Allentown and the Lehigh Valley — Bethlehem, Easton, Emmaus, Whitehall, Macungie, Nazareth — have strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs, anchored by Lehigh Valley Health Network, St. Luke's, and Lehigh University's nationally known Centennial School. This is Allentown's own yellow pages of the best, most relevant help — named experts and clinics where we can verify them, not just directories. It's ranked by real credentials (ABPP, BHCOE, Orton-Gillingham, COPAA, CCC-SLP, OTR-L, board-certification) — never by reviews or who pays. In Pennsylvania your free front door is Early Intervention (birth–3) through the county/CONNECT, preschool Early Intervention (ages 3–5) through the Intermediate Unit, and your school district's evaluation and IEP for ages 5+ — start there, then the best evaluators, schools, reading specialists, therapists, doctors, and advocates near you. Then, if you want it, an expert reads your child's records and builds your plan.
We don't rank by star ratings — they're noisy and easy to game. Every group below earns its place by credentials: board certification, school accreditation, professional licensure, and standing in the field's real professional bodies. The honest bar, not the loudest reviews.
For children birth to 3 with a delay or disability, Pennsylvania's Early Intervention provides free evaluation and services (speech, OT, PT, developmental) — run through Lehigh and Northampton County programs. The CONNECT Helpline (800-692-7288) is the no-barrier place to start.
Ages 3–5 are served by Preschool Early Intervention through the regional Intermediate Unit (Carbon Lehigh IU 21 / Colonial IU 20); at school age, request a special-education evaluation in writing from your district. This is the free legal route to an IEP and services.
Pennsylvania's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency — free legal information and advocacy when a child's special-education rights are denied. A powerful free resource before you pay anyone.
Lehigh Valley Health Network's Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics provides comprehensive autism and developmental evaluations — with clinicians certified in the ADOS (the gold-standard autism observation tool) and often far shorter waits than larger centers. A premier Lehigh Valley diagnostic home.
A dedicated pediatric neuropsychology practice in Allentown providing neuropsychological evaluations for ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, and developmental conditions, with school-ready reports. Ask about board certification (ABPP) when you call.
The American Board of Professional Psychology's directory lists clinicians who passed board certification in clinical neuropsychology — the credential to verify in any private evaluator across the Lehigh Valley, instead of trusting star ratings.
Centennial School, run by Lehigh University's College of Education, is a nationally recognized approved private school serving students ages 6–21 with autism and emotional/behavioral needs — a positive-behavior-support model and a national teacher-training site. A landmark Lehigh Valley placement.
Via of the Lehigh Valley provides early-intervention and inclusive early-childhood/autism programs for young children with developmental disabilities across Lehigh and Northampton counties — a long-established specialized early-years resource.
A searchable directory for comparing Lehigh Valley private and special-education school options by location, grades, and program — useful if you're seeking a specialized placement.
For more than 25 years the Children's Dyslexia Center of the Lehigh Valley has provided free, donor-funded Orton-Gillingham multisensory reading tutoring to children in grades 1–12 with dyslexia in Allentown — part of the Scottish Rite-supported network. One of the best no-cost reading resources in the area.
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham and the Academic Language Therapy Association list accredited O-G practitioners and CALTs across the Lehigh Valley — searchable near Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton. The gold-standard credentials 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.
Mission Autism Clinics' Allentown center provides center-based applied behavior analysis for children with autism and carries BHCOE accreditation — the real quality marker for ABA.
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation provides pediatric occupational, physical, and speech therapy for children with developmental and physical disabilities at its West Allentown and Hyland Center (South Allentown) sites — with a Cedar Pointe program specializing in autism, staffed by licensed and nationally certified clinicians.
NeurAbilities Healthcare's Allentown location combines BHCOE-accredited ABA therapy with neuropsychological evaluation and diagnostic services — a coordinated, multidisciplinary option under one roof.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across the Lehigh Valley, ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Bethlehem, Easton, or Whitehall find the nearest.
Lehigh Valley Health Network's developmental-behavioral pediatricians diagnose and help manage autism, ADHD, intellectual disability, and complex developmental conditions — a premier Lehigh Valley developmental-medicine team with relatively short waits.
St. Luke's University Health Network's Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics evaluates and manages developmental concerns, speech delays, learning disabilities, and behavioral conditions from birth through adolescence — a second strong Lehigh Valley health-system option.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians across the Allentown area — the credential to verify for a formal autism or ADHD diagnosis.
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates' directory lists active, vetted special-education advocates and attorneys serving the Lehigh Valley — the field's real professional standard.
The PEAL Center is Pennsylvania's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free help understanding your rights, evaluations, and the IEP process, with trained parent specialists. A respected statewide free resource before hiring a private advocate.
Pennsylvania's protection & advocacy agency offers free legal information and advocacy for special-education rights — a no-cost first stop before hiring a private advocate or attorney.
Free, donor-funded Orton-Gillingham multisensory reading tutoring for children in grades 1–12 with dyslexia in Allentown — an outstanding no-cost reading resource for qualifying families.
North Penn Legal Services provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families across the Lehigh Valley — a no-cost route to legal assistance, including some education and benefits matters.
The Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living offers free information, referral, and peer support for people with disabilities and their families across the Allentown area — a no-cost local hub when you're not sure where to turn.
For children birth to 3, Pennsylvania Early Intervention provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies — call the CONNECT Helpline (800-692-7288), the earliest no-barrier place to start in the Lehigh Valley.
Federally funded and free — they help Pennsylvania families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Pennsylvania's protection & advocacy agency — free legal-rights information and help if your child's rights are being denied.
A short message — your child, your Allentown district, and what you're facing. We set up a secure way to share the IEP.
We review the records against your rights and match your child to the right Allentown providers from the vetted directory above.
A clear written plan, plus a vetted Allentown advocate, found and recommended for you, for the in-person help.
Free first reply with honest next steps. No pressure, no surprises — just an expert in your corner.
Tell us about your child →