Autism Evaluation in Colorado: Where to Go and How Long It Takes

Written by Nicole Fried, M. Ed, BCBA, LBA. Updated October 2026.

If you are a Denver-area parent wondering whether your child might be autistic, an autism evaluation can start in more than one place, and the free routes run on legal deadlines. Early Intervention Colorado has 45 days from referral to complete an evaluation for children under 3. Public schools have 60 calendar days from your written consent for children 3 and older.

A clinical evaluation, the kind that produces a medical diagnosis, takes longer. No Colorado program we checked posts a current wait time.

So the most useful advice I can give is to start every route at the same time. A dad from Lakewood once told me he called one clinic, was told someone would be in touch, and waited months before calling anyone else. Three calls in one afternoon would have put him on three lists.

Three Ways to Get an Autism Evaluation in Colorado

Colorado families can reach an evaluation through Early Intervention, through their school district, or through a clinic. The three do different jobs, so many families use more than one.

The last two rows trip up a lot of parents. The Colorado Department of Education's guidance says an educational identification is not a medical diagnosis. It also says a school team may not require a medical diagnosis before it evaluates your child.

Early Intervention Colorado for Children Under 3

If your child is younger than 3, make this call first. It costs nothing, anyone can make the referral, and a concern about how your child is growing or developing is enough reason to ask.

You can refer by calling 833-733-3734 (833-REFER-EI), emailing GetStartedwithEI@state.co.us, or using the online form on the Early Intervention Colorado website. The state says each family is assigned a service coordinator within three business days. The evaluation, family assessment, and service plan should happen within 45 days of the referral.

Services are required to start within 28 days of your consent unless you ask for a later date. There are no family fees and no income requirements.

What Early Intervention Provides

Early Intervention evaluates whether your child qualifies for developmental support. It can connect you with speech, occupational, and other therapies built into your daily routines.

It is separate from a clinical diagnosis and from ABA. That is why we suggest keeping any clinic waitlist spot while Early Intervention services begin.

Denver Families Have a Second Option

Rocky Mountain Human Services runs a Developmental and Behavioral Health team that, according to its website, provides diagnostic evaluation and early intervention to all children under 3 who live in the City and County of Denver. It lists autism diagnostics among its services.

Children over 3 can access its diagnostic evaluations if their insurance contracts with the agency. Questions about ages 3 to 18 go to DiagnosticTesting@rmhumanservices.org.

School Evaluations for Ages 3 and Up

At age 3, responsibility shifts from Early Intervention to your public school system. The evaluation is free, and it does not depend on having a medical diagnosis first.

You, a doctor, or a teacher can contact your local Preschool Child Find contact to ask about the process, but nothing happens until you give written permission. Agreeing to an evaluation does not mean agreeing to special education services. Once the district has your signed consent, it has 60 days to complete the evaluation.

If a school decides a child does not need an evaluation, it must explain why in writing. Your local contact is listed in the Colorado Department of Education's Child Find directory.

What a School Evaluation Can and Cannot Tell You

A school team decides whether your child's autism affects their education enough to need specialized instruction. That is a different question from the clinical one, and the two systems use different definitions. Educational eligibility is also reviewed at least every three years.

State guidance encourages school teams to explain why a medical diagnostic follow-up is worth pursuing, because a diagnosis affects access to private therapies and insurance coverage. The same guidance notes that a detailed school evaluation report can help a local physician make a diagnosis in places far from medical centers.

Clinical Autism Evaluations in Denver, Aurora, and Beyond

A clinical evaluation by a licensed professional produces the medical diagnosis that private therapies and insurance plans usually ask for. These are the programs I could confirm through their own websites.

Children's Hospital Colorado and JFK Partners

Children's Hospital Colorado's Developmental Pediatrics Program evaluates children from infancy through adolescence, in team settings or individual consultations. Each team clinic has a developmental pediatrician or advanced practice provider working with a psychologist, and some add speech, occupational, or physical therapy.

JFK Partners at CU Anschutz serves people from toddlers through adults. Its team evaluations may include psychology, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, developmental-behavioral pediatrics, and child psychiatry. Many of its services are delivered by advanced trainees under close faculty supervision.

Both are reached through Developmental Pediatrics at Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora at 720-777-6630. Children's also offers a resource set called Navigate the Wait for caregivers on its Developmental Pediatrics waitlist, which tells you plainly that a waitlist exists.

Sewall Child Development Center in Denver

Sewall's Diagnostic and Evaluation Clinic runs multidisciplinary, arena-style evaluations at 940 Fillmore Street. Its website lists children from 18 months through early teens, with a team that includes a clinical psychologist, a speech-language pathologist, and an occupational therapist.

Sewall says it accepts Colorado Medicaid and lists a private-pay rate of $3,500. It describes waits as ranging from a few weeks to a few months. That page cites 2019 figures, so call 303-399-1800 to confirm current ages, insurance, and wait.

Private Psychologists and Developmental Specialists

Independent psychologists across the Front Range also evaluate for autism. Insurance acceptance, ages served, and waits change quickly, so I am not naming individual practices here. Call and ask:

• How many weeks until a first appointment, and can I join a cancellation list?
• Do you evaluate children my child's age?
• Which tools do you use?
• Do you accept Health First Colorado or my plan, and what is the private-pay rate?
• How soon after testing will I receive the written report?

How Long an Autism Evaluation in Colorado Takes

Three clocks run one after another: the wait to be seen, the evaluation itself, and the written report. Only the first two have deadlines in the free routes.

Deadlines You Can Count On

Early Intervention has 45 days from referral to finish the evaluation and service plan. Schools have 60 calendar days from your written consent. If either one runs past those windows, ask in writing what is causing the delay.

Clinic Waits Are Harder to Pin Down

The Colorado Department of Education's guidance, written in 2020, put typical waits at 6 to 18 months in local clinics, with less time possible when seeing individual practitioners. Sewall's own page says a few weeks to a few months.

Treat those as a planning range, not a promise, and ask every program for today's number.

The Evaluation Day and the Report

CDE's guidance lists what a clinical diagnosis draws on: medical, family, and developmental history, caregiver reports across settings, direct observation of social and communication behavior, and standardized assessments. It calls the ADOS the gold standard for direct observation. The ADI-R parent interview takes about two hours on its own.

Plan for a long visit, and ask how soon the written report arrives afterward.

What an Autism Evaluation in Colorado Costs

Costs vary widely, and coverage depends on the provider and your plan. CDE's 2020 guidance estimated $1,500 to $3,500 for a clinical diagnosis, sometimes covered by insurance and sometimes not.

For children on Health First Colorado, the EPSDT benefit requires diagnostic services when a screening shows a child needs further evaluation, for members age 20 and under. That gives Medicaid-enrolled families a coverage route. The practical hurdle is finding a clinic that accepts it.

Our breakdown of evaluation costs explains why the range is so wide.

What to Do While You Wait for an Autism Evaluation

Waiting is the hardest stretch for most parents I talk with, and there is more to do during it than it feels like.

• Join more than one list. Ask each program to call you with cancellations.
• Ask about screening. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends autism-specific screening at 18 and 24 months, and CDC says autism can sometimes be detected at 18 months or younger. CDC's screening guidance explains the steps, and our post on early red flags shows what parents often notice first.
• Gather records. Sewall's list is a good model: primary care records, birth records, any IFSP or IEP, and prior speech, motor, or cognitive evaluations.
• Write down specifics. What happens at bedtime, how your child responds to their name, what a hard transition looks like. Specific examples give evaluators more to work with than general worries.
• Skip shortcuts. Online autism tests can flag concerns but cannot replace a clinical evaluation.
• Ask your pediatrician about interim supports. Ask whether speech or occupational therapy referrals can start before the diagnostic visit.

After the Evaluation: Connecting a Diagnosis to Support

A diagnostic report is a starting point. An evaluation answers whether your child meets criteria for autism. An ABA assessment is a separate step that maps your child's skills and behaviors so a treatment plan can be built.

Our post on questions after diagnosis covers what to ask while the news is still sinking in. When you are ready for therapy, we offer home-based ABA, school-based ABA therapy, telehealth ABA, and ABA parent training.

Our autism evaluation page describes four steps. We start by listening to you, observe your child in a comfortable and natural way, use evidence-based tools such as the ADOS and CARS-2, and explain results in plain language together. Availability, coverage, and clinician credentials can differ by plan and location, so contact us and we will tell you what is possible for your address.

Our Colorado office is in Denver. Our ABA therapy in Colorado page lists the communities we serve, from Aurora, Lakewood, and Thornton to Highlands Ranch, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins.

Your Next Step Toward an Autism Evaluation in Colorado

Here is the practical order. If your child is under 3, call Early Intervention Colorado this week. If your child is 3 or older, send your school's special education contact a written request. At the same time, call two or three clinics and ask for their current wait and whether they accept your insurance.

In my experience, parents often describe relief once they have words for what they have been seeing. An evaluation is information that opens doors to support, and you do not have to wait for one answer before starting the others.

We cannot speed up anyone's calendar, and no one can promise a diagnosis or a timeline. We can help you sort the order of steps. Reach out to Blue Jay ABA and we will start there. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Autism Evaluations in Colorado

Do I need a doctor's referral to start an autism evaluation in Colorado?

Not for the free routes. Anyone can refer a child under 3 to Early Intervention Colorado, and a school evaluation starts with your written consent. Clinics and insurance plans often want a referral, so ask each one what it requires.

How long is the wait for an autism evaluation in Denver?

Early Intervention has 45 days from referral, and schools have 60 calendar days from your written consent. Clinic wait times are not posted publicly that we could find. Colorado Department of Education guidance from 2020 put local clinic waits at 6 to 18 months, so call several programs and ask for today's estimate.

Does an IEP evaluation count as an autism diagnosis?

No. The Colorado Department of Education says an educational identification is different from a clinical diagnosis. If your child qualifies at school, state guidance encourages families to follow up with a medical evaluation because a diagnosis can affect access to private therapies and insurance coverage.

Does Health First Colorado cover an autism evaluation?

Health First Colorado's EPSDT benefit requires diagnostic services when a screening shows a child needs further evaluation, for members age 20 and under. The harder part is finding a clinic that accepts it, so ask each program whether it takes Health First Colorado.

How early can autism be diagnosed?

CDC says autism can sometimes be detected at 18 months or younger, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends autism-specific screening at 18 and 24 months. If you have a concern sooner, raise it with your pediatrician or call Early Intervention Colorado.

What if my child is older or talks well?

JFK Partners serves people from toddlers through adults, and school evaluations cover ages 3 to 21. Children who talk well are often identified later, and our post on high-functioning autism diagnosis explains how clinicians approach those evaluations.

Sources

• Children's Hospital Colorado. (n.d.). Developmental pediatrics. https://www.childrenscolorado.org/doctors-and-departments/departments/neuroscience-institute/programs/developmental-pediatrics/
• Colorado Department of Early Childhood. (n.d.). Early Intervention Colorado. Raising Colorado Kids. https://raisingcoloradokids.com/en/child-development/children-with-disabilities/early-intervention-colorado/
• Colorado Department of Education. (2020). Guidelines for the educational evaluation of autism spectrum disorder. https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdesped/asd_guidelines
• Colorado Department of Education. (2024). Referral for special education evaluation in Colorado: For 3 through 5-year-olds with a suspected disability or delay. https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdesped/referralresourcefamilies
• Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. (n.d.). Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT). https://hcpf.colorado.gov/epsdt
• JFK Partners, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine. (n.d.). Assessment and treatment services. https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/jfk-partners/clinical-services/assessment-and-treatment-services
• Rocky Mountain Human Services. (2026). Developmental and behavioral health services. https://www.rmhumanservices.org/departments/early-intervention-behavioral-health/
• Sewall Child Development Center. (n.d.). Diagnostic & evaluation. https://sewall.org/diagnostic-and-evaluation/
• University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, The Care Collaborative. (n.d.). ECHO and Children's Hospital Colorado: Advancing equity and access for children with autism in rural Colorado. https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/thecarecollaborative/news/the-care-collaborative-echo-and-children-s-hospital-colorado--advancing-equity-and-access-for-children-with-autism-in-rural-colorado