-home ABA in Dayton for a wide age range, from toddlers through young adults. No address, hours or funding details are published on this page.
Ages Ages 18 months to 21
10. Key Behavior Services — Dayton
In-home ABA plus school-district consulting (behaviour plans, FBAs, evaluations) across Greater Dayton — useful if a family also needs help navigating the school system, not just clinic hours. No street address is published for the Dayton office.
Ages Ages 2 to 21
11. Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services
Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services coordinates case management, transportation, employment and residential services for eligible children and adults with a qualifying developmental disability. Funded by the county's Human Services Levy, it also covers behaviour support and respite, runs free early intervention for children birth to 3, and operates an after-hours crisis line.
Ages Birth through adulthood
12. Ruby ABA — Dayton
In-home ABA in Dayton with no published waitlist. Confirm ages, address and funding directly, as this page does not list them.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you callWait No waitlist
13. The Miracle League of Greater Dayton
The Miracle League of Greater Dayton lets children and adults with disabilities play baseball on an all-weather rubberised field in Springboro, built with no curbs or raised surfaces so crutches, walkers and wheelchairs are not obstructed. It serves players with motor-skill, cognitive and mobility differences, split into a 10-and-under and an 11-and-up division across spring and summer seasons.
Ages 10 and under, and 11 and up divisions
14. Wonder Star ABA — Dayton
A Dayton page of its own rather than a statewide catch-all, with the therapist travelling to you.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
The short answer for Dayton
- Under 3: Ohio Early Intervention's intake line is 1-800-755-4769, or refer online; referrals can come from any concerned adult, and no diagnosis is needed up front.
- 3 and up: send a written evaluation request to Dayton Public Schools' Office for Exceptional Children (937-542-3353), or to Centerville City Schools' Director of Special Education (937-433-8841).
- Dayton Children's Autism Diagnostic Clinic (937-641-3000, scheduling 937-641-4000) evaluates children from 18 months to their 4th birthday, and its own materials describe aiming to schedule the visit within about 10 days of a pediatrician's referral.
- Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services (937-890-0730) organizes support from birth through adulthood and is the local starting point for Medicaid waiver applications.
- The Miracle League of Greater Dayton runs adaptive baseball on an all-weather, wheelchair-accessible field in Springboro, and Five Rivers MetroParks' Access to Nature program discounts camps and programs by up to 75% for income-qualified Montgomery County families.
Dayton families work within Montgomery County's disability-services system: Dayton Public Schools and neighboring Centerville City Schools each publish their own Child Find contacts, Dayton Children's Hospital runs a dedicated autism diagnostic clinic, and Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services is the county's gateway to long-term Medicaid waiver support.
This page lists the doors that are open to Dayton and Montgomery County families right now, with a phone number, the source, and the date each fact was checked.
Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Ohio page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Dayton metro (Montgomery County).
Early intervention under 3: Ohio Early Intervention (statewide Help Me Grow referral system)
Ohio Early Intervention covers children under 3 with a developmental delay or a disability. The referral doesn't have to come from a parent — relatives, physicians, and child care providers can all start it — and nobody needs a diagnosis in hand to do so. Call the statewide intake line or refer online, and a coordinator connects your family to the program serving Montgomery County; evaluation and the resulting family service plan are free. Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services separately describes helping infants and toddlers 'reach their potential' from birth to age 3 among its own programs.
- Ohio Early Intervention (statewide Help Me Grow referral system)
- Referral phone: 1-800-755-4769
New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.
School districts and special education
Montgomery County districts, including Dayton Public Schools and Centerville City Schools, carry Ohio's statewide Child Find duty: locate and evaluate children with suspected disabilities from birth through 21, free of charge. A written request to the district or its Office for Exceptional Children starts the process — 30 calendar days to secure consent or explain in writing why it will not evaluate, then 60 calendar days from consent for an evaluation team, including parents, teachers, and a school psychologist, to complete its report.
- Dayton Public Schools — Office for Exceptional Children: (937) 542-3353, 136 S. Ludlow Street
- Centerville City Schools — Director of Special Education: 937-433-8841
Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Dayton
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.
- Dayton Children's Hospital — Autism Diagnostic Clinic — diagnostic evaluation for children 18 months up to their 4th birthday, inside the hospital's Developmental Pediatrics service; a pediatrician referral and an online questionnaire come first, then a roughly two-hour team evaluation with a developmental pediatrician and a psychologist that often produces a same-visit diagnosis · 937-641-3000 · the clinic's own materials describe targeting roughly 10 days between the referral questionnaire and a scheduled visit
Disability services and waivers: Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services
Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services organizes support by life stage — birth to 3, school age 3 to 13, teens 14 to 22 navigating the move to adult life, and adults and seniors — and is the county's access point for eligibility determination and for Ohio's Medicaid home- and community-based waivers, including Individual Options and Level One. As across Ohio, waiver applicants have been assessed by documented need rather than ranked by application date since a 2018 statewide policy change.
- Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services
- Phone: 937-890-0730 · after-hours (937) 457-2765
Local organizations that help Dayton families
- Autism Society of Greater Miami Valley — formerly the Dayton Autism Society; roughly 20 years serving about 4,000 families across Montgomery, Miami, Greene, Darke, and Preble counties with family support, advocacy, and educational consulting
- Miracle League of Greater Dayton — adaptive baseball on an all-weather, wheelchair-accessible rubberized field at Springboro Miracle Field, 1605 South Main Street, Springboro
- Five Rivers MetroParks — Access to Nature — up to 75% off program and camp fees, shelter rentals, and equipment for income-qualified Montgomery County residents, capped around $500 per year; 937-275-7275
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.
- The federal Part C standard Ohio follows gives Montgomery County's Early Intervention team 45 calendar days from a referral to finish the evaluation and hold the initial IFSP meeting. (source)
- Dayton-area districts' 60-day-from-consent evaluation window is itself bounded by a statewide 90-calendar-day cap measured from the referral date, whichever limit is shorter. (source)
- Reports on Ohio's needs-based waiver system have described waits for Individual Options or Level One funding through the Montgomery County board running anywhere from about two to ten years. (source)
- Ohio's autism insurance mandate applies to fully-funded plans for people through age 21 and can cap the ABA hours those plans must cover at 20 a week. (source)
Paying for support in Dayton
Most fully-insured Ohio health plans must cover autism screening, diagnosis, and treatment under the state's insurance mandate, Ohio Revised Code 3923.84 — self-funded employer coverage and ACA marketplace plans are excluded. For services beyond what insurance provides, Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services handles Dayton-area applications for the Individual Options and Level One Medicaid waivers, both allocated by documented need rather than a waiting-list date since 2018.
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 Dayton parents
Sources
- [1]Ohio Early Intervention (statewide referral system). Open source
- [2]Ohio Administrative Code 3301-51-06 — evaluation timelines. Open source
- [3]Ohio Department of Education & Workforce — Special Education. Open source
- [4]Ohio Revised Code 3923.84 — coverage for autism spectrum disorder. Open source
- [5]Disability Rights Ohio — DD Medicaid waiver waiting lists. Open source
- [6]Dayton Public Schools — Office for Exceptional Children. Open source
- [7]Centerville City Schools — Special Education / Child Find. Open source
- [8]Dayton Children's Hospital — Autism Diagnostic Clinic. Open source
- [9]Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services. Open source
- [10]Autism Society of Greater Miami Valley. Open source
- [11]Miracle League of Greater Dayton. Open source
- [12]Five Rivers MetroParks — Access to Nature. 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.