Bethlehem sits across two counties, and which one a family lives in decides who runs early intervention and disability services. About three-quarters of the city, including downtown, is in Northampton County; the West Side falls in Lehigh County. Both counties' Early Intervention offices route through the same statewide referral system, and Bethlehem is itself home to one of the region's larger direct EI providers, Via of the Lehigh Valley.

This guide lists the numbers and links for both sides of the county line, the evaluation pathways at St. Luke's University Health Network and Lehigh Valley Health Network, Northampton County's 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 Bethlehem (Northampton and Lehigh Counties).

Early intervention under 3: Northampton County Early Intervention (birth–3) and Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 Preschool Early Intervention (3–5)

Northampton County's Human Services department, headquartered on Emrick Boulevard in Bethlehem, runs Early Intervention for children under 3 on the Northampton side of the city, with intake through a centralized referral line. Delivery is frequently contracted to a nonprofit provider, and Via of the Lehigh Valley — itself based in Bethlehem — says it supports more than 250 children and families across both Lehigh and Northampton counties. Families on Bethlehem's Lehigh County side (the West Side) instead start with Lehigh County's own Early Intervention Division. At age 3, Northampton-side preschool services move to Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 (CIU20), a state-funded special-education program based on a documented developmental delay rather than a diagnosis. At school age, the family's own district takes over.

• Northampton County Early Intervention (birth–3) and Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 Preschool Early Intervention (3–5)
• Referral phone: 610-829-4770 (Northampton County EI, birth to 3) · 610-317-8000 (Via of the Lehigh Valley) · 610-252-5550 (CIU20 Preschool EI, ages 3–5)

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

School districts and special education

In Bethlehem, a school-age evaluation begins with a written request addressed to your child's school. Bethlehem Area School District's Pupil Services office oversees special education for most of the city's public-school students, with re-evaluations required every 3 years (2 years for a determination of intellectual disability). Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 runs autistic-support and other specialized programs across its 13 member districts on the Northampton County side, working alongside BASD and neighboring districts.

• Bethlehem Area School District — Pupil Services, 610-861-0500 ext. 60422; 1516 Sycamore Street, Bethlehem, PA 18017

Other places to ask — not a substitute for the district

An evaluation request has to go to the school district itself; only the district can start the legal timeline. These are for asking questions about the process, or for when the district has not responded.

• Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 — 610-252-5550; runs 8 support programs, including Autistic Support, across 13 member districts in Northampton, Monroe, and Pike counties

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Bethlehem

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.

• St. Luke's University Health Network — Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics — evaluation across adaptive, behavioral, cognitive, motor, social, and speech domains, with providers trained in ADOS testing, at the St. Luke's Pediatric Specialty Center in nearby Center Valley · 484-658-5437
• Lehigh Valley Health Network — Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics — autism and developmental evaluation using ADOS testing, plus bundled speech, physical, and occupational therapy, at multiple Lehigh Valley locations · 888-402-5846 · the network's own marketing states it can generally schedule autism testing within a few weeks, a claim it contrasts against waits of up to two years it says other institutions can have — a network claim, not an independently audited figure
• NeurAbilities Healthcare — Bethlehem — coordinated autism evaluation plus 1:1 ABA therapy, including a 'Young Achievers' preschool-readiness program for ages 2–5 · 856-346-0005

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Northampton County Human Services — Developmental Programs

Northampton County's Developmental Programs office, based in Bethlehem, registers children for intellectual disability and autism services, including Medicaid waiver eligibility. Families on Bethlehem's Lehigh County side should instead register through Lehigh County's Office of Intellectual Disabilities and Mental Health. Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania is the separate HealthChoices plan that funds and authorizes IBHS-delivered ABA for Medicaid-enrolled children on both sides of the county line.

• Northampton County Human Services — Developmental Programs
• Phone: 610-829-4750 (Northampton Developmental Programs) · 866-238-2312 (Magellan member services)

Local organizations that help Bethlehem families

• Autism Society Lehigh Valley — Friday and Monday social groups for children and teens, plus a Creative Abilities arts program for adults (610-751-6532)
• Via of the Lehigh Valley — Bethlehem-based nonprofit direct provider of birth-to-3 early intervention therapy
• Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley — inclusive baseball and cheerleading across an 8-week spring and fall season
• PAAutism.org (ASERT) — Pennsylvania's statewide autism resource and support-group directory

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.

• NeurAbilities Healthcare's CEO said in a January 2023 statement that rising autism diagnosis rates had produced waitlists 'in a lot of our different locations,' citing that as the reason for opening a new evaluation and ABA facility in Northampton County. (source)
• After Bethlehem Area School District (or Colonial Intermediate Unit 20, for a preschooler) issues the evaluation report, Pennsylvania rule requires the IEP to be written within the next 30 calendar days. (source)
• Under Act 62, a Bethlehem family's state-regulated insurance plan owes autism coverage only up to age 21 and only up to an inflation-adjusted $36,000 yearly ceiling — self-insured employer plans sit outside the law entirely. (source)