Helpful Organizations
Autism Community TeamThe Autism Community Team is a collaborative group providing local information and resources for families and professionals working with individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Sonoma, Solano and Napa counties.
Autism Speaks
The organization is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, and treatments for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.
California SELPAA Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) is a consortium in a specific geographical regions of which provides for all special education service needs of children residing within the region boundaries. SELPAs are dedicated to the belief that all students can learn and that special needs students must be guaranteed equal opportunity to become contributing members of society. SELPAs facilitate high quality educational programs and services for special needs students and training for parents and educators. The SELPA collaborates with county agencies and school districts to develop and maintain healthy and enriching environments in which special needs students and families can live and succeed.
The California Senate Select Committee on Autism and Related Disorders
The Committee provides a legislative forum for research, analysis, deliberations, and outreach in order to promote policies and legislation to better assist individuals with ASD and their families.
Canine Companions for IndependenceFounded in 1975, Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships.
Children’s Village of Sonoma CountyThe mission of The Children's Village of Sonoma County is to provide nurturing, stable family homes in a multi-generational, enriched environment for children and their siblings in foster care. The organization's goals are to minimize the upheaval and disruption of multiple placements for children in foster care, provide opportunity for sibling groups to grow up together, allow children to develop healthy emotional attachments in a nurturing environment, and prepare for successful transition to adulthood.
EARLI (Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation)EARLI is dedicated to studying families that already have a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder who are pregnant or who might become pregnant in the future. The EARLI Study focuses on the prenatal (the time between conception and birth) and early life periods in newborns who have brothers or sisters already diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. EARLI will closely follow families from the start of the pregnancy to the time the baby reaches age three. The comprehensive data we collect will be analyzed to help us better understand the complex causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Giant Steps Therapeutic RidingLocated in a beautiful rural setting on a working horse ranch just north of San Francisco, Giant Steps offers life-changing experiences to people of all ages with a wide range of disabilities. Each week, they come from throughout the Bay Area to interact with their 1,000 pound "therapist" in a safe and secure environment and achieve goals that they never before dreamed possible. Our focus is not on their limitations, but what they can do, and the results are extraordinary.
Local Regional Centers
Golden Gate Regional CenterGolden Gate Regional Center serves individuals with developmental disabilities and their families who reside in Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties. In addition, we provide early intervention services to infants between birth and three years of age who are developmentally delayed or believed to be at high risk of having a developmental disability, and genetic counseling and testing for individuals at high risk of having a child with a disability.
North Bay Regional CenterNorth Bay Regional Center (NBRC) is a private, non-profit corporation contracting with the State of California to provide diagnostic, evaluation, service coordination, and early intervention services to individuals with developmental disabilities.
Regional Center of the East BayRegional Center of the East Bay supports persons with developmental disabilities and their families with the tools needed to achieve lives of quality and satisfaction, and builds partnerships that result in inclusive communities.
Marin Autism CollaborativeThe Marin Autism Collaborative came together to identify and address the service needs of all ages of individuals on the autistic spectrum and their families. Our members include family members, service agencies, educators, non-profit organizations, medical and therapeutic professionals, and government organizations.
Marin County Office of EducationBuilding the future, one student at a time.
Matrix Parent Network and Resource Center
Matrix's mission is to empower families of children with special needs to successfully understand and access the systems that serve them.
MIND InstituteThe UC Davis MIND Institute (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) is a collaborative international research center, committed to the awareness, understanding, prevention, care, and cure of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Napa County Office of EducationThe Napa County Office of Education (NCOE) serves the five districts and their schools, teachers, students, and families throughout their beautiful valley. They also provide leadership in the field of education by administering a range of regional, state, and national professional development programs.
North Bay Housing CoalitionThe North Bay Housing Coalition’s mission is to increase affordable housing for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families in Napa, Solano, and Sonoma Counties.
PALSPets Are Loving Support is a non-profit agency organized to improve the quality of life of people with AIDS by preserving and promoting the human/animal bond through the care and maintenance of their animal companions.
Renaissance Healing & LearningRenaissance Healing and Learning Center is a therapy center that was developed by Fran Sandler Judd, a physical therapist in Sonoma County, California, to utilize Hippotherapy ("treatment with the help of the horse") to help provide benefits to patients with a variety of neurological and orthopedic conditions, that includes Parkinson's Disease, cerebral palsy, autism, developmental delays, back pain, and other impairments.
Sonoma County Office of EducationThe mission of the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) is to foster student success through service to students, schools, and the community. One of 58 county offices of education in California, SCOE functions as an educational service agency and strategic partner to the 40 school districts in Sonoma County and their 174 schools.
State Council on Developmental Disabilities Area Board 4 and Area Board 5 The State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD) is established by state and federal law as an independent state agency to ensure that people with developmental disabilities and their families receive the services and supports they need. SCDD is uniquely composed of individuals with a developmental disability, parents and family members of people with developmental disabilities, and representatives of State agencies that provide services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Area Board 4 serves individuals who have developmental disabilities and their families in Napa, Solano, and Sonoma Counties, and Area Board 5 serves the consumers of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties.