Des Moines and central Iowa — West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Altoona, Waukee — have strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs, anchored by Blank Children's Hospital, ChildServe, and Iowa's distinctive Area Education Agency system. This is Des Moines' own yellow pages of the best, most relevant help — named experts and clinics where we can verify them, not just directories. It's ranked by real credentials (ABPP, BHCOE, CALT/Orton-Gillingham/Wilson, COPAA, CCC-SLP, OTR-L, board-certification) — never by reviews or who pays. Iowa has no Regional Center system; your free front doors are Early ACCESS for birth–3 and your local Area Education Agency (Heartland AEA here) plus your school district for ages 3+ — start there, then the best evaluators, schools, reading specialists, 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.
Early ACCESS is Iowa's IDEA Part C early-intervention system for children under 3 with a developmental delay or qualifying condition — service coordination, assessments, evaluations, and early-intervention services all at no cost to families. The earliest, no-barrier place to start.
Iowa delivers special-education evaluation and support through regional Area Education Agencies. For the Des Moines area that's Heartland AEA — free evaluations, special-education services, and family support working alongside your school district. A uniquely Iowa free resource many families underuse.
Iowa'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.
ASK Resource Center is Iowa's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free help understanding your rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings, with parent guides on educational advocacy. A great first call.
UnityPoint Health's Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines provides developmental pediatrics and a developmental center evaluating autism, ADHD, and developmental concerns — central Iowa's main hospital-based diagnostic route.
ChildServe, a major Iowa pediatric specialty organization, offers professional psychological evaluations and diagnoses — giving parents a clear picture of their child's functioning alongside its therapy and autism programs.
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 central Iowa, instead of trusting star ratings.
In Iowa, much specialized instruction is delivered within public schools with Heartland AEA support rather than separate private schools. Heartland AEA can help your family understand the right special-education services and placement for your child at no cost.
A searchable directory for comparing Des Moines-area private and special-education school options by location, grades, and program — useful if you're seeking a specialized private placement.
True Potential Education provides dyslexia remediation in Des Moines based on the Orton-Gillingham approach using the Wilson Reading System — structured-literacy intervention by trained tutors, an evidence-based local option for struggling readers.
The Academy's directory lists accredited Orton-Gillingham practitioners across central Iowa — searchable by area so you can find one near Des Moines, West Des Moines, or Ankeny. 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.
Kristin Hanson, BCBA, LBA, is the founder, CEO, and clinical director of Axis Therapy Centers (West Des Moines, Ankeny, and beyond), offering ABA therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, feeding therapy, social-skills groups, and parent training — a named, board-certified clinician leading the practice.
Blank Children's Pediatric Therapy provides hospital-based speech-language, occupational, and physical therapy plus audiology, with ASHA-certified and licensed clinicians at Des Moines, Ankeny, Altoona, and West Des Moines locations.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across central Iowa (including Kind and Uplifting in Urbandale), ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Urbandale, Waukee, or Altoona find the nearest.
Blank Children's developmental pediatrics team diagnoses and helps manage autism, ADHD, and developmental conditions — central Iowa's main hospital-based developmental program, working alongside ChildServe for ongoing care.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians across central Iowa — 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 Des Moines area — the field's real professional standard.
ASK Resource Center's trained parent specialists help Iowa families prepare for and understand IEP meetings at no cost — a respected, statewide free alternative to hiring a private advocate first.
Iowa'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.
Heartland AEA provides free educational evaluations, special-education services, and family support across the Des Moines area — the no-cost backbone of Iowa's special-education system, working with your school district.
For children birth to 3, Early ACCESS provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention services — the earliest, no-barrier place to start in Iowa.
Iowa Legal Aid provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families across central Iowa — a no-cost route to legal assistance, including some education and benefits matters.
ASK Resource Center offers free workshops and one-on-one parent support across Iowa — a rich free resource for families learning their rights and navigating the system.
Federally funded and free — they help Iowa families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Iowa's protection & advocacy agency — free legal-rights information and help if your child's rights are being denied.
A short message — your child, your Des Moines 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 Des Moines providers from the vetted directory above.
A clear written plan, plus a vetted Des Moines 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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