Autism in Erie

Erie County routes early intervention for a child under 3 through Erie County Care Management (ECCM), which coordinates evaluation and services countywide. At age 3, preschool special education moves to the Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit (IU5), which also serves Crawford and Warren counties.

This guide lists those numbers and links, the evaluation and ABA pathway at the Erie-headquartered Barber National Institute, Erie 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 Erie (Erie County).

Early intervention under 3: Erie County Care Management Early Intervention (birth–3) and Northwest Tri-County IU5 Preschool Early Intervention (3–5)

Erie County Care Management (ECCM) coordinates Early Intervention for children under 3 across the county, taking referrals directly or through Pennsylvania's statewide CONNECT Helpline and assigning a service coordinator for a free developmental evaluation — a diagnosis is not required. At age 3, responsibility for special-education services shifts to the Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit (IU5), which runs preschool early intervention for Erie, Crawford, and Warren counties on the basis of a documented developmental delay rather than a diagnosis. At school age, the family's own district takes over.

• Erie County Care Management Early Intervention (birth–3) and Northwest Tri-County IU5 Preschool Early Intervention (3–5)
• Referral phone: 814-528-0600 (ECCM, birth to 3) · 814-734-5610 (IU5, ages 3–5)

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

School districts and special education

Getting a school-age evaluation started in Erie means putting the request in writing and sending it to your child's school. Millcreek Township School District's Pupil Services Office states that it completes an Evaluation Report within 60 calendar days of receiving parental permission, excluding summer vacation, and directs preschool-age families to IU5's Early Intervention team. Erie's Public Schools, the city's own district, runs a separate special-education office for its students.

• Erie's Public Schools (Erie City School District)
• Millcreek Township School District — Pupil Services Office, 814-835-5334; 3740 West 26th Street, Erie, PA 16506; evaluations completed within 60 calendar days of parental consent, excluding summer

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Erie

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.

• Barber National Institute — Erie — early intervention, ABA therapy, and other autism-specific services for children and adults, headquartered in Erie since 1952; access typically starts through a Supports Coordination Organization or the county's ID/DD eligibility process · 814-453-7661
• Achievement Center of LECOM Health — early intervention physical, occupational, and speech therapy for children under 3, at no cost to families · 814-459-2755
• Hooks Early Intervention Services — speech therapy for children of all ages, including birth-to-3 early intervention services, based in Harborcreek near Erie · 814-602-0436

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Erie County Department of Human Services — Office of Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities

Erie County's intake and registration point for intellectual disability, autism, and developmental disability services — including Medicaid waiver eligibility — is Erie County Care Management (ECCM), the same agency that coordinates birth-to-3 early intervention. Community Care Behavioral Health Organization (CCBHO) is the separate HealthChoices plan that funds and authorizes IBHS-delivered ABA for Medicaid-enrolled children in Erie County, with a local office on East Bayfront Parkway.

• Erie County Department of Human Services — Office of Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities
• Phone: 814-528-0600 (ECCM intake) · 1-855-224-1777 (Community Care Behavioral Health member services)

Local organizations that help Erie families

• Autism Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania — 25+ years serving Erie, Crawford, Venango, and Mercer counties with support groups, sensory outings, and employment-training programs (814-455-3540)
• Miracle League of Erie County — adaptive baseball at Hillside Park's Rev Porath Memorial Field
• YMCA of Greater Erie — partner of Special Olympics Pennsylvania since 2022, offering year-round facility access for athlete training
• 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.

• After Millcreek or Erie's Public Schools hands over the completed evaluation report, Pennsylvania gives the IEP team 30 more calendar days to convene and finalize the IEP. (source)
• Act 62, Pennsylvania's autism insurance law, tops out coverage at $36,000 a year (adjusted upward annually) and stops applying once a covered person turns 21 — and it never reaches a self-funded employer plan. (source)