Metro Detroit — Detroit, Dearborn, Birmingham, Grosse Pointe, Sterling Heights, Royal Oak — has Children's Hospital of Michigan and Corewell Health (Beaumont), a renowned learning-differences school, and a low-cost university clinic. The hard part is knowing which help is genuinely excellent and how to reach the free options first. This is metro Detroit'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 Michigan 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, Early On Michigan 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.
Michigan'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.
Michigan's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free help understanding your rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Corewell Health (Beaumont) Children's pediatric neuropsychology includes Maya Zayat, PsyD, ABPP-CN — comprehensive evaluations of learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism within a major Southeast Michigan health system.
Children's Hospital of Michigan (Detroit) conducts neuropsychological evaluations of children and adolescents with medical, psychiatric, and neurodevelopmental disorders — including learning disabilities and autism.
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.
For nearly four decades, Eton Academy (Birmingham) has taught K–12 students who learn differently — ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, executive-function challenges, mild ASD — with classes of 10 or fewer and the personalized 'Eton Approach.'
Metro Parent's guide to metro Detroit special-education schools is a helpful, current way to compare local programs for dyslexia, autism, and learning differences beyond Eton.
Bridges4Kids is a long-running Michigan resource hub for special education, IEPs, 504s, mediation, and disability supports — a verified way to find schools and services across metro Detroit.
The Academy's directory lists accredited Orton-Gillingham practitioners across metro Detroit — 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 ABA provider serving Detroit — research-based applied behavior analysis for autistic children, accredited for clinical quality rather than chosen by ad spend.
A metro Detroit provider (Detroit, Dearborn, Brownstown, and more) offering ABA, speech, occupational, and physical therapy under one roof — coordinated, multidisciplinary pediatric care.
The Behavioral Health Center of Excellence directory lists accredited ABA providers across metro Detroit (such as Emagine Health Services, Avid ABA, and GBC Autism Services in Grosse Pointe) — the real quality bar.
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.
Corewell Health (Beaumont) Children's Center for Human Development brings together developmental-behavioral pediatricians, psychologists, and therapists to diagnose and treat autism, ADHD, and developmental concerns.
Children's Hospital of Michigan (Detroit) assesses developmental, behavioral, and psychiatric health disorders in children from newborn to age 21 — diagnosis and care for autism, ADHD, and developmental delay.
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates' directory lists active, vetted special-education advocates and attorneys serving metro Detroit — the field's real professional standard.
A Detroit special-education attorney with 40+ years protecting Michigan families' rights — autism, learning disabilities, ADHD, IEP disputes, and school discipline.
Lakeshore Legal Aid provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families across metro Detroit — a no-cost route to legal assistance, including some education and benefits matters.
Wayne State's clinics (midtown Detroit) provide low-cost speech-language evaluation and therapy for children — a Children's Foundation grant funds services for underinsured or uninsured kids — delivered by supervised graduate clinicians.
A Metro Detroit nonprofit (West Bloomfield) offering free recreational, social, and support programs for children with special needs and their families — a warm community resource alongside clinical services.
For children birth to 3, Early On Michigan provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies — the earliest, no-barrier place to start.
Federally funded and free — they help Michigan families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Michigan's protection & advocacy agency — free legal-rights information and help if your child's rights are being denied.
A short message — your child, your Detroit 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 Detroit providers from the vetted directory above.
A clear written plan, plus a vetted Detroit 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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