Charleston and the Lowcountry — Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, Summerville, James Island, Goose Creek — have strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs, anchored by MUSC Children's Health and an Orton-Gillingham dyslexia school. This is Charleston's own yellow pages of the best, most relevant help — named experts and schools where we can verify them, not just directories. It's ranked by real credentials (ABPP, BHCOE, OGA/CALT/Orton-Gillingham, COPAA, CCC-SLP, OTR-L, board-certification) — never by reviews or who pays. South Carolina has no Regional Center system, so your free front door is BabyNet for birth–3 and your school district's evaluation for ages 3+ — start there, 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 →
Private, independent, nonprofit school serving students with language-based learning differences such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. Built fully around the Orton-Gillingham approach and pursuing full Orton-Gillingham Academy accreditation.
Specialized school program serving students on the autism spectrum, focused on person-centered instruction, daily-living skills, and individualized academic support.
Private school serving students with autism, learning disabilities, and dyslexia, using individualized, collaborative instruction tailored to each student's profile.
Trident Academy (Mount Pleasant) is a private K–12 Orton-Gillingham school for students with language-based learning differences — dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, and processing difficulties. The Lowcountry's flagship structured-literacy school.
A searchable directory for comparing additional Charleston-area private and special-education school options by location, grades, and program — useful alongside the named school above.
Charleston's flagship school for students with dyslexia and language-based learning differences, operating nearly 50 years. One of only a handful of U.S. schools holding full Academy of Orton-Gillingham (OGA) instructional accreditation, plus SCISA, SAIS, and Cognia accreditation. K-12, multisensory structured-literacy instruction with certified OG staff. In the league of Siena / Katherine Thomas.
Charleston County School District-sponsored public charter school serving students K-12 (through age 21) with multiple and severe disabilities. Center-based model integrating special-education academics with on-site rehabilitative therapy (PT, OT, speech) and medical support, certified special-education staff, self-contained classrooms. A genuine state-approved public specialized placement for high-need 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.
Tuition-free public charter school sponsored by Charleston County School District for K-21 students with multiple and severe disabilities, integrating academics with onsite OT, PT, and speech therapy. State-accredited through the SC charter process. Programs change year to year.
The district's special education office provides free IEP-based services and specialized autism, learning-disability, and multi-disability programs across CCSD schools. Specific placements and programs change year to year.
Berkeley County's special education department delivers free, IEP-driven services and specialized programs for students with autism and learning disabilities across the district (Goose Creek, Moncks Corner, Hanahan, Daniel Island area). Programs change year to year.
DD2 (Summerville/North Charleston area) provides free special education and related services under IDEA, including autism and learning-disability programming across its schools. Programs change year to year.
Academic developmental-behavioral pediatrics division at the Medical University of South Carolina providing comprehensive autism and developmental evaluations by board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians and clinical psychologists.
Practice led by Dr. Joy Wymer, PhD, who completed a neuropsychology fellowship at MUSC and serves on MUSC's neurology faculty, offering psychoeducational and neuropsychological testing including ASD and learning-disability evaluations.
Licensed psychologist who completed a post-doctoral fellowship in MUSC's Division of Genetics and Developmental Pediatrics with supervised training in neuropsychological assessment and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders.
The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Children's Health runs a Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics using an interdisciplinary team to diagnose autism spectrum disorder and developmental delay — the Lowcountry's premier academic evaluation home.
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 Lowcountry, instead of trusting star ratings.
The Academy's directory lists accredited Orton-Gillingham practitioners across the Lowcountry — searchable by area so you can find one near Charleston, Mount Pleasant, or Summerville. The gold-standard credential for a private dyslexia tutor, verified by training rather than advertising.
The International Dyslexia Association's South Carolina branch and the Academic Language Therapy Association list credential-verified dyslexia providers (CALT, Orton-Gillingham, Wilson) across the Lowcountry — a vetted way to find serious, structured-literacy help.
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.
Largest ABA-based autism service provider in South Carolina, founded 1997. Its Hope Reach ABA program is the first in SC to earn full Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ) accreditation, with evaluations and treatment overseen by Board Certified Behavior Analysts.
Outpatient pediatric group with clinics in Mount Pleasant and North Charleston offering occupational, physical, and speech therapy from certified CCC-SLP and licensed OTR/L clinicians, in-clinic, in natural environments, and via teletherapy.
Pediatric clinic providing play-based, child-directed occupational, physical, and speech-language therapy by nationally and state certified clinicians (CCC-SLP, OTR/L) for children birth through 21, in clinic, home, or daycare settings.
Charleston pediatric therapy practice offering licensed speech-language, occupational, and physical therapy plus intensive therapy programs for children, including those with autism and developmental delays.
Charleston-area applied behavior analysis provider delivering individualized ABA assessment and therapy for children with autism under the supervision of Board Certified Behavior Analysts.
Lauren E. Ouellette, M.A., CCC-SLP, founded and owns Spoken Word Children's Therapy in the Charleston area (Mount Pleasant) — a board-certified speech-language pathologist leading a pediatric speech and occupational therapy practice named Best Therapy Practice in Charleston for 2024.
Tri-County Therapy provides speech, occupational, physical, and feeding therapy for children across the Charleston area and Lowcountry — a multidisciplinary pediatric clinic for coordinated care under one roof.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across the Lowcountry, ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in North Charleston, Summerville, or Goose Creek find the nearest.
MUSC's Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics diagnoses and helps manage autism, ADHD, and developmental conditions with an interdisciplinary team — the Lowcountry's academic medical home for complex developmental needs.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians across the Charleston 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 Charleston area — the field's real professional standard.
PRO-Parents' trained specialists help South Carolina families prepare for and understand IEP meetings at no cost — a respected, statewide free alternative to hiring a private advocate first.
South Carolina'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.
For children birth to 3, BabyNet provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies — the earliest, no-barrier place to start in South Carolina.
Family Connection of South Carolina provides free family-to-family support, navigation, and resources for families of children with disabilities and special health-care needs — a warm, knowledgeable free first stop.
South Carolina Legal Services provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families across the Lowcountry — a no-cost route to legal assistance, including some education and benefits matters.
PRO-Parents offers free workshops and one-on-one parent support across South Carolina — a rich free resource for families learning their rights and navigating the system.
BabyNet is South Carolina's interagency early-intervention system for infants and toddlers under 3 with developmental delays or qualifying conditions — free developmental evaluation and services under an IFSP. Anyone (parent, doctor, caregiver) can make a referral. The earliest, no-barrier place to start.
PRO-Parents is South Carolina's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center, serving all 46 counties — free help understanding your rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings for families of children birth to 26. A great first call.
South Carolina'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.
Federally funded and free — they help South Carolina families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
South Carolina's protection & advocacy agency — free legal-rights information and help if your child's rights are being denied.
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How do I start the special-education process in Charleston?
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 Charleston?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in South Carolina — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.