Autism Division of the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN)

A part of the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN), the Autism Division provides consultation, training and evaluation services for families of individuals with autism and the professionals who work with them. The Autism Division has an office in the DDSN agency building in Columbia.

SC Department of Disabilities and Special Needs
Autism Division
3440 Hardin Street Ext.
P.O. Box 4706
Columbia, SC 29240
(803) 898-9609
(888) 376-4636 (toll free)
http://www.state.sc.us/ddsn

The Autism Division also has four regional offices located in different parts of the state to provide services locally. The addresses of those offices and the respective counties they serve are as follows.

The Autism Division also has three Carolina Autism Resource and Evaluation (CARE) centers for diagnosis and intervention.

Carolina Autism Resource and Evaluation (CARE) Centers

South Carolina Autism Society
806 12th Street
West Columbia, SC 29169
(803) 750 6988
(800) 438-4790 (toll free)
(803) 750 8121 (fax)
e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
website: www.scautism.org

The South Carolina Autism Society (SCAS) is a chapter of the Autism Society of America. SCAS is a statewide organization whose mission is to enable all individuals with autism in South Carolina to reach their maximum potential. SCAS works to achieve this by providing information and referrals, regional support groups, educational opportunities and individual and system wide advocacy as well as service coordination to select counties. SCAS publishes a quarterly newsletter, Update. It offers various educational/informational opportunities, including an annual conference. The society is the only statewide advocacy organization on issues involving autism in South Carolina. SCAS programs include Autism and Informed Response training for emergency responders; the Parent-School Partnership to support families and schools in determining the most appropriate school placement for students with autism; and the organization’s annual conference for families and professionals as well as service coordination to limited counties.

Other Resources

Autism Society of America
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 300
Bethesda, MD 20814
(800) 3-AUTISM
(301) 657-0869 (fax)
website:  http://www.autism-society.org

Provides information and referrals to individuals, professionals, and people with autism and their families. Advocates for people with autism on the national level.

Office of Programs for Exceptional Children,
South Carolina State Department of Education
1429 Senate Street
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 734-8806
(800) 763-KIDS
website:  http://ed.sc.gov/agency/Standards-and-Learning/Exceptional-Children/old/ec/

The State Department of Education, through school districts in each county, is responsible for ensuring that all children, ages three through 21 years, have available to them a free, appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet the unique needs of the child. The Office of Programs for Exceptional Children ensures that children with disabilities have public education, that the rights of the children and their parents are protected, and that school districts receive assistance in providing for the education of all children.

Parents Reaching Out to Parents (PRO-Parents)
652 Bush River Road
Suite 218
Columbia, SC 29210
(803) 772-5688
(800) 759-4776 (toll free)
(803) 772-5341 (fax)
website:  http://www.proparents.org

A nonprofit organization for and founded by parents of children with special needs. Provides information, trains parents, holds workshops and provides referrals to support groups and networks.

The Arc
1823 Gadsden Street
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 748-5020
(803) 779-0017 (fax)
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Advocacy organization that provides information, training and support to people with mental retardation and their families.

South Carolina Protection and Advocacy Inc. (P&A)
3710 Landmark Drive, Suite 208
Columbia, SC 29204
(803) 782-0675 (Columbia) (800) 800-6997 (Columbia toll free)
(843) 763-8571 (Charleston) (800) 743-2553 (Charleston toll free)
(843) 662-0752 (Florence) (800) 868-0752 (Florence toll free)
(864) 235-0273 (Greenville) (800) 782-5212 (Greenville toll free)
(803) 790-1946 (fax) (800) 922-5225 (V/TTY)
website:  http://www.pandasc.org/

A private, nonprofit organization that provides a variety of protection and advocacy services for people with disabilities. Offers printed materials about advocacy for and legal rights of people with disabilities. Regional offices in Charleston, Columbia, Florence and Greenville.

Disability Action Center Inc.
1115 Belleview Street
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 779-5121 (Columbia)
(803) 779-5114 (fax)
website:  http://www.dacsc.org/

Provides counseling, independent-living skills training, peer support groups, referral services, community education, and individual and systems advocacy to people with disabilities. Offices in Columbia and Greenville.

Family Connection of South Carolina Inc.
2712 Middleburg Drive, Suite 103B
Columbia, SC 29204
(803) 252-0914 (Columbia)
(864) 455-6213 (Greenville)
(800) 578-8750 (toll free)
(803) 799-8017 (fax)
website:  http://www.familyconnectionsc.org/

Family Connection is a nonprofit, statewide support network for families of children with developmental delay, disability or chronic illness. It fosters family to family support and communication between families and professionals through statewide conferences and support groups. Family Connection provides the following: one-to-one matches to parents by disability or chronic illness for emotional and informational support; specialized training to parents as support parents, family partners to families with children who qualify for early intervention; and publishes a quarterly newsletter.