Every family in the District of Columbia — in every ward, from Anacostia to Tenleytown — has the same powerful set of FREE programs for a child with disabilities or delays. You don't need a diagnosis, a lawyer, or money to start. This page is your map to the help DC already owes your child: free early intervention, free parent-rights experts, free legal advocacy, free vocational rehabilitation for teens, and Medicaid programs (including the Katie Beckett pathway) that pay for therapy even at higher incomes — plus your special-education rights and the exact evaluation timeline your school must follow. Start with the free programs below; 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.
Strong Start, run by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), is DC's IDEA Part C program — free developmental evaluation and services (speech, occupational, physical, and developmental therapy) for any DC child birth to 3 with a delay or qualifying condition. There is no income test and no diagnosis required, and Strong Start is the single point of entry for infants and toddlers. This is the best first call for a baby or toddler.
You can refer your own child — no doctor's note needed. Contact Strong Start through OSSE (or call 2-1-1) to schedule a free evaluation; services are delivered in your home and community across all eight wards.
AJE is DC's federally designated Parent Training and Information Center — free, one-to-one help understanding your rights, the evaluation, and the IEP process, with bilingual support and parent-to-parent groups. Trained specialists who have navigated the DC special-education system themselves. Call before you pay any private advocate.
Beyond one-on-one help, AJE runs free workshops and monthly support groups so you can learn the IEP process alongside other DC parents and build a support network — vital when you're walking into your first meeting.
Disability Rights DC, housed at University Legal Services, is the District's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency — free legal information and advocacy when a child's special-education rights are being denied, including disputes, restraint/seclusion, discipline, and abuse/neglect. A powerful no-cost resource before you hire a lawyer.
The DC Department on Disability Services — Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) provides free help for students with disabilities (often starting around age 14) to prepare for work, college, and independent living — Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), counseling, training, job placement, and assistive technology. Ask your RSA counselor to join your child's transition IEP meetings.
The District DOES offer a Katie Beckett pathway. Under TEFRA/Katie Beckett (DC Department of Health Care Finance), only the child's income and resources count — not the parents' — so a child with significant medical or developmental needs who needs an institutional level of care can get Medicaid (and the therapies it pays for) even when the family earns too much for regular Medicaid. Apply as early as you can; DC determines eligibility within 60 calendar days of a complete packet.
DC also runs Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers — the Individual and Family Supports (IDD) waiver through DDS and the Elderly & Persons with Physical Disabilities (EPD) waiver — that can pay for therapies, respite, and in-home supports for a child with significant disabilities. Slots are limited and intake can take time, so the single most important move is to apply and get on every list TODAY. Call DDS or 2-1-1 to start.
You can ask your school (LEA) in writing for a special-education evaluation at any time. Under DC law, once you give written consent the LEA must complete the evaluation and the IEP team must make an eligibility determination within 60 calendar days. The LEA must also make reasonable efforts to obtain your consent within 30 days of your referral. Put the request in writing and date it — the clock starts then. You have the right to everything in your language, to bring anyone to the meeting, and to disagree.
Under IDEA you have the right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE), to a full evaluation at no cost, to be an equal member of the IEP team, to an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) if you disagree, and to dispute-resolution (mediation/due process). Your PTI above explains all of it for free.
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is DC's state education agency — it sets the special-education rules every public and charter LEA must follow, runs the complaint and due-process systems, and publishes guidance including the Special Education Process Handbook and dyslexia/literacy resources. Start here to know what the District requires of your school.
Use the ZIP finder to pull the nearest evaluators, therapists, and special-education schools to your address, plus your area's full directory — and these district-wide free programs are always shown, no matter where in DC you live.
Several reputable practices provide autism/ADHD evaluation and speech/OT/ABA by telehealth across the DMV — useful when local waitlists are long. Nationally, COPAA (advocates/attorneys), the Academy of Orton-Gillingham (dyslexia), ABPP (board-certified evaluators), BHCOE (ABA), and Bookshare (free accessible books) round out your options.
Federally funded and free — they help District of Columbia families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
District of Columbia's protection & advocacy agency — free legal-rights information and help if your child's rights are being denied.
A short message — your child, your District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia providers from the vetted directory above.
A clear written plan, plus a vetted District of Columbia 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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