Greater Columbus — Columbus, Dublin, Westerville, New Albany, Hilliard, Grove City — is home to Nationwide Children's Hospital, Ohio State University, and the renowned Marburn Academy for learning differences. The hard part is knowing which help is genuinely excellent and how to reach the free options first. This is Columbus'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 Ohio options, then the best evaluators, schools, 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, 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 — free help understanding your rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings for children birth to age 26. A great first call.
Nationwide Children's Pediatric Neuropsychology Program — including Kelly A. McNally, PhD, ABPP and H. Gerry Taylor, PhD, ABPP-CN (both Ohio State professors) — provides comprehensive evaluations of learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism for children with medical, neurological, and neurodevelopmental conditions.
A Columbus private practice led by Andrew Colvin, PhD, ABPP-CN — board-certified in clinical neuropsychology — offering comprehensive evaluations for learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism. The credential to look for in a private evaluator.
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.
Central Ohio's leading school for bright students with learning disabilities, Marburn Academy (New Albany) serves grades 2–12 with dyslexia, ADHD, and executive-function challenges — accredited at the highest level by ISACS and one of only 18 schools in the nation with a language program accredited by the Orton-Gillingham Academy.
Oakstone Academy (Westerville) is a private PreK–12 school providing an inclusive environment for children with autism spectrum disorder alongside typically developing peers — a distinctive inclusion model.
Haugland Learning Center serves the educational and therapeutic needs of children and young adults (ages 3–22) with autism, Asperger's, and other developmental disabilities — an alternative to public school for students who need a specialized environment.
Cyndi Schultz, M.A., SLP, is an Accredited Training Fellow of the Orton-Gillingham Academy — the Academy's highest practitioner level — and a speech-language pathologist who formerly directed the Language Training Institute at Marburn Academy. At Sensible Learning (greater Columbus / Olentangy) she and CALT colleagues Beth Reusser and Kristi Perry deliver structured-literacy dyslexia intervention.
The Academy's directory lists accredited Orton-Gillingham practitioners across greater Columbus — 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 Columbus provider offering ABA alongside pediatric therapy services — accredited for clinical quality rather than chosen by ad spend.
The Behavioral Health Center of Excellence directory lists accredited ABA providers across greater Columbus — the real quality bar for autism therapy, instead of whoever advertises most.
Tiffany Baronzzi, M.A., CCC-SLP, founded Speech+Smiles Therapy in Gahanna (Columbus metro). ASHA-certified and trained in Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy, PROMPT, and VitalStim, she focuses on giving children speech clarity, language, and social-communication confidence.
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.
The American Occupational Therapy Association helps you find licensed occupational therapists (OTR/L) for sensory, fine-motor, and daily-living support — a credential to verify alongside speech and ABA care.
Nationwide Children's Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics (with Ohio State) provides developmental assessment and treatment for children under 21 with developmental, emotional, or behavioral concerns — board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians and psychologists who coordinate with families and schools.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians in greater Columbus — 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 greater Columbus — 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 of Columbus provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families across central Ohio — a no-cost route to legal assistance, including some education and benefits matters.
OSU's Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic offers cost-effective evaluation and therapy for preschoolers, school-age children, and adults — articulation, language, fluency, motor speech, and hearing — accepts Medicaid, delivered by supervised graduate clinicians.
OCECD offers free workshops, training, and one-on-one parent mentoring for Ohio families — a rich free resource for learning your rights alongside clinical services.
For children birth to 3, Ohio's Early Intervention provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies — the earliest, no-barrier place to start.
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.
A short message — your child, your Columbus 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 Columbus providers from the vetted directory above.
A clear written plan, plus a vetted Columbus 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.
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