Autism Resources in Chula Vista, California

Chula Vista — San Diego County's second-largest city, in the South Bay near the U.S.-Mexico border — sits inside California's distinctive services system. Under the Lanterman Act, Californians with a qualifying developmental disability including autism are legally entitled to lifelong services through a Regional Center, not placed on a Medicaid-waiver waitlist. For Chula Vista, that entry point is the San Diego Regional Center (SDRC), which serves families in multiple languages. The region also holds a rare academic-clinical asset in Rady Children's Autism Discovery Institute. This guide walks through what's available to Chula Vista families: diagnosis, therapy, schools, community and sensory-friendly activities, bilingual support, and how California's funding programs actually work.