Harrisburg families reach early intervention for a child under 3 through Dauphin County's Case Management Unit, operated by the nonprofit Pathways Forward. At age 3, responsibility shifts to the Capital Area Intermediate Unit, which runs preschool special education for Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry, and northern York counties.

This guide lists those numbers and links, the evaluation pathway at Penn State Health in nearby Hershey, Dauphin County's mental health and developmental 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 Harrisburg (Dauphin County).

Early intervention under 3: Dauphin County Early Intervention (birth–3) and Capital Area Intermediate Unit Preschool Early Intervention (3–5)

Dauphin County's Mental Health/Autism/Developmental Programs department funds Early Intervention for children under 3, with intake and case management run by Pathways Forward, a contracted nonprofit; call to request an intake and a free developmental evaluation — a diagnosis is not required. At age 3, responsibility for special-education services moves to the Capital Area Intermediate Unit (CAIU), which serves Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, and northern York counties and includes autism-specific parent training, such as the Hanen 'More Than Words' program, alongside speech, occupational, and physical therapy. At school age, the family's own district takes over.

• Dauphin County Early Intervention (birth–3) and Capital Area Intermediate Unit Preschool Early Intervention (3–5)
• Referral phone: 717-232-8761 (Pathways Forward CMU, birth to 3) · 1-866-820-3516 (Pathways Forward toll-free) · 717-732-8400 (CAIU Preschool EI, ages 3–5)

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

School districts and special education

A school-age evaluation request in Harrisburg should be submitted in writing directly to your child's school. Harrisburg School District routes requests through its Student Support Services office. Central Dauphin School District, whose attendance area borders the city, publishes a dedicated Child Find page describing its evaluation process, though the 45-day timeline stated there applies to records access ahead of an IEP meeting or hearing, not the state's separate initial-evaluation deadline.

• Harrisburg School District — Student Support Services, 717-703-1421; 1010 N 7th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102
• Central Dauphin School District — 717-545-4703 x70284; 75 South Houcks Road, Harrisburg, PA 17109

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Harrisburg

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.

• Penn State Health — Behavior and Developmental Pediatrics — comprehensive autism and developmental evaluation, psychological and neuropsychological testing, social skills groups, and medication management, at Penn State Health Medical Group Briarcrest near Hershey · 717-531-4751 · the division has paused new referrals from providers outside its own health system due to capacity limits, and a separate autism-program page on the same site says it is currently accepting new patients only from age 14 up, for diagnosis or medication management
• Ascend Autism — Harrisburg — full-day and half-day ABA programs, an after-school program, parent coaching, ASD evaluations, and social skills groups, with related speech and occupational therapy services · 717-910-6711
• NeurAbilities Healthcare — Harrisburg — 1:1 ABA therapy, including a 'Young Achievers' preschool-readiness program for ages 2–5, in clinic, school, home, and community settings · 856-346-0005

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Dauphin County Mental Health/Autism/Developmental Programs

Dauphin County's Mental Health/Autism/Developmental Programs department is the county's funding and oversight body for intellectual disability and autism services, including Medicaid waiver eligibility; families register through Pathways Forward, the same contracted agency that runs early intervention intake. PerformCare is the separate HealthChoices plan that funds and authorizes IBHS-delivered ABA for Medicaid-enrolled children in Dauphin County.

• Dauphin County Mental Health/Autism/Developmental Programs
• Phone: 717-780-7050 (county MH/Autism/Developmental Programs) · 717-232-8761 (Pathways Forward intake) · 1-888-722-8646 (PerformCare member services)

Local organizations that help Harrisburg families

• 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.

• Penn State Health's own site states that its Behavior and Developmental Pediatrics program, based near Hershey, is not currently accepting referrals from outside providers due to capacity limits, and that a related autism-specific program restricts new patients to those age 14 and older. (source)
• Separate from the 60-day evaluation clock, Pennsylvania requires Harrisburg or Central Dauphin's IEP team to finish writing the IEP within 30 calendar days of the evaluation report going out. (source)
• Act 62 sets Pennsylvania's autism insurance benefit at up to $36,000 annually, indexed for inflation, for covered individuals through age 20 — it does not touch policies that are self-funded or written outside the state. (source)