A family in Salem deals with fewer separate agencies than a bigger Oregon metro, but the ones that do exist carry unfamiliar names: Willamette Education Service District, not Salem-Keizer Public Schools, holds the region's birth-to-five early intervention contract and even runs a separate, autism-specific evaluation track once a child reaches school age.

Below are the actual contact points for that system — Willamette ESD's Marion Center, Salem-Keizer's special education office, a hospital-based therapy program at Salem Health, and Marion County's Developmental Disabilities Program — each sourced directly from the organization's own published pages.

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

Early intervention under 3: Oregon Early Intervention (Part C) / Early Childhood Special Education (Part B 619) — Willamette ESD Marion Center

Marion County's birth-to-five referrals go to Willamette Education Service District's Marion Center in Salem, reachable at 503.385.4714, toll-free at 1.888.560.4666 ext. 4714, or by email at ei.intake@wesd.org; Oregon's rules ask only for a developmental concern, not a diagnosis, before that first call. The same education service district separately runs an autism-specific evaluation track for school-age children through its Student & Family Services office, coordinated by program coordinator Kevin Carroll (503-385-4558, kevin.carroll@wesd.org) — a distinct process from the birth-to-five intake line.

• Oregon Early Intervention (Part C) / Early Childhood Special Education (Part B 619) — Willamette ESD Marion Center
• Referral phone: 503.385.4714 (Marion Center intake) · 1.888.560.4666 ext. 4714 (toll-free)

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

School districts and special education

Salem-Keizer Public Schools is Marion County's dominant district and, like every Oregon district, is legally required to find and evaluate any student it suspects has a disability at no cost to the family. Because a district can't diagnose autism spectrum disorder on its own, Salem-Keizer works alongside Willamette ESD, the regional education service district that runs a dedicated ASD evaluation and eligibility team serving Salem-Keizer and its neighboring Marion, Polk, and Yamhill county districts.

• Salem-Keizer Public Schools — Special Education — All referrals start at the child's neighborhood school; district office 503-399-3101
• Willamette ESD — Special Education & Autism Spectrum Disorder Services — Regional education service district that runs Salem-Keizer's autism evaluation and eligibility team; Executive Director of Special Education Margo Williams, 503-540-4487

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Salem

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.

• Salem Health Rehabilitation Center — Autism Spectrum Therapy — pediatric speech, occupational, and physical therapy for autistic children with a sensory-integration focus, built around play-based social-skills work; a referral from a primary care doctor is requested · 503-561-5986
• Willamette ESD — Autism Spectrum Disorder Evaluation and Eligibility — standardized ASD evaluation and eligibility determination for school-age children (roughly 5–21) across Salem-Keizer and neighboring Marion, Polk, and Yamhill county districts, combining parent/teacher interviews, behavioral observation, and standardized assessment · 503-385-4558

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Marion County Developmental Disabilities Program (Community Developmental Disabilities Program)

Marion County's Developmental Disabilities Program operates under contract with the Oregon Department of Human Services and the state's Office of Developmental Disabilities Services, which set the eligibility rules the county applies. A family calls to start intake, and the program reviews records and assessments to determine whether a child qualifies for I/DD services before helping build a service plan and connecting the family with providers.

• Marion County Developmental Disabilities Program (Community Developmental Disabilities Program)
• Phone: 503-588-5288

Local organizations that help Salem 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.

• Salem-Keizer's evaluation team has 60 school days from signed parental consent to hold the meeting that determines whether a child is eligible for special education, per Oregon's administrative rule. (source)
• Oregon requires its early-intervention program to finish the evaluation and convene the first IFSP meeting within 45 days of a Salem-area referral, with narrow exceptions written into the rule itself. (source)
• Unlike states running multi-year waiver queues, Oregon has had no developmental-disability waiver waitlist since settling a lawsuit around 2000, a status it has held for roughly 25 years. (source)
• Oregon's insurance mandate no longer caps ABA by dollar amount, visit count, or age for a diagnosed child on a state-regulated plan, though the rule leaves self-funded employer coverage outside its reach. (source)