MY GUIDE Agencies > Overview of the The Texas Health and Human Services (HHS)

KEYWORDS: age 1 up to age 3age 3 through 5agenciesnewborn up to age 1state agency

Range of Programs

HHS oversees several important programs that parents and guardians of children with disabilities should know about. The word  "assistive" in the agency name covers a range of programs and services. The links below will take you to other articles on this site with more information about each program:

Disability Determination Services (DDS), a division of HHS that determines whether Texans who apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are eligible.

Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) provides a variety of important services to children from birth to age 3 with developmental delays and disabilities, and to their families.

ECI Respite is a service that gives short-term relief to families from the stress and daily, round-the-clock responsibility of caring for a family member with a disability.

Services for Children with Visual and Auditory Impairments can point you to several programs to assist children who are blind and/or have hearing loss.

The HHS Autism Program provides Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for children 3 through 8 years old who are on the autism spectrum. Local community agencies and organizations provide the therapy services through grant contracts. Families pay for the therapy services through a family cost share program. There are a limited number of contractors in the state. While you can apply for services with a contractor anywhere in the state, HHS does not provide funding for transportation and lodging