Proudly serving families in Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Langley Park, Hillandale, College Park
Shared by families who have completed care at Soar.
What to expect
Knowing where to start with autism care is tricky, and it's completely normal to have questions about the path ahead. We've designed our process to give your family clarity, guidance, and support at every step.
1
Diagnostic Evaluation
If your child needs a formal diagnosis, we can help you avoid the months-long waitlists found elsewhere. Our streamlined process starts with a virtual intake to learn your child's history, followed by a play-based diagnostic testing session, and wraps up with a dedicated results call to walk you through our findings.
2
Therapy Intake Call
If you already have a diagnosis, we'll jump right in with a dedicated intake phone call. This is your opportunity to connect 1:1 with a care coordinator to get answers to all your questions about our therapy approach, logistics, and scheduling.
3
Tour Our Downtown Silver Spring Center
We want you to feel entirely comfortable with where your child will be learning. If you'd like, we'll schedule a personal tour of our Downtown Silver Spring center so you can explore our play-based spaces and meet the clinical team in person.
4
Multidisciplinary Assessment
Before therapy begins, your child will complete a comprehensive assessment with our full team of specialties present. By having our BCBAs, speech therapists (SLPs), and occupational therapists (OTs) evaluate together, we build a completely integrated care plan tailored to your child's unique potential.
5
Continuous Care &
Open Doors
Once therapy starts, you are part of the team. We maintain an open-door policy so you can visit sessions, and we provide regular family check-ins and treatment guidance to ensure your child's progress continues at home.
Choose a day and time below and our team will call you to talk through your child’s needs, answer your questions, and map out next steps, whether you’re seeking a diagnostic evaluation, therapy, or both.
Soar is in-network with virtually all commercial plans and every Medicaid plan across Maryland and D.C., so quality autism care is within reach for more families. Send us your information and our team will verify your child’s coverage, usually within one business day.
Don’t see your plan? Reach out and we’ll check it for you.
Please contact us to confirm coverage for your specific plan.
Our Downtown Silver Spring center provides therapy for children from 18 months through age 6, the years when a child’s brain is most adaptable and early support makes the biggest difference. Our approach, the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), is the most researched form of ABA therapy for children under 6, blending developmental science with behavioral therapy. It centers on relationship-building, a skill that carries into your child’s future relationships and learning, including with their teachers later on.
In most cases, a diagnosis is needed before therapy can begin, and if your child hasn’t been evaluated yet, our Downtown Silver Spring center can help. Our diagnostic evaluations combine virtual and on-site assessments, so you can complete this step with us. From there, you’re welcome to start therapy at Soar, or take your child’s diagnosis elsewhere if that’s the right choice for your family. If your child already has a diagnosis, we’ll begin with a Multidisciplinary Assessment to build their personalized care plan.
In Maryland, we’re in-network with virtually all major commercial plans, along with all Medicaid plans in both Maryland and D.C., including Aetna, CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Johns Hopkins Health Plans, and many more. We also welcome military families through ChampVA. Beyond helping you understand your benefits, our team handles much of the insurance navigation for you, so you can focus on your child instead of the paperwork. Coverage is re-authorized every six months, and we’ll guide you through that too. The best way to confirm your coverage is to reach out. Our team will check your specific plan and walk you through your options. You can also learn more on our Billing & Insurance page.
Getting started is simple. It begins with a short intake call, followed by an optional tour of the Downtown Silver Spring center where you can meet the team and see the space for yourself. From there, your child has an evaluation with our behavioral, speech, and occupational therapy leaders who get to know your child, create a personalized plan, and recommend a schedule. Call (240) 502-3024 or schedule online to begin.
Safety is built into everything at our Downtown Silver Spring center: the way the space is designed, the people we hire, and the rhythm of every day. Your child is supervised by trained staff at all times and works one-on-one with their therapist during therapy. You can read our full safety practices on our Commitment to Safety page.
At our Downtown Silver Spring center, care is one-on-one all day. Your child is paired with a dedicated member of their care team throughout the day, with a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) overseeing their care, and that 1:1 attention holds in group activities too. If there are four children in a group, there are four staff members with them.
Yes, we’d love to show you around. Call to schedule a tour, and we’ll walk you through the Downtown Silver Spring center, introduce you to the team, and help you picture your child’s day before you decide. And once your child is enrolled, you’ll have open-door access to visit and check in anytime.
Gain a deeper understanding of autism and our innovative therapeutic approaches.
