Autism Resources in Illinois

A statewide guide to autism services across Illinois — for families in Chicago, Naperville and the western suburbs, and communities across the state.

Illinois pairs a strong early-intervention program and a private-insurance autism mandate with a developmental disability system that runs on a statewide waitlist database called PUNS. Chicago holds deep clinical capacity — Lurie Children's, Rush, and UIC's Institute on Disability and Human Development among them — while access outside the metro thins out. Understanding both the strengths and the PUNS waitlist early makes a real difference.

This page walks through how the pieces fit together and where the gaps are.

We've written this as a starting point. Illinois readers who know specifics better than we do — tell us what we got wrong or missed.

To see where Illinois stands overall, read our breakdown of the best states for autism services and what actually determines how well a state supports autistic kids.