Eugene sits inside Lane County, where a University of Oregon-run program has handled early intervention referrals for decades, two neighboring school districts share Child Find duty depending on a family's address, and a regional hospital system runs one of Oregon's few dedicated child-development evaluation clinics outside Portland.

This page gathers the specific phone numbers and referral steps behind each of those systems — Early Childhood CARES, Eugene School District 4J and Bethel School District, OHSU's Eugene clinic, and Lane County's disability-services intake — verified directly from each organization's own site.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Oregon page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Eugene (Lane County).

Early intervention under 3: Oregon Early Intervention (Part C) / Early Childhood Special Education (Part B 619) — Early Childhood CARES

Early Childhood CARES, the University of Oregon program that holds Lane County's birth-to-five contract, serves more than 1,600 children a year and accepts a referral from anyone worried about a child's speech, motor skills, behavior, learning, vision, or hearing — a diagnosis is never a precondition. Families call 541-346-2578 (541-346-0742 for Spanish-language support) or submit a referral directly through the program's website, and every service under the program is free regardless of household income.

• Oregon Early Intervention (Part C) / Early Childhood Special Education (Part B 619) — Early Childhood CARES
• Referral phone: 541-346-2578 (English) · 541-346-0742 (Spanish)

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

School districts and special education

Lane County's two largest districts, Eugene School District 4J and neighboring Bethel School District, are each bound by the same federal Child Find rule as every other Oregon district: identify and evaluate, without cost to a family, any student who may have a disability. 4J's own evaluation criteria list autism among twelve qualifying disability categories, and either district's student services office is the right first call once a family wants a school-age evaluation.

• Eugene School District 4J — Special Education — Evaluation referrals come from a parent/guardian or the district itself; main line 541-790-7800
• Bethel School District — Student Services — Covers northwest Eugene; Student Services main line 541-689-3280, bethelinfo@bethel.k12.or.us

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Eugene

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.

• OHSU Doernbecher — Child Development and Rehabilitation Center, Eugene — Child Development Clinic evaluations for developmental needs and chronic conditions, plus Feeding and Nutrition, Neurodevelopmental, and Transition clinics; serves patients up to age 21 (24 for the Transition Clinic); a complete intake packet (available in English and Spanish) is required before a child is added to the waiting list · 503-346-1640

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Lane County Developmental Disabilities Services

Lane County Developmental Disabilities Services is the county's access point for Oregon's Medicaid-funded developmental disability system, connecting families to case management, in-home support, and — for adults — employment and transportation services, alongside referrals into the Oregon Health Plan. The county's page links directly to the state's Office of Developmental Disabilities Services, whose rules govern eligibility and waiver funding statewide.

• Lane County Developmental Disabilities Services
• Phone: 541-682-3695

Local organizations that help Eugene families

• FACT Oregon — statewide nonprofit run in part by parents of youth with disabilities; support line 503-786-6082 (or 1-888-988-3228 toll-free), plus trainings on special education and disability systems

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 a Eugene family gives written consent, Oregon's rule gives the 4J or Bethel evaluation team 60 school days to finish testing and hold the meeting that decides eligibility. (source)
• Oregon's early-intervention program must complete an evaluation and hold the first IFSP meeting within 45 days of a referral for a Eugene toddler, with narrow exceptions near a child's third birthday or when consent is delayed. (source)
• Oregon abolished its developmental-disability waiver waitlist after a lawsuit settlement around 2000 and has kept that no-wait status for roughly 25 years, unlike most neighboring states. (source)
• Oregon's mandate covers medically necessary ABA for a diagnosed child without any age, dollar, or visit ceiling — the law's 25-hours-a-week and age-9 language set a floor for coverage, not a limit on it. (source)