Autism Resources in Orlando, Florida

Orlando anchors Central Florida and holds one of the state's deepest concentrations of autism services — hospital-based diagnostic teams at Nemours Children's Hospital and AdventHealth for Children, a wide field of ABA and pediatric therapy providers, autism-specific schools, and, distinctively, the free university-based support of UCF CARD, which serves seven Central Florida counties with no waitlist. This guide walks Orlando-area families through what's actually available: how to get a diagnosis, how therapy and school services work, where to find community and sensory-friendly outings, and how Florida's funding programs — Medicaid, the APD iBudget waiver, and the FES-UA scholarship — fit together. We're honest about the gaps too, chiefly the long APD waiver waitlist.