Local resources in Philadelphia
Ordered by review count, then name. Providers cannot pay to be listed, ranked, or edited.
15 resources in Philadelphia
1. ASERT — PAAutism.org resource guide
Free, comprehensive autism resources, information and support for families and professionals across Pennsylvania, available via phone, email and online directory.
Ages All ages
2. Autism Society of Greater Philadelphia
Volunteer-led chapter providing advocacy, education and community support for autistic people and their families across a five-county region.
Ages All ages
3. Center for Autism Research at CHOP
Research centre that also trains clinicians in screening and diagnosis.
Ages Children and young people
4. CHOP — Adaptive Sports Programs
Adaptive sports programmes for children with disabilities, matched to individual strengths and abilities through work with therapists.
Ages Children and young people
5. CHOP — Autism Integrated Care Program
Autism diagnosis and ongoing specialist care for children and young people.
Ages Children and young people
6. CHOP — Division of Dentistry
Specialised dental care for children with complex medical conditions and disabilities, including operating-room and sedation options.
Ages Birth through age 19
7. Coral Care — Philadelphia
In-home speech, occupational and physical therapy for autistic children using neurodiversity-affirming approaches.
Ages Children
8. Elwyn — Early Learning Services
Free early-intervention services for young children with developmental delays and disabilities, including support for autism referrals and evaluation.
Ages Birth to 5
9. Kidology
Speech, occupational, physical and behavioural therapy for children and teens from infants through teens, including specialised support for autism and other developmental needs.
Ages Infants through teens
10. Parent to Parent of Pennsylvania
Free, confidential peer support from parents of children with disabilities, including one-on-one support, group gatherings and leadership training.
Ages Families of children with disabilities and complex health needs
11. Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports
Year-round adaptive sports and wellness programmes for people with disabilities, including rowing, skiing, kayaking, volleyball and many other activities.
Ages All ages
12. Philadelphia Parks & Recreation — Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation
Free and low-cost recreation programming for disabled and neurodivergent residents, including activities at Gustine Recreation Center and swimming at city pools.
Ages All ages
13. Special Touch Dentistry
Specialised dental care for autistic and disabled adults, with sedation options and a team trained in supporting patients with additional support needs.
Ages Adolescents and adults
14. The Pediatric Dental Team
Paediatric dental care for children, including those with disabilities, with a specialised office environment and sedation available.
Ages Children
15. Variety — The Children's Charity of the Delaware Valley
Recreational, social, educational and vocational programmes for children and young adults with disabilities, with programming in Philadelphia and across the Delaware Valley.
Ages Birth to 24, depending on programme
The short answer for Philadelphia
- Under 3: call Philadelphia Infant Toddler Early Intervention at 215-685-4646 (or Birthto3EI@phila.gov). The program contacts you within two days of a referral for a child under 33 months.
- Ages 3–5: preschool early intervention runs through Elwyn Early Learning Services — Access to Care 215-222-8054. Unsure who to call? The statewide CONNECT Helpline (1-800-692-7288) routes you.
- School age: send a written evaluation request to your child's school. In a charter school, the charter itself — not the district — must evaluate within 60 calendar days of your written consent.
- A medical diagnosis is not required for early intervention or an IEP. It matters for Medicaid-funded services (IBHS/ABA) through Community Behavioral Health: 1-888-545-2600.
- PH-95 (often called the loophole) lets a child with a disability get Pennsylvania Medicaid regardless of parent income.
Philadelphia splits early support for autistic children across three systems by age — a city-run program before 3, Elwyn for ages 3 to 5, and the school district or your charter school after that. Knowing which door matches your child's age saves weeks.
This page lists each door, the phone numbers, and the publicly documented waits, plus the Medicaid route (PH-95) that many Pennsylvania families qualify for regardless of income.
Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Pennsylvania page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Philadelphia (Philadelphia County).
Early intervention under 3: Philadelphia Infant Toddler Early Intervention (0–3) and Elwyn preschool Early Intervention (3–5)
Pennsylvania runs early intervention as two programs. Birth to 3 is administered by the city (DBHIDS Intellectual disAbility Services), with service coordination by ChildLink; for a child under 33 months the program contacts you by phone within two days of a referral, and state policy requires evaluation and the first family service plan within 45 days. At age 3, children transition to preschool early intervention — run in Philadelphia by Elwyn Early Learning Services, not the school district — and eligibility is re-determined at that handoff. Both programs are free, and eligibility is based on developmental evaluation, not on a medical diagnosis. At school age, responsibility moves again, to the School District of Philadelphia or your child's charter school.
- Philadelphia Infant Toddler Early Intervention (0–3) and Elwyn preschool Early Intervention (3–5)
- Referral phone: 215-685-4646 (birth to 3) · 215-222-8054 (Elwyn, ages 3–5) · 1-800-692-7288 (CONNECT Helpline, birth to 5)
New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.
School districts and special education
For school-age children in district schools, start with a written evaluation request to your child's principal; the district must issue a Permission to Evaluate form or explain in writing why it will not, and once you sign, it has 60 calendar days to complete the evaluation report. Philadelphia's large charter sector is a routing quirk that trips up many families: charters are independent for special education, so a charter-enrolled child's evaluation request goes to the charter school itself, which carries the same 60-day duty.
- School District of Philadelphia — Office of Special Education and Diverse Learners — 215-400-4170; supports include autistic support, learning support, and speech and language support
- Philadelphia charter schools — each charter is its own LEA — evaluation requests go to the charter, which must produce a report within 60 calendar days (excluding summer) of written consent
Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Philadelphia
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.
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia — Autism Integrated Care Program — autism evaluation by a developmental pediatrician, psychologist, or multidisciplinary team, plus follow-up care across CHOP locations; families complete an intake packet (parent and teacher questionnaires) before scheduling, and an incomplete packet extends the wait · 215-590-7500 · CHOP's own page says the wait between intake call and evaluation can range from several weeks to several months
- St. Christopher's Hospital for Children — Developmental Pediatrics — developmental and behavioral evaluation, including autism assessment, in North Philadelphia; serves a largely Medicaid-insured community · 215-427-5531
Disability services and waivers: Philadelphia Intellectual disAbility Services (IDS) and Community Behavioral Health (CBH)
Two separate city doors matter here. IDS (registration 215-685-5900) is the county gateway for intellectual disability services and Medicaid waiver eligibility — registering with IDS is a separate process from early intervention and from school services. CBH (member services 1-888-545-2600) is Philadelphia's Medicaid behavioral-health organization and is how ABA and in-home or in-school behavioral services are funded, delivered under Pennsylvania's IBHS program (the successor to the older 'BHRS/wraparound' system — older materials may still use that name). The key financial fact: under PH-95, a child under 18 who meets the Social Security disability standard can get Pennsylvania Medicaid regardless of parent income, which is what unlocks CBH-funded services. Apply through the County Assistance Office with the child's birth certificate, Social Security card, and documentation of the condition.
- Philadelphia Intellectual disAbility Services (IDS) and Community Behavioral Health (CBH)
- Phone: 215-685-5900 (IDS) · 1-888-545-2600 (CBH)
Local organizations that help Philadelphia families
- HUNE, Inc. — Philadelphia's parent training and information center — free bilingual English/Spanish special education help for families of children ages 0–26 (215-425-6203)
- PEAL Center — statewide, parent-run training and individual assistance (1-866-950-1040)
- ASCEND Group — parent-founded alliance for the Greater Philadelphia autism community
- Autism Society Greater Philadelphia — volunteer chapter covering the five southeastern Pennsylvania counties
- ASERT / PAAutism.org — the state's autism resource collaborative, with Philadelphia-specific listings
- CHOP Center for Autism Research family resources — free Autism Roadmap library, plus 'ECHO Autism: While You Wait' for families waiting on an evaluation
- PA 211 Southeast — free 24/7 referral line — dial 2-1-1 or text your ZIP to 898-211
- Education Law Center – PA — free legal fact sheets and advocacy on special education access, with a Philadelphia office
- Office for Dispute Resolution — free state mediation and due process for early intervention and school disputes
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.
- CHOP publicly warns that the wait between the autism intake call and the evaluation appointment can range from several weeks to several months, citing a national shortage of evaluators. (source)
- Reporting in October 2025 found Philadelphia children waiting months — sometimes longer — for preschool early intervention services through Elwyn, the largest preschool early intervention program in the state. A state complaint over delayed evaluations for children leaving Elwyn's program resulted in compensatory education for 170 children. (Journalism source, not an agency publication.) (source)
- Pennsylvania's 45-day early intervention timeline has a documented 'exceptional family circumstances' exception, and children delayed for that documented reason still count as on-time in state compliance reporting — worth knowing when reading state timeliness percentages. (source)
- CBH's own IBHS performance standards name 'consistent inability to adequately staff cases' as a known provider problem subject to corrective action — in practice, an authorized IBHS/ABA service package can go partially unstaffed. (source)
- Act 62 caps Pennsylvania's mandated autism insurance benefit at $36,000 a year, rising with inflation, and stops covering a policyholder at 21 — a separate track from the PH-95 Medicaid route this page already covers, and one that never applies to a self-insured employer plan. (source)
Paying for support in Philadelphia
Under Pennsylvania's PH-95 rule, a child under 18 who meets the Social Security disability standard can get Medicaid regardless of parent income. That is what unlocks Community Behavioral Health-funded services — including ABA (applied behavior analysis) — through the state's IBHS program.
Nothing here is a recommendation — we list what exists, note what a provider says about itself, and let parents tell you the rest.
Common questions from Philadelphia parents
Sources
- [1]DBHIDS — Early Intervention (Philadelphia, ages 0–3). Open source
- [2]ChildLink (PHMC) — early intervention service coordination. Open source
- [3]Elwyn — Early Learning Services (Philadelphia preschool early intervention). Open source
- [4]PA DHS — Early Intervention Services. Open source
- [5]PA EI 12-01 — 45-day evaluation timeline and exceptions. Open source
- [6]PAAutism.org (ASERT) — CONNECT Helpline. Open source
- [7]School District of Philadelphia — Office of Special Education and Diverse Learners. Open source
- [8]22 Pa. Code Chapter 711 — charter school special education duties. Open source
- [9]CHOP — Autism Integrated Care Program. Open source
- [10]CHOP — your child's initial autism evaluation (documented waits). Open source
- [11]Tower Health — St. Christopher's Developmental Pediatrics. Open source
- [12]DBHIDS — Intellectual disAbility Services (IDS). Open source
- [13]Community Behavioral Health — provider directory. Open source
- [14]PA DHS — Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS). Open source
- [15]CBH — IBHS Clinical Performance Standards (PDF). Open source
- [16]PA DHS — PH-95 Medicaid category for children with disabilities. Open source
- [17]Pennsylvania Health Law Project — PH-95 guide (PDF). Open source
- [18]PA DHS — Autism Insurance Act (Act 62). Open source
- [19]Chalkbeat Philadelphia — early intervention delays in the Elwyn program (Oct 2025). Open source
- [20]HUNE, Inc.. Open source
- [21]Office for Dispute Resolution (PA). Open source
Last checked 2026-08-06. Programs and links change — confirm with the agency before relying on any detail. This page is information, not legal or medical advice.