Greater Albuquerque covers Bernalillo, Sandoval, and Valencia counties — Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Los Lunas, Bernalillo, Corrales (Santa Fe is about an hour north). This is a true yellow pages of the best, most relevant help for a child with special needs, built so a family ANYWHERE in the metro can find genuinely excellent care nearby — named experts and therapists, not just directories. It's ranked by real credentials (ABPP, BHCOE, Orton-Gillingham/CALT, COPAA, CCC-SLP, board-certification) — never by reviews or who pays. Start with the free New Mexico options (FIT is free regardless of income or immigration status), then the best evaluators, schools, reading specialists, therapists, doctors, and advocates near you.
✓ Every provider here is vetted by credentials, never pay-to-play. How we choose →
School for students with specific learning disabilities whose staff is trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach, Multisensory Math, and the Strategic Instructional Model to build effective learners and confident self-advocates.
Dedicated learning-support program embedded in Albuquerque Academy, a long-established independent college-prep school accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, providing individualized academic support for students with learning differences.
Pathways Academy is a private nonprofit K–12 school for students on the autism spectrum, with ADHD/ADD, or learning difficulties in reading, writing, and math, with student-to-teacher ratios of 8:1 or smaller. Accredited by the North Central Association and licensed as a New Mexico nonpublic school.
DLD Sycamore School (Albuquerque) serves students with learning disabilities, with an Orton-Gillingham-certified language therapist providing daily one-to-one pull-out support for dyslexia and reading — listed in The Directory of Facilities and Services for Learning Disabled.
The Bosque Learning Center (within Bosque School, grades 6–12) has specialist tutors trained in an intensive Orton-Gillingham approach (Wilson Reading Program) with proven success for students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, and learning differences.
Parents Reaching Out can help you compare additional Albuquerque-area school options for dyslexia, autism, and learning differences at no cost — including district special-education programs across Bernalillo, Sandoval, and Valencia counties.
Private nonprofit day school serving grades 1-12 for students with dyslexia and other learning differences for nearly four decades. Very small classes (1-10), individualized pacing, and a language therapist certified in Orton-Gillingham for one-to-one dyslexia/reading work; alternative high-school independent-study track is North Central accredited.
State-run, tuition-free special school (est. 1885) for deaf and hard-of-hearing students birth-21, preschool through grade 12. Accredited by the North Central Association and the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf. Main campus in Santa Fe (~60 mi) with a satellite preschool in Albuquerque and statewide early-intervention/outreach serving ABQ families.
Tuition-free public charter school, the first ASL-English dual-language program certified by the State of New Mexico. Enrolls deaf and hard-of-hearing students (regardless of additional disabilities) alongside hearing peers, with certified teachers held to NM public-school standards. Nationally recognized model for deaf education.
The district's special-education department serves roughly 20% of APS students with an extensive continuum of services, including specialized/cluster programs (intensive global support, social-communication/autism support, social-emotional support) and dedicated specialized facilities. Free FAPE under IDEA for eligible Albuquerque students.
These public schools and programs have a solid track record in special education — but we don’t re-check them every year. Staff, leadership, and programs change from building to building and year to year. Treat this as a strong starting point, and confirm the current fit for your child.
New Mexico's largest district special-education program, anchored by the Aztec Special Education and Autism Center, the district's intensive support, diagnostic, and evaluation center with an autism wing, OT/PT and sensory rooms, and functional-skills labs. Free and public; programs vary by year and school.
Special-education services delivered within neighborhood schools across the Rio Rancho metro, including the Shining Stars preschool special-education program. Free and public; offerings change year to year.
Tuition-free public charter school providing special-education services and accommodations under IDEA for students with disabilities. Free and public; programs vary by year.
Provides specialized, comprehensive diagnostic evaluations for autism spectrum disorder and related conditions in children and adolescents, conducted by licensed psychologists.
Dr. Michael Neessen is a clinical psychologist with over 20 years and 3,000+ children evaluated, plus post-doctoral training in early literacy and a former Harvard Medical School instructor. By-appointment evaluations for ADHD, dyslexia/reading disabilities, learning, intellectual, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, ages 6–18.
Cynthia Peterson, PhD is a licensed psychologist formally trained as a clinical neuropsychologist with an emphasis in child neuropsychology, offering autism, ADHD, learning-disability, and full neuropsychological evaluation plus high-stakes-exam accommodation testing.
A pediatric neuropsychology practice providing clinical and forensic neuropsychological evaluations for children ages 4–17, including a clinical interview plus a multi-hour battery of standardized cognitive testing and questionnaires.
The University of New Mexico's Center for Development & Disability — New Mexico's University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities — provides full evaluations to identify autism and other disabilities, with expert care for speech, movement, and cognitive needs.
FirstSteps Autism Evaluations provides comprehensive diagnostic evaluations for very young children (roughly ages 1–4) with developmental differences and concern for possible autism spectrum disorder — a focused early-diagnosis option when families need answers fast.
Eric Zimak, PhD, ABPP at Neuropsychological Services of New Mexico (Albuquerque) is a board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist providing comprehensive private evaluation for autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities. The credential to look for in a private evaluator.
The University of New Mexico's Center for Development & Disability — New Mexico's University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities — provides full evaluations to identify autism and other disabilities, with expert care for speech, movement, and cognitive needs.
The American Board of Professional Psychology's directory lists clinicians who passed board certification in clinical neuropsychology — UNM Health's Center for Neuropsychological Services has three ABPP-board-certified pediatric neuropsychologists. The credential to verify in any private evaluator.
Erin Brown is a Certified Academic Language Therapist and Qualified Instructor and a certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist providing one-to-one multisensory structured language (Orton-Gillingham–based) therapy for dyslexia and related language-based learning differences. She also directs MLTI-NM.
The Multisensory Language Training Institute of New Mexico (MLTI-NM) is an IMSLEC-accredited program that has trained dyslexia therapists since 1987 in Orton-Gillingham principles and the Sounds In Syllables method — a credible way to find a highly trained academic language therapist in the Albuquerque area.
The Academy's directory lists accredited Orton-Gillingham practitioners across greater Albuquerque — searchable by area so you can find one near Rio Rancho, Los Lunas, or Corrales. The gold-standard credential for a private dyslexia tutor.
A huge audiobook/highlighting library — free for students with a qualifying reading disability, so your child keeps up with grade-level books while they learn to decode.
Locally owned clinic serving Albuquerque for over 40 years, providing rehabilitative physical, occupational, and speech therapy to children of all ages from licensed/certified therapists.
Autism services provider delivering comprehensive individualized ABA treatment in clinic, home, and community settings by Registered Behavior Technicians under close supervision of Board Certified Behavior Analysts.
A BHCOE Award-of-Distinction ABA provider serving children ages 0–21 — autism diagnostic evaluations plus one-on-one in-clinic and in-home ABA. Recognized for clinical quality rather than ad spend.
Autism Spectrum Therapies (part of LEARN Behavioral) is a BHCOE-accredited ABA provider with 20+ years' experience offering autism diagnostics plus center-based, in-home, community, school-based, and tele-ABA, with BCBA-led clinical teams serving greater Albuquerque.
Camino provides center-based ABA and Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention with on-site BCBAs for frequent supervision, plus autism assessments and parent/family training, and coordinates speech and occupational therapy alongside ABA.
Sandia Sunrise Therapy provides pediatric occupational, physical, and speech therapy for children birth to 21, with a Board-Certified Pediatric PT Specialist, DIR-Floortime advanced practitioners, and feeding, aquatic, and trauma-informed care.
Juntos Therapy Services is an outpatient pediatric clinic offering occupational, physical, and speech therapy for children birth to 21, with a CCC-SLP speech-language pathologist (CEO) and a licensed occupational therapist (MOTR/L) on staff.
Laryngenesis Therapy is a pediatric-focused practice providing comprehensive evaluations, individualized treatment, and screenings in both speech-language pathology and occupational therapy for children.
The Albuquerque Speech Language and Hearing Center provides speech and language therapy plus full audiology and hearing services for children and adults, with certified speech-language pathologists on staff.
A BHCOE-accredited autism provider with Albuquerque and Rio Rancho centers offering autism diagnostic evaluations and evidence-based ABA (with Precision Teaching) — early-learner, transition-readiness, and intensive-support programs covering both sides of the metro. Accredited for clinical quality.
A BHCOE-accredited ABA provider serving children birth to 21 in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho — autism diagnostic evaluations plus in-home, community-based, and center-based ABA. Accredited for clinical quality rather than ad spend.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across the metro (including Autism Spectrum Therapies and Centria in Albuquerque), ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Rio Rancho, Los Lunas, or Bernalillo find the nearest.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's directory lists speech-language pathologists who hold the CCC-SLP — the national mark of a fully qualified clinician, searchable anywhere in greater Albuquerque.
The UNM Center for Development & Disability (New Mexico's UCEDD) provides expert developmental-behavioral diagnosis and care for autism, ADHD, and developmental concerns — the state's leading academic program, serving the whole Albuquerque metro.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians across greater Albuquerque — the credential to verify for a formal autism or ADHD diagnosis.
A New Mexico education-law firm (attorneys Steven Granberg, Gail Stewart, Laurel Nesbitt) representing students with disabilities when schools fail to follow IEPs or violate federal disability law — eligibility, IEP disputes, and due process.
Margaret 'Peggy' Graham practices special-education law at PBWS, helping parents with the evaluation process, IEP meetings, and the complaint and fair-hearing process, plus special-needs trusts and guardianships. A Special Needs Alliance member attorney.
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates' directory lists active, vetted special-education advocates and attorneys serving greater Albuquerque — the field's real professional standard.
Beyond information, Parents Reaching Out's trained staff help you prepare for and understand IEP meetings at no cost — a respected free alternative to hiring a private advocate first.
New Mexico Legal Aid provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families across the Albuquerque region — a no-cost route to legal assistance, including some education and benefits matters.
The University of New Mexico's Speech-Language-Hearing Center provides low-cost speech, language, feeding/swallowing, fluency, and early-childhood communication services for all ages — delivered by graduate students under licensed, ASHA-certified clinical instructors.
PRO offers free workshops, advocacy support, and parent-to-parent connections across New Mexico — a rich free resource for families learning their rights, alongside clinical services.
For children birth to 3, New Mexico's FIT Program provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies — always free regardless of income or immigration status. The earliest, no-barrier place to start.
For children birth to 3, New Mexico's FIT Program provides free developmental evaluation and early-intervention services (speech, OT, PT, developmental) — always free regardless of income or immigration status, and ranked among the nation's top early-intervention programs. The earliest, no-barrier place to start.
New Mexico's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency — free legal services and advocacy support when a child's special-education rights are denied. A powerful free resource before you pay anyone.
New Mexico's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free help understanding your rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings, with training, advocacy, and parent-to-parent connections. A great first call.
Federally funded and free — they help New Mexico families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
New Mexico's protection & advocacy agency — free legal-rights information and help if your child's rights are being denied.
When you’re ready, an expert can review your child’s IEP and build your plan. See how it works →
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How do I start the special-education process in Albuquerque?
Put your request in writing to your child's school, asking for a full special-education evaluation — that is the legal first step. On A New Story you'll find a free, ready-to-send evaluation-request letter you can use today.
How long does a special-education evaluation take?
Once you give written consent, the school generally must complete the evaluation and hold an eligibility meeting within a set timeline (often around 60 days, though it varies by state). Putting your request in writing starts the clock.
Can my school district pay for a private special-education school?
Sometimes. If the public school can't provide an appropriate education, the district can be required to fund a state-approved nonpublic placement. It isn't automatic — it takes the right evaluation and advocacy — but families do it every year, including ones with limited funds.
What's the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan?
An IEP provides specialized instruction and services under IDEA; a 504 plan provides accommodations under civil-rights law. A New Story's free guides walk you through which one fits your child.
Where can I find free special-education help in Albuquerque?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in New Mexico — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.