Autism Resources in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs — the seat of El Paso County — is Colorado's second-largest city, with roughly 480,000 residents in the city and around 760,000 in the metro. The region sits at the base of Pikes Peak along Colorado's Front Range, an hour south of Denver.

The military presence is the defining feature. The Colorado Springs area hosts an extraordinary concentration of military installations:

• Fort Carson (U.S. Army) — a major Army post south of the city
• Peterson Space Force Base — Space Force and home to NORAD/NORTHCOM functions
• Schriever Space Force Base — east of the city
• United States Air Force Academy — north of the city
• Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station — the well-known mountain complex

Together these place tens of thousands of active duty personnel and their families in the region. A substantial share of Colorado Springs autism families are military families, navigating TRICARE, the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), and frequent relocations. This page gives military-specific guidance throughout.

Children's Hospital Colorado has a Colorado Springs presence. Children's Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs brought dedicated pediatric hospital care to the region, including developmental and specialty services. This is significant — before its opening, Colorado Springs families often traveled to the Denver/Aurora area for pediatric specialty care.

UCHealth Memorial Hospital and other health systems provide additional pediatric care in the region.

The Community Centered Board. The Resource Exchange (TRE) is the Community Centered Board serving El Paso County and surrounding areas — the access point for Medicaid waivers, early intervention service coordination, and developmental disability services. For Colorado Springs families pursuing waiver-based services, TRE is the central point of contact.

Private autism providers. Colorado Springs has a meaningful set of private ABA providers, clinical psychologists, and therapy practices — more than smaller Colorado cities, though demand outpaces capacity as it does across the Front Range.

Beyond the city

Colorado Springs serves families across El Paso County and surrounding areas — including Fountain, Monument, Falcon, Manitou Springs, and rural parts of the county. Families from further afield in southern Colorado sometimes travel to Colorado Springs for services not available in smaller communities, though for the most specialized care, families also travel to Denver.

The autism diagnostic pathway in Colorado Springs typically looks like this:

Step 1: Talk with your pediatrician or military treatment facility provider. Bring concrete, written observations. Providers can screen with tools like the M-CHAT and provide referrals. Military families may start with their assigned military treatment facility provider.

Step 2: Get a referral for comprehensive evaluation. Autism evaluations for Colorado Springs families are conducted by:

• Children's Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs — developmental pediatrics and autism diagnostic services
• Private clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists specializing in autism
• Private autism diagnostic clinics in the region
• JFK Partners / University of Colorado Anschutz (in the Denver area) for complex cases or when Colorado Springs wait times are long

Step 3: Expect a wait. Specialty autism evaluation wait times in Colorado Springs run several months to over a year, depending on the provider and current capacity. Some private providers offer shorter timelines, particularly with out-of-pocket payment.

Step 4: Understand what an evaluation produces. A comprehensive evaluation includes parent interviews, direct observation (often the ADOS-2), cognitive and adaptive assessments, and a written report — which unlocks insurance coverage (including TRICARE's autism benefits), Medicaid services, school services, and waiver eligibility.

Military families: the diagnosis process

For military families, autism diagnosis connects directly to TRICARE benefits and the Exceptional Family Member Program:

• EFMP enrollment — Military families with a child diagnosed with autism are required to enroll in the Exceptional Family Member Program. EFMP documents the family's special needs and is considered in assignment decisions, ideally helping ensure the family is stationed where appropriate services exist.
• TRICARE's Autism Care Demonstration (ACD) — covers ABA for eligible dependents. Accessing ACD requires an autism diagnosis from an appropriate provider and TRICARE approval.
• Referral process — TRICARE typically requires specific referral and authorization steps. Start with your military treatment facility or TRICARE regional contractor.

The Colorado Springs installations have Exceptional Family Member Program offices and family support resources that can help military families navigate the process. Connect with the EFMP office at your installation early.

For children under 3

Contact Early Intervention Colorado or The Resource Exchange (the regional CCB) for a free Child Find screening. EI Colorado serves children birth to age 3 with developmental delays — no autism diagnosis or doctor's referral required.

For school-age children

Request a school district evaluation in writing. Educational eligibility doesn't require a medical diagnosis.

Adult autism diagnosis

Adults seeking autism evaluation in Colorado Springs have a limited set of providers — some clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists. Wait times and insurance coverage vary. Adult diagnosis is a personal decision worth weighing with full information.

Therapy options for autistic children in Colorado Springs draw on both the civilian provider network and TRICARE's military health system.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) — Colorado Springs has a meaningful set of ABA providers. Funding pathways:

• TRICARE's Autism Care Demonstration for military families — covers ABA for eligible dependents
• Health First Colorado (Medicaid) — covers ABA for diagnosed children; through EPSDT, Medicaid-enrolled children under 21 have a strong entitlement to medically necessary services
• Private insurance — state-regulated plans cover ABA under Colorado's mandate; self-funded ERISA plans may not
• The CES waiver — can cover ABA hours beyond standard coverage

For families considering ABA, we discuss the broader picture — including critiques from autistic adults and what to look for in modern, naturalistic, neurodiversity-informed providers — in our editorial guidelines. Look for providers using naturalistic approaches (NDBIs, ESDM, PRT), active parent involvement, functional goals chosen with families, and respect for autistic self-regulation.

Speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy — Available through Children's Hospital Colorado Colorado Springs, UCHealth, private practice clinics across the metro, school-based services for eligible students, and Early Intervention Colorado for children under 3.

Developmental and naturalistic approaches — DIR/Floortime and similar approaches are offered by some Colorado Springs providers.

Mental health therapy for autistic clients — A growing number of Colorado Springs therapists work with autistic kids, teens, and adults, particularly for co-occurring anxiety and depression. Military families can access mental health services through TRICARE, including Military Family Life Counselors and other military-specific resources.

Considerations for military families

Continuity across moves. One of the hardest parts of autism care for military families is maintaining therapy continuity through relocations. Strategies that help: requesting complete records before each move, getting on provider waitlists at the new location before arriving, using EFMP to advocate for assignments where services exist, and connecting with the new installation's EFMP office immediately.

TRICARE provider networks. Not all ABA and therapy providers are in TRICARE's network. Confirm network status before starting services. The TRICARE regional contractor can provide network provider lists.

Adult autism services

For autistic adults in the Colorado Springs area:

• Supported Living Services (SLS) and DD waiver services for eligible adults, accessed through The Resource Exchange
• Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation — employment-focused services
• University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), Pikes Peak State College — disability services for autistic students
• Mental health therapy adapted for autistic adults — limited but growing

Co-occurring conditions

Autism frequently co-occurs with ADHD, anxiety, sleep difficulties, gastrointestinal issues, and learning disabilities. Coordinating care across these conditions takes intentional effort — using a primary care provider familiar with autism and keeping one master record of providers and diagnoses helps. For military families, maintaining that master record is especially valuable across moves.

Telehealth

Telehealth has expanded access to speech therapy, mental health therapy, and parent coaching — useful for families in rural parts of El Paso County and surrounding areas. In-person therapies (intensive ABA, OT, PT) generally require travel to provider locations.

The Colorado Springs area is served by numerous school districts — El Paso County has one of the highest concentrations of school districts in Colorado. All are required by federal law (IDEA) and Colorado regulations to provide special education to eligible students with autism.

Major Colorado Springs-area school districts

Colorado Springs School District 11 (D11) — The largest district, serving central Colorado Springs.

Academy School District 20 (D20) — Serving northern Colorado Springs and the Air Force Academy area; one of the larger and fast-growing districts.

Falcon School District 49 (D49) — Serving the rapidly growing Falcon/eastern El Paso County area.

Harrison School District 2 (D2) — Serving southern Colorado Springs.

Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 (D12) — Serving the Cheyenne Mountain area.

Widefield School District 3 (D3) and Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 (D8) — Serving the Fountain/Security/Widefield area south of the city. Fountain-Fort Carson D8 serves many Fort Carson military families and has experience with the needs of military-connected students.

Lewis-Palmer School District 38 (D38) — Serving the Monument area north of the city.

Additional smaller districts serve other parts of El Paso County.

Implications of the district patchwork

The large number of districts means autism services quality and approach can vary substantially depending on exactly where in the metro you live. For families with school choice flexibility — and for military families with some control over where they settle — talking to other autism families about specific districts and schools is valuable. Districts that serve many military families (like Fountain-Fort Carson D8) often have particular experience with military-connected students, including the transitions and records issues that come with frequent moves.

The evaluation and IEP process

In Colorado, school districts conduct their own evaluations and determine special education eligibility based on educational impact — a medical autism diagnosis can be useful evidence but isn't required. Parents request evaluation in writing; a comprehensive evaluation follows; an eligibility determination is made; and if the student qualifies, an IEP is developed.

504 Plans provide accommodations for students who need them but don't require specially designed instruction.

Military-connected students — Federal protections and the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children help ease school transitions for military families, including provisions related to special education records and services continuity across state lines. Ask your new district about Compact provisions.

Transition services in Colorado must begin by age 15.

Disputes and advocacy

When you encounter difficulty with evaluations, services, or IEPs:

• PEAK Parent Center — Colorado parent training and information center; free special education advocacy
• Colorado Department of Education dispute resolution — mediation, state complaints, due process
• Disability Law Colorado — legal advocacy
• Private special education attorneys — the Colorado Springs area has attorneys experienced in special education law
• Military family support — installation School Liaison Officers help military families navigate school issues

Higher education

For autistic students considering post-secondary education, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), Pikes Peak State College, and Colorado College all have disability services offices providing accommodations.

The Colorado Springs area has a growing set of autism community resources — formal programs, military family support, and informal networks.

Parent support and connection

The Autism Society of Colorado provides statewide information, referral, and community programming, including in the Colorado Springs region.

The Resource Exchange (TRE) — beyond its CCB service-coordination role — connects families to community resources.

Military family support — The Colorado Springs installations have robust family support systems. EFMP offices, Military Family Life Counselors, New Parent Support Programs, and installation family support centers all serve military families with special needs children. These are valuable and sometimes underused resources.

Informal Facebook groups for Colorado Springs-area special needs parents — including military-specific groups — are active. Search "Colorado Springs autism," "Pikes Peak special needs parents," "military special needs Colorado Springs," or similar variants. Military-specific groups can be particularly helpful for families navigating PCS moves and TRICARE.

Sensory-friendly and inclusive programs

Colorado Springs-area sensory-friendly programming has grown. Options that have been available include:

• Cheyenne Mountain Zoo — sensory-friendly events/considerations
• Colorado Springs museums and cultural venues — periodic sensory-friendly programming
• Major movie theater chains — sensory-friendly film showings
• Public library systems — inclusive programming

Specific schedules change; check venue calendars directly.

Recreation and adaptive sports

• Special Olympics Colorado has Pikes Peak region programming
• City of Colorado Springs adaptive recreation programs
• Outdoor recreation — the Pikes Peak region's extensive trails and parks offer accessible, often lower-sensory recreation options
• Adaptive and inclusive sports programs through various organizations

Social skills groups

Some Colorado Springs-area therapy practices offer social skills groups for autistic kids and teens. Approaches vary — groups focused on genuine connection tend to work better than those focused on neurotypical conformity.

Adult autism community

Resources specifically for autistic adults in Colorado Springs remain more limited than for parents of autistic kids. Some therapist-facilitated groups exist; online communities complement local resources.

A note for military families

The transient nature of military life makes building community harder — by the time you've found your people, it may be time to move. Strategies that help: connecting with installation EFMP and family support immediately on arrival, joining military-specific online groups before you even move, and connecting with both military and civilian autism communities. Military families often become skilled at quickly rebuilding support networks; experienced military autism parents can be a valuable resource.

Colorado Springs autism families navigate funding through both civilian pathways and — for the many military families — TRICARE.

TRICARE for military families

For the region's substantial military population, TRICARE is the primary health coverage:

• The Autism Care Demonstration (ACD) covers ABA for eligible dependents. Accessing it requires an autism diagnosis from an appropriate provider and TRICARE approval.
• EFMP enrollment — required for military families with autistic children; documents special needs for assignment purposes
• Referral and authorization — TRICARE has specific processes; start with your military treatment facility or TRICARE regional contractor
• Network status — confirm that ABA and therapy providers are TRICARE network providers before starting services
• Standard TRICARE also covers speech, OT, and other medically necessary services

Health First Colorado (Medicaid)

Health First Colorado covers ABA for diagnosed children. Critically, through EPSDT, children under 21 enrolled in Medicaid have a strong entitlement to comprehensive medically necessary services — including ABA, speech, and OT — at no cost. EPSDT doesn't require a waiver.

Private insurance (state-regulated plans)

State-regulated private health plans in Colorado must cover autism diagnosis and treatment, including ABA, under Colorado's autism insurance mandate.

Self-funded employer plans (ERISA)

Self-funded employer plans aren't subject to Colorado's mandate. Check your Summary Plan Description.

Medicaid waivers — through The Resource Exchange

For families with significant support needs, Colorado's CES waiver and other waivers provide additional services. In the Colorado Springs area, apply through The Resource Exchange (TRE), the regional Community Centered Board. Waivers may have waitlists — apply early.

Other Colorado programs

• Children's Health Plan Plus (CHP+) — low-cost insurance for families above Medicaid limits; covers autism services
• Family Support Services Program (FSSP) — financial assistance for families of children with IDD, accessed through TRE
• Colorado's Autism Treatment Fund — financial aid for uncovered autism service costs

Financial planning

ABLE accounts — Tax-advantaged savings for individuals with disabilities. Colorado residents can use Colorado ABLE or any state's program.

Special needs trusts — Legal mechanism for holding assets without affecting Medicaid/SSI eligibility. Requires an attorney experienced in disability law.

SSI (Supplemental Security Income) — For children with significant disabilities from income-eligible families.

Coordinating funding sources

Most Colorado Springs autism families use multiple funding sources. Military families typically combine TRICARE with school services and sometimes Medicaid/waivers; civilian families combine private insurance or Medicaid with school services and waivers. Coordinating across them is an ongoing task. The Resource Exchange, PEAK Parent Center, and installation EFMP offices can all help.

Key resources for Colorado Springs families:

• The Resource Exchange (TRE) — the regional Community Centered Board; access point for waivers and developmental disability services
• Autism Society of Colorado — autism-specific advocacy and community
• PEAK Parent Center — Colorado's parent training and information center; free special education navigation
• Early Intervention Colorado — early intervention (birth-3), free, via TRE
• Installation EFMP offices — for military families: Fort Carson, Peterson SFB, Schriever SFB, USAFA family support
• Disability Law Colorado — legal advocacy

For the broader statewide picture — including how Community Centered Boards and Colorado's waivers work — see our Colorado state autism guide.