Greater Cincinnati — Cincinnati, Springdale, Blue Ash, Mason, plus Northern Kentucky — is home to Cincinnati Children's (a top-ranked children's hospital), the renowned Springer School for learning disabilities, and free dyslexia tutoring centers. The hard part is knowing which help is genuinely excellent and how to reach the free options first. This is Cincinnati's own directory, ranked by real credentials (ABPP, BHCOE, Orton-Gillingham/Wilson accreditation, COPAA, board-certification) — never by reviews or who pays. Start with the free Ohio 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 therapeutic day school for students on the autism spectrum (ages 5 through 8th grade) and an approved Ohio Autism Scholarship and Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship provider. Uses applied behavior analysis with credentialed staff.
Specialized school (grades 6-12, transition to age 21) for students with autism, operated by Best Point and an approved Ohio Autism and Jon Peterson Scholarship provider. Offers academics plus career and life-skills training.
A school for students with specific learning disabilities whose staff is trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach, Multisensory Math, and the Strategic Instruction Model. Focuses on remediating dyslexia and language-based LD.
A long-standing Northern Kentucky nonprofit serving children and adults with multiple and severe disabilities. Its early-childhood program is NAEYC-accredited with onsite nursing and inclusive therapeutic childcare.
An independent, accredited day school (founded 1915) serving students who are deaf or hard of hearing and those needing special communication methods, including children with autism, apraxia, and Down syndrome, preschool through grade 12.
A BHCOE-accredited autism organization that runs a structured school program and summer services for children with autism alongside its ABA therapy.
Cincinnati's leading school for students with learning disabilities, Springer School and Center uses the Wilson Reading System (based on Orton-Gillingham and the science of reading) for language-based learning disabilities like dyslexia — accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States since 1992.
For over 30 years, Linden Grove School has provided an alternative education program for K–8 students with autism and related learning needs — small classes with teacher-to-student ratios of 1:3 to 1:7, serving more than 90 students across a five-county region.
OCECD's parent mentors can help you compare additional Cincinnati-area school options for dyslexia, autism, and learning differences at no cost — vetted, statewide guidance from Ohio's parent center.
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.
The CPS Department of Student Services provides IEP-driven special education across district schools, with a dedicated Autism Support Team and an Autism Resource Center offering school-based consultation and assessment. Programs change year to year.
A public educational service center supporting Greater Cincinnati districts with experienced autism, social-communication, and behavior coaches who help school teams implement evidence-based practices. Also the district representative for Autism and Jon Peterson Scholarship programs. Programs change year to year.
A consistently high-performing northern-suburb district that provides a full continuum of IEP-based special education and related services. Programs change year to year; confirm current placements and supports directly.
A practice specializing in neuropsychological evaluation of children, teens, and adults for learning, attention, neurodevelopmental, genetic, and neurological conditions, led by a licensed psychologist serving the Cincinnati-Dayton corridor.
Founded by Ryan Macks, PhD, former Director of Clinical Training in Cincinnati Children's Division of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics; the practice does comprehensive psychoeducational and diagnostic testing for learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, intellectual disability, and giftedness.
A multidisciplinary assessment team providing neuropsychological, psychoeducational, and psychodiagnostic evaluations for ADHD, learning disabilities, and autism spectrum disorder (children age two and up).
A West Chester private practice offering comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations — ADHD, learning disabilities (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia), autism spectrum, and ADA accommodation documentation.
Cincinnati Children's Neuropsychology Program (Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology) is directed by Dean W. Beebe, PhD, ABPP and includes Melissa Gerstle, PhD, ABPP — both board-certified in pediatric neuropsychology — providing comprehensive evaluations of learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism.
Cincinnati Children's Neurobehavioral Continuum of Care serves youth ages 2–22 with neurodevelopmental disabilities and behavioral health needs — from outpatient evaluation to intensive care, designed specifically for patients with autism and related disorders.
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.
Part of the national Children's Dyslexia Centers network (Scottish Rite), the Cincinnati center provides free, multi-year Orton-Gillingham tutoring for children with dyslexia — one of the area's best no-cost reading resources.
The Academy's directory lists accredited Orton-Gillingham practitioners across greater Cincinnati — 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 well-established multi-location pediatric therapy group providing occupational, physical, and speech therapy by licensed clinicians throughout the Cincinnati and Dayton region.
A center-based and in-home ABA therapy provider for children with autism, with services overseen by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs). Part of a national ABA organization.
A purpose-built ABA center (20 classrooms, gross-motor and therapy rooms, outdoor playground) delivering BCBA-supervised applied behavior analysis for children with autism in the Cincinnati area.
A long-established (30+ years), therapist-owned private practice and the area's largest OT clinic, offering occupational and speech therapy with deep expertise in sensory processing/integration for children.
A pediatric clinic founded by a CCC-SLP, offering speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and reading/intervention specialist services for children.
A speech-therapy clinic founded by Nichole Cannon, MA, CCC-SLP, specializing in childhood apraxia of speech, complex speech-sound and language disorders, autism, and early intervention.
A pediatric therapy clinic providing speech therapy, occupational therapy, and intervention/special-education teaching for children ages 3–18, with OTR/L and CCC-SLP staff.
A BHCOE-accredited Cincinnati provider (Springdale) addressing the communication, educational, social, and behavioral needs of children with autism — accredited for clinical quality rather than chosen by ad spend.
A BHCOE-accredited autism therapy provider serving the Cincinnati metro through multiple centers, offering ABA alongside occupational and speech therapy — coordinated, multidisciplinary care.
The Behavioral Health Center of Excellence directory lists accredited ABA providers across greater Cincinnati — the real quality bar for autism therapy, instead of whoever advertises most.
Aireal Ishola, OTR/L, is the owner-founder and a treating occupational therapist at Keystone Pediatric Therapy in Anderson Township (greater Cincinnati) — a therapist-owned clinic offering occupational, speech, and feeding therapy in one place.
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.
A dedicated developmental-behavioral pediatrics practice (founded 2019; physician fellowship-trained in DBP at Johns Hopkins) diagnosing and managing autism, ADHD, developmental delay, anxiety, tics, and learning disabilities for children and teens 0–21.
Cincinnati Children's Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics — home to the Kelly O'Leary Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders — provides expert diagnosis and management of autism, ADHD, and developmental concerns by board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians in greater Cincinnati — the credential to verify for a formal autism or ADHD diagnosis.
A Cincinnati education-law attorney (formerly with Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio) focused on special education, student discipline, and education-rights advocacy; represents students statewide.
A Cincinnati firm with a dedicated school-law practice covering identification/evaluation, IEP development, placement, discipline, and due-process hearings, with an emphasis on resolution and negotiation first.
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates' directory lists active, vetted special-education advocates and attorneys serving greater Cincinnati — the field's real professional standard.
Beyond information, OCECD's trained parent mentors can help you prepare for and understand IEP meetings at no cost — a respected free alternative to hiring a private advocate first.
The Legal Aid Society's free Special Education Legal Clinic gives parents of students with disabilities (ages 3–26) free 30-minute guidance sessions with a special-education advocate or attorney — a no-cost route to real legal help.
UC's Speech & Hearing Clinic has served greater Cincinnati for 40+ years, offering low-cost speech, language, and literacy evaluation and therapy (fees often below a typical co-pay) and free hearing tests — delivered by graduate clinicians under clinical faculty.
Free, multi-year Orton-Gillingham dyslexia tutoring through the Scottish Rite-supported Children's Dyslexia Centers — a standout no-cost resource for families who can't afford private tutoring.
For children birth to 3, Ohio's Early Intervention provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies — the earliest, no-barrier place to start.
For children birth to 3, Ohio's Early Intervention (Help Me Grow) provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention services (speech, OT, PT, developmental). The earliest, no-barrier place to start if you have any concern about your baby or toddler.
Ohio'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.
Ohio's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center, serving families since 1972 from 15 offices statewide — free help understanding your rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings for children birth to age 26. A great first call.
Federally funded and free — they help Ohio families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Ohio'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 Cincinnati?
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 Cincinnati?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Ohio — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.