In Allentown, early intervention before age 3 starts with one call to Lehigh County's Early Intervention Division, which assigns a service coordinator and often delivers therapy through a contracted nonprofit such as Via of the Lehigh Valley. At age 3 the program changes again — to the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit — and eligibility gets reassessed at that handoff.

This guide lists those numbers and links, plus the evaluation pathways at Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke's University Health Network, Lehigh County's mental health and intellectual disability office, and the PH-95 Medicaid category many Pennsylvania families can use no matter their income.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Pennsylvania page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Allentown (Lehigh County).

Early intervention under 3: Lehigh County Early Intervention (birth–3) and Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit Preschool Early Intervention (3–5)

Lehigh County Human Services runs Early Intervention for children under 3 directly, taking referrals through its Information & Referral line and assigning a service coordinator; delivery is frequently contracted to a nonprofit provider, and Via of the Lehigh Valley — headquartered in nearby Bethlehem — says it supports more than 250 children and families across Lehigh and Northampton counties under this system. At age 3, responsibility shifts to the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit (CLIU #21), which runs preschool early intervention as a state-funded special-education program rather than a medical one — eligibility depends on a documented developmental delay, not a diagnosis. At school age, the family's own district takes over.

• Lehigh County Early Intervention (birth–3) and Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit Preschool Early Intervention (3–5)
• Referral phone: 610-782-3125 (Lehigh County EI, birth to 3) · 610-782-3200 (county Information & Referral) · 610-769-4111 ext. 1256 (CLIU Preschool EI, ages 3–5)

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

School districts and special education

Put your evaluation request in writing to your child's school to start the special-education process. Allentown School District's timeline runs 60 calendar days from a signed Permission to Evaluate for an initial evaluation, and its special-education hotline is staffed on weekday evenings only. Parkland School District, whose attendance area overlaps Allentown's metro, follows the same 60-day timeline through its own Student Services office.

• Allentown School District — special-education hotline 484-765-4280 (weekday evenings, 5–7pm, Spanish available); Executive Director of Special Education Brian Siket, 484-765-4162
• Parkland School District — Director of Student Services 610-351-5555; evaluations offered at no cost and completed within 60 calendar days of consent

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Allentown

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.

• Lehigh Valley Health Network — Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics — autism and developmental evaluation using ADOS testing, bundled with speech, physical, and occupational therapy plus pediatric neurology consults, across several Lehigh Valley sites including an Allentown location · 888-402-5846 · LVHN's own site says it can typically schedule autism testing within a few weeks, contrasting that with waits it describes as up to two years at other institutions — a network marketing claim, not an independently audited figure
• St. Luke's University Health Network — Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics — evaluation across adaptive, behavioral, cognitive, motor, social, and speech domains for children from birth through adolescence, with ADOS-trained providers · 484-658-5437
• Lehigh Valley Center for Child and Family Development — Autism Assessment Clinic — an independent, Allentown-based autism assessment clinic for toddlers · the clinic states it only evaluates children aged 24 to 36 months, due to the specific assessment tools it uses, and aims to respond to intake emails within 48 hours excluding weekends

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Lehigh County Office of Intellectual Disabilities and Mental Health

Lehigh County Human Services runs a combined Intellectual Disabilities and Mental Health office that registers children for ID/autism services and Medicaid waiver eligibility; start with the county's Information & Referral line or call the Intellectual Disabilities line directly. Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania is the separate HealthChoices plan that funds IBHS-delivered ABA for Medicaid-enrolled children here, and it runs a Lehigh/Northampton-specific 'Autism Action Committee' families can be connected to through Member Services.

• Lehigh County Office of Intellectual Disabilities and Mental Health
• Phone: 610-782-3126 (Intellectual Disabilities) · 610-782-3200 (Information & Referral) · 866-238-2311 (Magellan member services)

Local organizations that help Allentown families

• Autism Society Lehigh Valley — volunteer-run chapter with social groups for children, teens, adults, and caregivers, plus a Creative Abilities arts and theater program (610-751-6532)
• The Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties — advocacy and community-support programs, including guidance on early intervention and special education (610-849-8076)
• Via of the Lehigh Valley — nonprofit direct provider of birth-to-3 early intervention therapy across Lehigh and Northampton counties
• PAAutism.org (ASERT) — Pennsylvania's statewide resource hub for autism services and support groups

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 Lehigh Valley Center for Child and Family Development, an Allentown practice, limits its autism assessment clinic to children aged 24 to 36 months specifically because of the assessment instruments it uses — a real gap for toddlers just outside that window. (source)
• Allentown School District's special-education hotline is staffed only in the evening, 5 to 7pm on weekdays, which matters for a parent trying to reach someone during a normal school day. (source)
• Once Allentown School District finishes the evaluation report, state rule gives the IEP team 30 calendar days to meet and write the IEP — a second clock separate from the 60-day evaluation window. (source)
• Pennsylvania's Act 62 caps ABA and other autism-related insurance benefits at $36,000 a year for an insured child under 21, and that cap rises each year to keep pace with inflation. (source)