Autism in Milwaukee

Families in Milwaukee reach Wisconsin's Birth to 3 Program through the county's Disabilities Services Division, request a school evaluation through Milwaukee Public Schools' Child Find office, and — for support that continues past age three — apply for Medicaid's Children's Long-Term Support Waiver or IRIS self-direction, both run through that same county division.

This page lists the phone numbers and web pages behind each of those doors, along with the details a search could confirm about how they work.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Wisconsin page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Milwaukee (Milwaukee County).

Early intervention under 3: Wisconsin Birth to 3 Program — Milwaukee County

Wisconsin runs the Birth to 3 Program county by county, and in Milwaukee County the Disabilities Services Division is the local access point — call 414-289-6799 to start. A parent, doctor, care provider, or anyone else concerned about a child's development can make the referral, and Division staff follow up to arrange an evaluation and, if a child qualifies, put a service plan in place.

• Wisconsin Birth to 3 Program — Milwaukee County
• Referral phone: 414-289-6799

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

School districts and special education

Milwaukee Public Schools has a Child Find duty under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to identify, locate, and evaluate every resident child suspected of having a disability, from birth through age 21, including children attending private schools within city limits. Reach the district's Child Find office at 414-874-8493 or childfindreferrals@milwaukeepublicschools.org to start; families just outside the city, in districts like Wauwatosa, go through that district's own special education office instead.

• Milwaukee Public Schools — Child Find office 414-874-8493 or childfindreferrals@milwaukeepublicschools.org
• Wauwatosa School District — serves the western Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa; district main line 414-773-1000

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Milwaukee

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.

• WI LEND Milwaukee Link ASD Clinic (UW-Milwaukee) — free autism diagnostic clinic for children roughly 24 months through 5 years 11 months, held over several Wednesday mornings at UWM's Child Neurodevelopment Research Lab

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Milwaukee County Disabilities Services Division (DSD)

Milwaukee County's Disabilities Services Division administers Medicaid's Children's Long-Term Support (CLTS) Waiver locally, alongside Wisconsin's IRIS self-directed option — both open the door to behavioral, respite, and other long-term supports once a child is found functionally eligible. Reach the Division's resource and referral line at 414-289-6799, or its main office at 414-289-6660, to begin an eligibility conversation.

• Milwaukee County Disabilities Services Division (DSD)
• Phone: 414-289-6799

Local organizations that help Milwaukee families

• Autism United of Wisconsin — successor to the Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin; serves families across the state's 72 counties, based in the Milwaukee area
• Milwaukee 211 — free referral line for local health and human services; dial 211

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.

• State timeline rules bind Milwaukee Public Schools the same way they bind every Wisconsin district: 60 calendar days from signed consent to an eligibility decision, and 30 more calendar days after that to hold the IEP meeting for a child found eligible. (source)
• The Disabilities Services Division has 45 calendar days from the date of referral to complete a child's evaluation and hold the first IFSP meeting, the same federal deadline Wisconsin tracks for every county's Birth to 3 program. (source)
• Wisconsin has retired the old CLTS waitlist statewide in favor of continuous enrollment, meaning a Milwaukee County child found functionally eligible is supposed to be added to the program directly rather than placed on hold. (source)