Portland's autism-related public systems are unusually fragmented for a single city: early intervention for a child under five runs through a regional education-service partnership rather than the school district; the office that handles kindergarten-through-12 Child Find can shift depending on which side of a street a family lives on; and Medicaid waiver access sits with a county agency that is organizationally separate from both.

This guide lists the specific offices behind each of those doors — the Multnomah Early Childhood Program, Portland Public Schools, OHSU's evaluation clinic at Doernbecher Children's Hospital, and Multnomah County's IDD Services Division — along with the phone numbers and web addresses each one actually publishes.

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

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

Oregon delivers Part C early intervention and Part B 619 early childhood special education through nine regional service areas rather than one statewide office, and Multnomah County's slice of that system runs through the Multnomah Early Childhood Program, administered by David Douglas School District. A parent, doctor, or caregiver can start a referral without waiting for a diagnosis; program director Kevin Anderson's office (503-256-6500 ext. 4623, kevin_anderson@ddsd40.org) is the direct line in for Portland families, while the Oregon Department of Education's own early intervention office (503-947-5600) can redirect any Oregon family to its correct regional contact.

• Oregon Early Intervention (Part C) / Early Childhood Special Education (Part B 619) — Multnomah Early Childhood Program
• Referral phone: 503-256-6500 ext. 4623 (Multnomah Early Childhood Program) · 503-947-5600 (Oregon Dept. of Education, statewide EI/ECSE office)

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

School districts and special education

Every Oregon public school district carries the same federal Child Find duty: locate and evaluate, at no charge to the family, any student it has reason to suspect has a disability. Inside Portland that duty splits by attendance boundary rather than city limits, so Portland Public Schools handles most of the city while a family closer to Portland's western edge may fall inside Beaverton School District instead — worth confirming before sending a written evaluation request.

• Portland Public Schools — Special Education — General special education line 503-916-3152; Dr. Kelli Charles, Senior Director of Special Education, kcharles@pps.net; family liaison Paulina Larenas, 971-413-8802
• Beaverton School District — Special Education — Covers families along Portland's western edge; district office 503-356-4500

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Portland

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 Children's Hospital — Child Development and Rehabilitation Center (autism evaluation) — comprehensive autism evaluation for children from birth through age 17, using play-based observation of communication and behavior; families are referred to speech-language, occupational therapy, psychology, and neurology specialists after diagnosis · 503-346-0640 · OHSU's own published wait times run 6 to 21 months depending on the child's age, including roughly 12 to 14 months for ages 5 to 11 in Portland.

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Multnomah County Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Services Division (IDDSD)

Multnomah County's IDDSD is the local access point for Oregon's Medicaid-funded developmental disability waivers, and it operates under contract with the state's Office of Developmental Disabilities Services, which sets eligibility rules. A family calls or emails to start intake; the county then schedules an interview with an eligibility specialist and, if the child qualifies — a disability with onset before age 18 (or 22 for some developmental disabilities) that is lifelong and affects at least two everyday living skills — helps build a service plan.

• Multnomah County Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Services Division (IDDSD)
• Phone: 503-988-2535

Local organizations that help Portland 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.

• OHSU's own Doernbecher-based autism evaluation clinic publishes wait times of 6 to 21 months depending on a child's age, including roughly 12 to 14 months for children ages 5 to 11 in Portland. (source)
• Portland Public Schools operates under the same statewide rule as every Oregon district: 60 school days from a parent's written consent to the meeting where the team decides eligibility. (source)
• A referral into Oregon's birth-to-three system starts a 45-day countdown to a completed evaluation and an initial IFSP meeting, with limited exceptions near a child's third birthday or when consent is delayed. (source)
• Portland-area families are not on a waitlist for Oregon's developmental-disability waivers at all — the state did away with waitlisting after a court settlement roughly 25 years ago and has held that line since. (source)
• Under Oregon law, ABA for a diagnosed child carries no dollar cap, no visit cap, and no age ceiling on a state-regulated plan, though a self-funded employer plan can set its own terms. (source)