A Reading family with a child under 3 reaches early intervention through Berks County's Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities program, which contracts its intake out to Service Access and Management (SAM). At age 3, responsibility shifts to the Berks County Intermediate Unit, which runs preschool special education across the county.

This guide lists those numbers and links, the evaluation and ABA pathways available in and near Reading, Berks County's mental health and developmental disability access point, 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 Reading (Berks County).

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

Berks County's Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities program oversees Early Intervention for children under 3, but intake itself is handled by a contracted case-management agency, Service Access and Management (SAM), which has operated out of Berks County since 1997 and now serves dozens of Pennsylvania and New Jersey counties. Call SAM to request an intake, and a service coordinator arranges a free developmental evaluation — a medical diagnosis is not required. At age 3, responsibility for services moves to the Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU), which runs preschool early intervention as a state- and federally funded special-education program open to any child with a documented developmental delay; a parent, daycare provider, or physician can start that referral. At school age, the family's own district takes over.

• Berks County Early Intervention (birth–3) and Berks County Intermediate Unit Preschool Early Intervention (3–5)
• Referral phone: 610-236-0530 (SAM, birth to 3 intake) · 877-236-4600 (SAM toll-free)

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

School districts and special education

Reading families start a school-age evaluation by submitting a written request to their child's school. Reading School District directs requests to its Director of Special Education, and district guidance calls for the IEP team to convene within 30 calendar days of an eligibility determination. Wilson School District, which serves West Lawn and Sinking Spring just outside Reading, runs its special-education services in partnership with the Berks County Intermediate Unit.

• Reading School District — Director of Special Education, 800 Penn Street, Reading, PA 19602
• Wilson School District — 2601 Grandview Blvd, West Lawn, PA 19609; partners with the Berks County Intermediate Unit for its special-education continuum

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Reading

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.

• All About Children Pediatric Partners (Penn State Health) — general and developmental pediatric care, named by Penn State Health as a Berks County resource for children with disabilities including autism, with referral pathways into Penn State Health's higher-level developmental-pediatrics programs · 610-372-9222
• Reading Hospital Children's Health Center (Tower Health) — general pediatric care, including developmental and behavioral evaluation; Tower Health's dedicated Developmental Pediatrics autism-evaluation program is centered at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia rather than this Reading campus, so a full autism-specific workup may mean a referral out of the county · 484-628-5437
• NeurAbilities Healthcare — Berks County — 1:1 ABA therapy, including a comprehensive 20–40 hour/week track and a focused 15+ hour/week track, plus a 'Young Achievers' preschool-readiness program for ages 2–5, at its Wyomissing clinic · 856-346-0005
• Around the Spectrum Therapy — speech-language and occupational therapy evaluation and ongoing treatment for autistic children, plus virtual parent coaching, in Wyomissing · 484-366-8209 · the practice states on its own site that it does not accept Medical Assistance (Pennsylvania Medicaid)

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Berks County Office of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities

Berks County's MH/DD office, at 633 Court Street in Reading, is the county's registration point for intellectual disability and autism services, including Medicaid waiver eligibility. Families reach it through the same contracted intake agency used for early intervention: call Service Access and Management (SAM) and ask for an Intake Manager for ID/Autism Services. Community Care Behavioral Health Organization (CCBH) is the separate HealthChoices plan that funds and authorizes IBHS-delivered ABA for Medicaid-enrolled children in Berks County.

• Berks County Office of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
• Phone: 610-236-0530 (SAM intake for ID/Autism Services)

Local organizations that help Reading families

• Autism Society of Berks County — free weekly music therapy and yoga therapy groups led by a board-certified music therapist (610-736-3739)
• Special Olympics Pennsylvania — Berks County — free year-round training and competition across 21 sports for athletes with intellectual disabilities
• Abilities in Motion — Berks County's Center for Independent Living, offering assistive technology, life-skills, and employment support for people with disabilities generally (610-376-0010)
• 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.

• Around the Spectrum Therapy, an autism-focused speech and OT practice in Wyomissing, states on its own site that it does not accept Medical Assistance (Pennsylvania Medicaid) as insurance. (source)
• Tower Health's dedicated Developmental Pediatrics program, which evaluates autism, is based at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia rather than at its Reading Hospital campus, so a full autism-specific workup can mean traveling outside Berks County. (source)
• Act 62 adds a state-mandated insurance benefit on top of the school timelines above, worth up to roughly $36,000 a year for an autistic person under 21 on a Pennsylvania-regulated plan, with no coverage for self-funded employer plans. (source)
• Statewide waiver waitlist figures published by advocates put roughly 11,600 people in line for Pennsylvania's main ID/autism waivers, with waits reported to run seven-plus years in some categories — a figure worth knowing before assuming a Berks County application will move quickly. (source)