Getting an Autism Evaluation in Maryland

Maybe your pediatrician said the word first. Maybe a daycare teacher mentioned something gently at pickup, or you have spent months quietly comparing notes against an older sibling. However you got here, the next step is the same: a proper evaluation.

In Maryland, where you start depends mostly on your child's age. And here is the part most parents do not hear soon enough: the public routes and the medical route answer different questions, and you are allowed to pursue them at the same time.

Under 3? Start with Maryland Infants and Toddlers

For a child under age 3, the front door is the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program, the state's free early intervention system. It is run through the Maryland State Department of Education with a local program in every county, and it provides developmental evaluations and family-centered services at no cost, in your home or community.

Anyone who knows the child can make a referral, including you; no doctor's order is required. Call 1-800-535-0182 or use the state's online referral portal, and your local program arranges an evaluation. An Infants and Toddlers evaluation is not a medical autism diagnosis, but it gets services started early and builds the documentation every later step leans on.

3 or older? Call Child Find at your school system

Every Maryland school system is required to locate and evaluate children who may have a disability, beginning at age 3, including children too young for school. The program is called Child Find, and it is free. Its evaluation determines whether your child qualifies for services through the school system, such as preschool special education or an IEP.

In Montgomery County, for example, MCPS Child Find serves children from age 2 years 10 months up to kindergarten and can be reached at (240) 740-2170. In Baltimore, City Schools' Child Find office covers ages 3 to 21 at (443) 984-1011. Every other county system has its own office, listed on the district website under special education.

One thing to understand clearly: a school evaluation answers an educational question, whether your child qualifies for school-based services. It is not the same as a medical diagnosis, and insurers, including Maryland Medicaid, require an autism diagnosis from a qualified professional before covering treatment like ABA. Most families end up wanting both, which is why running the routes in parallel matters.

For a medical diagnosis: Maryland's major evaluation centers

Two institutions anchor autism evaluation in this region.

Kennedy Krieger Institute's Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation (CASSI), based in Baltimore with additional Maryland locations, provides interdisciplinary autism diagnostic evaluations. New patient intake: (443) 923-9400.
Children's National Hospital's Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders serves the Washington region, with Maryland outpatient locations including Rockville and Lanham. Appointments: (888) 884-2327.

Call sooner rather than later, ask what the current wait looks like, and know that it is completely fair to be on more than one list at once. Your pediatrician can also refer you to developmental pediatricians and child psychologists in private practice who perform diagnostic evaluations.

What to bring when the date arrives

Whichever door you choose, the appointment goes further when the paperwork walks in with you. Useful things to gather in a folder now:

Any notes or referral letters from your pediatrician, and results from developmental screenings done at well visits.
Reports from Infants and Toddlers or Child Find, including an IFSP or IEP if your child has one.
Notes or emails from daycare or preschool teachers describing what they see.
Your own list: the moments that made you wonder, roughly when each began, and any questions you want answered before you leave.

Feeling stuck? A real person will answer

Pathfinders for Autism is Maryland's largest autism organization, and its help line is exactly what it sounds like: call (443) 330-5341 and a real person gives you free, autism-specific guidance, including help finding evaluators and providers near you. If you are not sure which door to knock on first, start there.

What you can do while you wait

Make the referrals now. Infants and Toddlers or Child Find, plus an evaluation center; the routes run side by side.
Keep a short log of what you are noticing and when it started, plus a video clip or two. Evaluators ask, and specifics help.
Ask your pediatrician to document concerns at every visit. Those notes support referrals and coverage later.
Learn what comes after. If the evaluation ends in an autism diagnosis, that report opens coverage: Maryland Medicaid covers medically necessary ABA for children under 21, and Maryland law requires most state-regulated plans to cover ABA for children with autism.

If the answer turns out to be autism, we are nearby

Terrapin ABA provides in-home ABA therapy across central Maryland, including Silver Spring, Baltimore, and the counties around them. You do not have to wait for the report to talk to us. A free consultation with a BCBA is a good way to understand what ABA involves, what your insurance will likely require, and how to line up the paperwork so therapy can begin promptly once the diagnosis is in hand.

Getting an autism evaluation in Maryland: where to start.