Chicago's South Side and south suburbs — Hyde Park, South Shore, Beverly, Oak Lawn, Orland Park, Homewood-Flossmoor, Tinley Park — are more under-resourced than the North Shore, so knowing the genuinely good (and free) help matters even more. This is the area's own directory, ranked by real credentials (ABPP, BHCOE, Orton-Gillingham accreditation, COPAA, board-certification) — never by reviews or who pays. Start with the free Illinois options, then the best evaluators, schools, therapists, doctors, and advocates near you.
✓ Every provider here is vetted by credentials, never pay-to-play. How we choose →
A Hyde Park (6245 S. Ingleside) school for students of average-to-superior intelligence with learning disabilities — a 5:1 ratio, with embedded speech, social work, and occupational therapy, designed to transition students back to their home schools.
A southwest-suburban accredited special-education school (La Grange/Burr Ridge) for grades 1–12 plus a transition program to age 22 — dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, Level 1 autism, ADHD, and processing differences.
The Illinois State Board of Education lists state-approved nonpublic special-education schools — the verified way to find a specialized placement (sometimes district-funded) across the South Side and south suburbs.
Full-day school for bright 1st-8th graders with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities, using the Wilson Reading System to build skills so students can return to mainstream classrooms.
Therapeutic day school for students ages 3-22 with autism, emotional disability, developmental delay or intellectual disability, with on-site speech, OT and behavioral services.
Long-established faith-based special-education school serving students with intellectual, physical and multiple disabilities and autism, including a dedicated Autism Comprehensive Educational (ACE) program.
Therapeutic day school for students ages 3-21 with autism and related disorders, founded by speech-language pathologists and built on the relationship-based DIR/Floortime developmental model.
Joint agreement of fifteen south-suburban districts providing specialized instruction and therapeutic day programs for students ages 3-21 with disabilities across several member schools.
CPS public high school serving students ages 14-22 with developmental disabilities through a modified academic, vocational and community-based transition curriculum.
Provides free, intensive one-on-one Orton-Gillingham multisensory reading instruction for children with dyslexia at its LaGrange and Palatine sites.
Long-running private day school serving students with learning disabilities, ADHD and related needs, offering small classes and an individualized college-prep and life-skills curriculum.
Therapeutic day school on Chicago's south side serving students with emotional and behavioral disabilities through small classrooms, counseling and behavior support, with several neighborhood campuses.
Comer Children's pediatric neuropsychology service (UChicago, Hyde Park) — board-certified/ABPP-track clinicians such as Mary Lee, PsyD — provides comprehensive evaluations of learning disorders, ADHD, and autism, right on the South Side.
A board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist assessing children from 6 months to 18 years with educational, developmental, neurological, and psychiatric concerns — serving families across the Chicago metro.
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, instead of trusting star ratings.
The Academy's directory lists accredited Orton-Gillingham practitioners across the South Side and south suburbs — the gold-standard credential for a private dyslexia tutor, verified by training rather than advertising.
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.
A BHCOE-accredited autism therapy provider with a Mt. Greenwood (South Side) center — structured, center-based ABA for young children (ages 2–6), accredited for clinical quality rather than chosen by ad spend.
Comprehensive autism evaluations and center-based ABA in the south suburbs (Oak Lawn, Orland Park), collaborating with speech, occupational, and feeding therapists. Verify current BHCOE accreditation and BCBA supervision.
The Behavioral Health Center of Excellence directory lists accredited ABA providers across the South Side and south suburbs — the real quality bar, instead of guessing from ads or stars.
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.
UChicago Comer's developmental & behavioral pediatrics section — four board-certified DBPs including Dr. Peter J. Smith — diagnoses and supports autism, developmental delay, intellectual disability, and learning/behavior disorders on the South Side.
University of Illinois Health's developmental-behavioral pediatricians (e.g. Dr. Sarah Bauer) evaluate and treat autism, ADHD, and developmental concerns — a near-South-Side academic option that serves many public-insurance families.
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates' directory lists active, vetted special-education advocates and attorneys serving the South Side and south suburbs — the field's real professional standard.
Founded by Matt Cohen — a nationally known special-education attorney who has represented thousands of children with disabilities across Illinois — handling IEP disputes, mediation, and due process with a high success rate.
A firm with decades of special-education experience across Cook, Lake, and DuPage counties — IEP evaluation, negotiation, due process, and trial-court representation for Chicago-area families.
La Rabida (6501 S. Promontory) is a South Side children's hospital serving many under-resourced families — pediatric speech, OT, PT, developmental and autism services, and a Child & Family Connections office that's an entry point to free Illinois Early Intervention.
A nonprofit center (La Grange location) providing free, high-quality one-on-one Orton-Gillingham tutoring twice weekly for children with dyslexia — roughly $6,000/year of instruction at no cost to families.
For children birth to 3, Illinois Early Intervention provides developmental evaluations and therapies at free or sliding-scale cost — the earliest, no-barrier place to start.
For children birth to 3, Illinois Early Intervention provides free or sliding-scale developmental evaluations and therapies. On the South Side, intake often runs through La Rabida and Easterseals (Tinley Park) Child & Family Connections offices — the earliest, no-barrier place to start.
Illinois's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency — free legal information, a special-education helpline, and representation when a child's rights are denied. A powerful free resource before you pay anyone.
Illinois's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free help understanding your rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Federally funded and free — they help Illinois families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Illinois'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 →
No sign-up, nothing saved — use as much as you want.
✉️ Get a ready-to-send letter →
Your state's free programs · Find help by ZIP · Explore the tools →
How do I start the special-education process in Chicago?
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 Chicago?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Illinois — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.