Autism in Seattle: Open Doors, ESIT and Child Find

No Washington county has more COE-listed autism diagnosticians than King County, and most of them are in or near Seattle. In the Health Care Authority’s Center of Excellence list, updated August 28, 2026, the county fills pages 27 to 44 of 92 — more room than any other. Now read the notes column. The phrase “ONLY ESTABLISHED PATIENTS” appears twenty times in the King County section. Abundance and access are not the same thing, and in Seattle the gap between them is the problem.

StarzMeet lists 104 providers in Seattle at the time of writing — 15 under speech therapy, 13 each under ABA therapy and psychologists and psychiatrists, and 9 each under special education schools and sensory gyms.

Read the notes column before you dial

A Center of Excellence in Washington is a person, not a building: the clinician whose evaluation and order Apple Health requires before it funds ABA, as StarzMeet’s Washington guide explains. What the list adds locally is who is open.

Several King County entries carry no restriction. Boyer Children’s Clinic‘s Neurodevelopmental Center appears on the COE list for ages 0–20 on 206-325-8477, though its own StarzMeet listing describes therapy, education, nurse coordination and family support for children up to age 4, so ask first. The University of Washington Autism Center‘s StarzMeet listing describes evaluations, intervention, ABA LAUNCH and an infant and toddler parent group; the COE list records it for all ages on 206-221-6806 with “Interpreters available.” Karen Toth, PhD appears as Child Psychology, LLC for ages 0–20; her listing notes a Northgate office and an Autism Center of Excellence but no detail of services, so ask.

Others carry conditions better known in advance. UW Primary Care – Fremont requires that under-fives “must have formal hearing evaluation completed before visit,” and the Seattle Children’s entry warns that “specific providers cannot be requested.”

If your child attends one of six Seattle schools

One line is easy to miss. NeighborCare Health’s school-based health centers inside Seattle Public Schools appear as autism Centers of Excellence for ages 5–20, with their own email address, autismclinic@neighborcare.org. The list restricts them: a child “MUST BE A SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS STUDENT” at Dearborn Elementary, Bailey Gatzert Elementary, West Seattle Elementary, Highland Park Elementary, Madison Middle School or Robert Eagle Staff Middle School, and “clinics are closed during the summer.” NeighborCare’s own school-based page says that its school-based health center care generally is “available to all students in Seattle Public Schools,” that “there is no cost for students,” and that insurance is not required. Services differ by school, so put fee and insurance questions to the site your child attends.

Under three: one county number, and a Seattle-only extra

No diagnosis is needed to start. King County’s Early Support for Infants and Toddlers page says the program “supports children ages 0-3 and their families with milestones like walking, talking, eating, playing, and learning.” Referrals go to the King County Resource Access Team on 206-204-3536, to ESIT@kingcounty.gov or by fax to 206-299-9146, and its ESIT Provider Map Tool shows which provider covers your area.

Living inside the city limits adds something the rest of the county does not get. The Seattle Developmental Bridge Program serves “children birth through four years of age,” and the county states that “services are delivered at no cost to families living in Seattle city limits.” It is funded by the city’s Families, Education, Preschool and Promise Levy; the evaluation coordinator named on the page is Aster Berhane, on aster.berhane@boyercc.org or 206-325-8477 — the same clinic as the Center of Excellence above.

Three and up: Child Find, and who may ask

Seattle Public Schools runs Child Find as “a district process to identify children birth-21 suspected of having a disability.” For a child aged three to five inside district boundaries, you complete the online Child Find Intake Form for “a free developmental screening,” and the team then contacts you, on 206-252-0805 or childfind@seattleschools.org. A Birth-to-Three Transition Coordinator is on 206-252-0835, and families already in early intervention are told to contact their Family Resource Coordinator.

For a child who turned five after August 31, or is already enrolled, the page says to “contact the principal of your neighborhood or attendance area school.” The district’s accessing services page says “any concerned member of a child’s community can refer them to the district for evaluation,” and says the school-based team must decide within 25 school days whether to evaluate the student for eligibility. Put it in writing. What follows consent — the 35 school days, the report, the five reading days — is in the Washington guide.

The two hospital doors, and how they differ

Seattle Children’s Autism Center, listed for autism treatment, early intervention under six and transition support for young adults, has moved to the Magnuson site — a roughly 16,000 square foot space the hospital says “will allow us to provide family-focused care to 25% more children” over five years. Its how-to-get-services page sets three conditions: “all of our services require a referral from your primary care provider,” “we do not provide second opinions or re-evaluations for autism,” and “many of our services have long waits.” Ask about its cancellation list. Its separate treatments and services page says it assesses “children 15 months through 17 years old who have not previously been evaluated for autism.” New patients call 206-987-8080.

The second door is quieter. Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic states that “OBCC is an autism Center of Excellence (COE),” and that “your child must be an Odessa Brown patient” to use its autism services; its team assesses children from 15 months through 18 years who have no diagnosis yet, and new families can ask it to take over primary care: “contact us at 206-987-7210 to establish care.” Project ImPACT coaches parents on communication and play for an hour a week over 12 to 16 weeks at 1711 S Jackson St. RUBI is “a training program for parents and other caregivers of children ages 3 to 10 with autism and mild-to-moderate behavior problems.”

Seattle listings we opened and checked

Each entry below was kept only where the listing itself says the provider does this work, with children, in Seattle. Headings follow what a provider offers, not its directory category, and carry no ranking. Listing details come from providers and public information; confirm availability, fees and insurance directly with each provider.

Assessment and psychology

• Sound Psychological Evaluations, PLLC — Neuropsychological and psycho-educational testing in West Seattle, including autism assessments, preschool to college age.
• PEAK Psychological Wellness, PLLC — Therapy and psychological evaluations for autism and ADHD at an Eastlake office; the listing notes Spanish.
• Under One Roof Psychological Services — Evaluation and assessment plus cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior therapy, with immediate slots listed.

ABA therapy

• Thrive ABA Therapy — BCBA-led ABA in the home, school and community with parent coaching, listed for all ages and focused on early intervention.
• Magnolia Behavior Therapy — Center-based, in-home and virtual ABA for ages 2 to 18, plus social skills groups and parent training.
• STEPS — ABA for ages 2 to 12 at home, at its Eastlake clinic and in school; the listing says it is out of network, with a superbill.
• Perch Behavioral Health — Plans written by Board Certified Behavior Analysts across home, school and community; the listing notes Medicaid.

Speech, language and feeding

• Wagner Pediatric Speech and Language — Speech-language therapy on Nickerson Street covering articulation, fluency, feeding, AAC and literacy, with immediate sessions listed.
• Sound Voices Pediatrics — Speech and feeding assessment and therapy for children and adolescents in West Seattle, with openings listed for new clients.
• Swedish Pediatric Therapy – First Hill — Physical, occupational and speech-language therapy from birth to 18, including AAC and sensory integration.

Occupational therapy

• Therapy Services for Children — An outpatient pediatric clinic covering motor skills, self-care, play, sensory processing and emotion regulation.
• Creative Beginnings Occupational Therapy — Occupational therapy for children and teens, with an outdoor clinic and telehealth; home visits are case-by-case.
• Nosh & Nourish Therapy — Occupational therapy for feeding and mealtimes, ages 2 to 18, in clinic or at home, with parent education.

Under five

• Haring Center: Experimental Education Unit — Inclusive early childhood education at the University of Washington, with family support on behavior and advocacy.
• Sensory Preschool — A West Seattle pre-K class for ages 4 to 5 covering self-regulation, sensory processing and kindergarten readiness.

Schools, groups and camps

• Academy for Precision Learning — A K–12 independent school for students with an autism diagnosis and others under the neurodiversity umbrella.
• Trillium Academy — A grades 5 to 12 school for highly capable learners with complex profiles, including twice-exceptional students.
• Seattle Children’s PlayGarden — A one-acre fenced garden with a preschool for ages 3 to 5 and an inclusive nature-based camp for ages 3.5 to 21.

Browse every Seattle listing, or the site-wide ABA therapy and speech therapy categories. For peer support, The Arc of King County’s Parent to Parent program links families with “a trained mentor parent who shares similar life experiences”; the office answers on 206-364-6337, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, or email ask@arcofkingcounty.org (preguntas@arcofkingcounty.org in Spanish).

What Seattle parents ask

Seattle Children’s needs a referral and has long waits. Where else can we get the evaluation?

Anywhere on the Center of Excellence list: the hospital says “a diagnosis of autism from any COE provider can still get you services.” Call the King County entries without an “only established patients” note first, or the NeighborCare center if your child attends one of those six schools. Under three, refer to ESIT meanwhile; three or older, file Child Find. For the visit itself, read what actually happens at a first autism assessment.

My child is a teenager. Most of this looks aimed at toddlers.

Several Seattle listings start later. Engage ABA provides ABA for ages 10 to 25 in the community rather than a clinic, and Ryther‘s Neurodiverse Services include camps and groups for ages 5 to 26. Child Find runs to 21, and the Center of Excellence list keeps under-21s in its main column, with separate entries for evaluations at 21 and over.

Does a Seattle clinic’s diagnosis get us long-term state support?

Not on its own. The Developmental Disabilities Administration applies an adaptive-functioning test alongside the diagnosis, and the scores it requires are in the Washington guide. Ask whichever clinician evaluates your child whether the report will include adaptive testing.

Sources

• Washington Health Care Authority – Center of Excellence Applied Behavior Analysis list (updated August 28, 2026)
• King County DCHS – Early Support for Infants and Toddlers and Developmental Bridge
• Seattle Public Schools – Child Find and Accessing Services
• Seattle Children’s – How to Get Services, Treatments and Services, the Autism Center and OBCC Autism Services
• NeighborCare Health – School-Based Health Centers; The Arc of King County – Parent to Parent; University of Washington Autism Center – Clinical Services
• StarzMeet – Autism Services in Washington and the Seattle listings linked above

Banner: AI-generated illustration; the people shown are not real and are not the providers listed.