Local resources in Oklahoma City
Ordered by review count, then name. Providers cannot pay to be listed, ranked, or edited.
9 resources in Oklahoma City
1. ACES ABA — Oklahoma City
An ABA centre that also runs a distinct early-intervention line, useful for a child who has just been diagnosed and is under school age.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
2. Behavioral Innovations — Oklahoma City
A centre-based programme from a provider with a long track record and other Oklahoma sites, so capacity is not tied to a single building.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
3. Oklahoma Autism Network
The Oklahoma Autism Network is the state's centre of excellence for autism, working through research, education and service. Its site organises resources by life stage — diagnosis, early intervention, school and adulthood — plus a financial-supports page covering SSI, DHS Medicaid Waiver, OK ABLE Accounts, Respite Vouchers and SoonerCare, alongside Spanish-language resources.
Ages All ages
4. Oklahoma Children's OU Health – Child Study Center
OU Health's Child Study Center runs the JumpStart Clinic, an interdisciplinary preschool evaluation for autism involving a developmental-behavioural paediatrician, psychologist, occupational therapist, nurse practitioner and family partner. Sooner SUCCESS offers family navigation, connecting families to the services they need.
Ages Preschool-age children (JumpStart Clinic)
5. Oklahoma Family Network
Oklahoma Family Network offers emotional support — one-to-one with staff or a support parent, plus online or in-person groups — a Resources & Training directory, a podcast and professional referrals for families of children with special healthcare needs or disabilities. It also offers Leadership & Advocacy opportunities, including training to become a 'Supporting Family' who helps other families.
Ages Not stated in the sources we saw
6. SoonerStart
SoonerStart is Oklahoma's Part C early intervention programme for infants and toddlers, birth to three, with developmental delays or disabilities, run in partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Eligibility follows delay thresholds set out in the Oklahoma Early Intervention Act.
Ages Birth to 36 months
7. Special Olympics Oklahoma
Special Olympics Oklahoma runs statewide sports programmes for people with intellectual disabilities including autism, including a Young Athletes Program and Unified Sports for athletes age 4 and up. It also curates sensory-friendly community activities run by other organisations statewide, such as Sky Zone sensory hours and sensory-friendly museum, aquarium and cinema visits.
Ages Age 4 and up
8. Sweet Tooth Pediatric Dentistry
Sweet Tooth Pediatric Dentistry, led by paediatric dentist Dr. Tiana Osbourne, focuses on children with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and sensory processing disorder. Appointments are desensitisation-based, introducing tools and sounds at the child's pace, with pre-visit tours on request and parents welcome to stay; it accepts SoonerCare, SoonerSelect, Medicaid and most private insurance.
Ages Not stated in the sources we saw
9. Therapy and Beyond — Oklahoma City
Publishes a local number that reaches the Oklahoma City service rather than a national switchboard.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
The short answer for Oklahoma City
- Under 3: SoonerStart is co-administered by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the state health department; the Office of Special Education Services can be reached at 405-521-3351 to start a referral.
- 3 and up: contact whichever district serves your address — OKCPS, Putnam City, or Moore Public Schools all run Child Find and must evaluate a child with a suspected disability at no cost.
- For long-term disability supports and Medicaid waivers, DDS's waiting-list contact line is 405-500-1866; the agency has reported bringing its wait down from roughly 13 years to about one year following a recent funding increase.
- Moore Public Schools' Child Find system explicitly coordinates with SoonerStart on the transition from early intervention into school-age services around a child's third birthday.
Oklahoma City is large enough that no single school district covers it: depending on the neighborhood, a family's home district might be Oklahoma City Public Schools, Putnam City Schools, or Moore Public Schools, each running its own Child Find process.
For a child under 3, the door is SoonerStart, Oklahoma's early intervention program; for longer-term disability supports, it's DDS inside Oklahoma Human Services. This page lists the contacts and pages search results actually documented for each.
Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Oklahoma page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Oklahoma City (multiple districts).
Early intervention under 3: SoonerStart (Oklahoma's Part C Early Intervention Program)
SoonerStart is Oklahoma's response to Part C of IDEA, jointly run by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the Oklahoma State Department of Health rather than a single lead agency. A referral for a child under 3 can start with the Office of Special Education Services at 405-521-3351, or through the health department at 405-426-8494; either route accepts a referral from a parent, doctor, or other concerned adult without requiring a diagnosis first. The program then evaluates the child and, if eligible, builds an Individualized Family Service Plan.
- SoonerStart (Oklahoma's Part C Early Intervention Program)
- Referral phone: 405-521-3351
New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.
School districts and special education
Oklahoma City's footprint crosses several district lines, and each district runs Child Find independently — identifying, locating, and evaluating children ages 3 to 21 with a suspected disability at no cost to the family. Start with the special-services office for whichever district covers your address; if you're unsure which one that is, any of the three below can point you to the right place.
- Oklahoma City Public Schools — Office of Exceptional Student Services; the district's dedicated Child Find page
- Putnam City Schools — serves northwest Oklahoma City; roughly 19,000 students across 27 schools
- Moore Public Schools — serves south Oklahoma City and Moore; Special Services can be reached at 405-735-4310, and its Child Find process explicitly coordinates with SoonerStart around age 3
Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Oklahoma City
We have not yet verified a hospital or university evaluation program with public intake information in Oklahoma City. 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: Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS), Oklahoma Human Services
DDS, part of Oklahoma Human Services, determines eligibility and manages the waiting list for the state's Medicaid home- and community-based waivers, including the Community Waiver for adults and separate In-Home Supports Waivers for children and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The waiting-list contact line, 405-500-1866, is where a family confirms or updates their place in line; DDS has reported that a funding increase beginning around 2022 cut the typical wait from as long as 13 years down to about a year, with 6 to 9 months to move onto services once approved.
- Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS), Oklahoma Human Services
- Phone: 405-500-1866
Local organizations that help Oklahoma City families
We have not yet verified a local parent organization in Oklahoma City. Statewide help still covers you: the Oklahoma guide lists the federally funded parent center and the free disability rights organization for the whole state, and both take calls from families anywhere in Oklahoma.
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.
- OKCPS, Putnam City, and Moore Public Schools all answer to the same state deadline: Oklahoma requires the initial evaluation and eligibility decision within 45 school days of signed consent, tighter than IDEA's 60-calendar-day floor. (source)
- Wherever a referral into SoonerStart originates in the metro, state policy requires the evaluation and, for an eligible child, the first IFSP meeting within 45 days. (source)
- The dollar and age caps that once limited Oklahoma City families to $25,000 a year and cut ABA off at age 9 were lifted for state-regulated plans by an Oklahoma Insurance Department bulletin in August 2021. (source)
Paying for support in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma's Developmental Disabilities Services division runs Medicaid home- and community-based waivers as its main long-term funding route — the Community Waiver for adults with intellectual disabilities plus separate In-Home Supports Waivers for children and adults — and the agency has publicly reported cutting its once multi-year waiting list down to roughly a year after a funding push that began around 2022.
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 Oklahoma City parents
Sources
- [1]Oklahoma.gov — SoonerStart. Open source
- [2]Oklahoma Health Care Authority — SoonerStart. Open source
- [3]ECTA Center — Oklahoma Early Childhood State Contacts. Open source
- [4]Oklahoma.gov — SoonerStart Parent Handbook. Open source
- [5]Oklahoma.gov — Developmental Disabilities Services. Open source
- [6]Oklahoma Policy Institute — DDSD Waivers and Wait List. Open source
- [7]Oklahoma.gov — Update DDS Waiting List Contact Information. Open source
- [8]OKCPS — Special Education / Child Find. Open source
- [9]Putnam City Schools — Special Services Links. Open source
- [10]Moore Public Schools — Special Services / Disability 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.