Nik - From age 3-8 they can qualify for treatment services through a few different places, one being the Child Study Center in Ft Worth (that place has like a 1yr waiting list, and it costs a fortune if you are trying to get in w/o going through the state.) Here are the links for the school stuff -
http://www.texasprojectfirst.org/AutismStrategies.html if you click on the link for the Commissioner's Rules on IEP development for students with autism, it will open up a pdf with the 11 strategies they are meant to consider for any student with a spectrum diagnosis when forming the IEP. If you've ever gone through an ARD process, there's a few check boxes at the end of it that relate to being either accepted or rejected, and there are 2 boxes for accepted - one says something like 'the child meets the requirements of a learning disability or emotional disturbance which is currently effecting the students learning blah blah blah' and the other one basically says 'the ARD committee finds the student has autism and is entitled to services'. Obviously not worded like that, but that's the basic idea anyway, hah.
The state also offer special services related to finding employment, independent living and mental health counseling.
Ooh.. I found the name - Texas Project FIRST. Could not remember that for the life of me!
Here's another list of state entitlements -
http://www.dads.state.tx.us/tarrc/services/communityservices.html
