Local resources in Sioux Falls
Ordered by review count, then name. Providers cannot pay to be listed, ranked, or edited.
8 resources in Sioux Falls
1. Children's Dental Center — Sioux Falls
Children's Dental Center in Sioux Falls trains its team to meet the needs of autistic children and children with Down syndrome or sensory processing differences. It uses desensitisation techniques to gradually introduce dental tools in a sensory-friendly office, with individualised care plans and parents encouraged to stay involved.
Ages Not stated in the sources we saw
2. Heartland ABA — Sioux Falls
Home hours with an age range reaching 21, which in South Dakota is one of the few options that carries a teenager.
Ages 18 months to 21 years
3. LifeScape — Autism Diagnosis Clinic
LifeScape's Autism Diagnosis Clinic in Sioux Falls provides evaluations for autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and learning disabilities, with a team of psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists. Free screenings are available alongside full evaluations, and its STAR clinic pairs autism screening with an occupational therapy evaluation so children aged five and under can start therapy sooner.
Ages STAR clinic targets children age 5 and under
4. LifeScape — Autism Therapy Services
LifeScape's autism therapy services in Sioux Falls centre on Applied Behavior Analysis and the Early Start Denver Model, with therapists also offering specialised treatment in areas such as assistive technology, feeding and swallowing, augmentative communication, sensory integration and behaviour management.
Ages Not stated in the sources we saw
5. SafeSplash Sioux Falls (East) — Adaptive Aquatics
SafeSplash Sioux Falls (East) offers adaptive aquatics lessons for swimmers with a range of needs, including ADHD, autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, using water's calming properties to help with sensory overload while building strength, balance and coordination.
Ages Not stated in the sources we saw
6. Sanford School of Medicine — ASD Diagnostic Clinic
The Sanford School of Medicine's ASD Diagnostic Clinic at the Health Science Center in Sioux Falls offers autism spectrum disorder assessments, held on the first and third Monday and Tuesday of each month. Sanford also coordinates ongoing autism care through its Children's Specialty Clinic, where developmental paediatricians provide interdisciplinary evaluations.
Ages Not stated in the sources we saw
7. South Dakota Birth to Three
South Dakota Birth to Three is a voluntary early intervention programme delivered in a child's natural environment for children from birth to 36 months with developmental delays. No referral or diagnosis is required, and services include service coordination, special instruction, and occupational, physical and speech-language therapy.
Ages Birth to 36 monthsWait State guidelines allow up to 45 days from referral to the first evaluation meeting
8. Spectrum Matters
A locally based provider, which in a state this size usually means a shorter chain between the phone and the therapist.
Ages Ages not published in the sources we saw — ask when you call
The short answer for Sioux Falls
- Birth to 3: call South Dakota's Center for Disabilities Birth to Three, the Region 6 provider for Minnehaha County, at 605-357-1581 or 800-658-3080 — no doctor's referral or diagnosis is needed to ask for a screening.
- Ages 3 and up: contact Sioux Falls School District's special education office (605-367-7900) in writing to request a Child Find evaluation; it's free under federal law.
- For a medical diagnosis, Sanford Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls runs a Pediatric Developmental-Behavioral specialty (605-312-1000); Sanford's own materials note autism can be screened as early as 14 months and diagnosed by age 3.
- LifeScape's STAR clinic screens children age 5 and under for autism using a multidisciplinary team, and separately offers ABA therapy up to age 18 and the Early Start Denver Model for ages 1-5 — call 605-444-9700.
- South Dakota law (SDCL 58-17-157) requires most fully-insured private plans to cover ABA once a child is diagnosed, but families on a self-funded employer plan or without coverage should instead contact the Division of Developmental Disabilities at 605-773-5990.
Sioux Falls sits in Minnehaha County, home to South Dakota's largest school district and two of the state's major health systems, so an autistic child here has more specialist options nearby than almost anywhere else in the state — the challenge is knowing which door to knock on first.
This guide lists the regional Birth to Three contact for Minnehaha County, Sioux Falls School District's special education office, a hospital-based developmental-behavioral pediatric pathway, a local autism clinic offering both diagnosis and applied behavior analysis, and the state-level funding rules that determine who pays for it.
Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the South Dakota page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Sioux Falls (Minnehaha County).
Early intervention under 3: South Dakota Birth to Three (Region 6 — Center for Disabilities Birth to Three, Minnehaha County)
South Dakota's Birth to Three program serves any child from birth to 36 months with a developmental delay or disability, and no physician referral or diagnosis is required to ask for a free evaluation — anyone worried about a child's development can call. Minnehaha County falls under the program's Region 6 provider, Center for Disabilities Birth to Three, based at the University of South Dakota; families can start there at 605-357-1581 or 800-658-3080, or reach the statewide Birth to Three line at 1-800-305-3064 for a handoff to the regional coordinator.
- South Dakota Birth to Three (Region 6 — Center for Disabilities Birth to Three, Minnehaha County)
- Referral phone: 605-357-1581 or 800-658-3080 (regional) · 1-800-305-3064 (statewide)
New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.
School districts and special education
Under IDEA's Child Find mandate, South Dakota school districts must locate and evaluate any student who may need special education services at no cost to the family, from birth through age 21. Sioux Falls School District runs several self-contained elementary classrooms for students with significant needs — at Harvey Dunn, John F. Kennedy, Marcella LeBeau, Susan B. Anthony, and Terry Redlin — plus a behavioral program at Horace Mann Elementary, and a family just outside the district's boundary may fall under a neighboring district like Brandon Valley instead.
- Sioux Falls School District — Main line 605-367-7900; Elementary Special Education Coordinator Carol Beldin, 605-367-7689; Coordinator of Related Services Kyle Babb, 605-367-7948; 201 E. 38th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57105
- Brandon Valley School District — Covers the Brandon area just east of Sioux Falls; we could not find a dedicated special education page on the district's site, so families should call the district office directly to start a Child Find request
Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Sioux Falls
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.
- Sanford Children's Hospital Sioux Falls — Pediatric Developmental-Behavioral — one of the hospital's 35 pediatric specialties; Sanford's own materials note autism can be screened as early as 14 months, with a definitive diagnosis often possible by age 3; referral typically starts with your child's pediatrician · 605-312-1000
- LifeScape — Autism Services — the STAR clinic screens for autism within a multidisciplinary occupational therapy evaluation for children age 5 and under; separately offers ABA therapy up to age 18 in clinic, home, or combined settings, and the Early Start Denver Model for ages 1-5; insurance and Medicaid accepted with a physician referral · 605-444-9700
Disability services and waivers: South Dakota Department of Human Services — Division of Developmental Disabilities
The Division of Developmental Disabilities is South Dakota's single statewide entry point for Medicaid home-and-community-based waiver services, reached at 605-773-5990 or toll-free 800-265-9684; DHS's own site lists the division, but its newer web platform would not display eligibility or regional-office detail during our research, so confirming current intake steps by phone is the most reliable path. In Sioux Falls, a family pursuing an autism diagnosis or ABA in the meantime can also work directly with LifeScape (605-444-9700), which functions as a clinical provider alongside — not instead of — the DHS waiver process.
- South Dakota Department of Human Services — Division of Developmental Disabilities
- Phone: 605-773-5990 · 800-265-9684
Local organizations that help Sioux Falls families
- South Dakota Parent Connection — the state's federally designated Parent Training and Information Center; 605-361-3171, sdpc@sdparent.org
- Disability Rights South Dakota — the state's protection-and-advocacy legal agency; 800-658-4782 (voice/TTY)
- South Dakota Statewide Family Engagement Center — home-learning resources and school-family partnership support statewide
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.
- Sanford Health's own pediatric-developmental page states pediatricians can spot early signs of autism by 14 months, with a definitive diagnosis often possible by age 3. (source)
- LifeScape's STAR clinic — ASD Screening with Therapeutic Assessment and Recommendations — folds autism screening into a multidisciplinary occupational therapy evaluation, but only for children age 5 and under. (source)
- After you sign consent, Sioux Falls School District has 25 school days to complete the evaluation, then 30 additional days to finish eligibility determination and convene the IEP team. (source)
- South Dakota's Birth to Three program must complete the evaluation and IFSP within 45 calendar days of your referral. (source)
- South Dakota has 80 individuals on the developmental disability waiver interest list with a typical wait of 1 to 2 years for services. (source)
Paying for support in Sioux Falls
South Dakota's insurance-based funding path runs through SDCL 58-17-154 to 58-17-162, a 2015 law forcing most fully-insured private health plans to pay for applied behavior analysis once a child carries an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, with a minimum annual benefit of $36,000 through age 6 that steps down to $25,000 and then $12,500 as a child gets older — though self-funded employer plans and ACA marketplace plans fall outside the mandate entirely. A family without that private coverage instead applies to the Department of Human Services' Division of Developmental Disabilities for a Medicaid home-and-community-based waiver, reached statewide at 605-773-5990.
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 Sioux Falls parents
Sources
- [1]South Dakota Birth to Three. Open source
- [2]South Dakota Birth to Three — Getting Started. Open source
- [3]South Dakota Birth to Three — regional service coordinator map (PDF). Open source
- [4]SD Department of Human Services — Division of Developmental Disabilities. Open source
- [5]SD Department of Human Services — Contact Us. Open source
- [6]Sioux Falls School District — Special Education. Open source
- [7]Sioux Falls School District — Elementary Special Education. Open source
- [8]Brandon Valley School District. Open source
- [9]Sanford Health — Pediatric Developmental. Open source
- [10]Sanford Children's Hospital Sioux Falls. Open source
- [11]LifeScape — Autism Services. Open source
- [12]LifeScape. Open source
- [13]SDCL 58-17-157 — ABA coverage mandate. Open source
- [14]SDCL 58-17-158 — annual maximum benefit. Open source
- [15]SDCL 58-17-155 — exceptions. Open source
- [16]South Dakota Parent Connection. Open source
- [17]Disability Rights South Dakota. Open source
- [18]South Dakota Statewide Family Engagement Center. Open source
Last checked 2026-08-11. Programs and links change — confirm with the agency before relying on any detail. This page is information, not legal or medical advice.