Durham and Chapel Hill — the eastern Triangle, including Carrboro, Hillsborough, and Orange County — may be the single richest place in the country for special-needs expertise, anchored by Duke and UNC. Your local districts — Durham Public Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, and Orange County Schools — each run an Exceptional Children's program. This is the area's own yellow pages of the best, most relevant help — named experts and clinics where we can verify them, ranked by real credentials (ABPP, BHCOE, Orton-Gillingham, COPAA, CCC-SLP, OTR-L, board-certification), never by reviews or who pays. In North Carolina your free front door is the NC Infant-Toddler Program through your local Children's Developmental Services Agency (CDSA) for birth–3, and your school district's evaluation and IEP for ages 3+ — North Carolina completes the eligibility process within 90 calendar days of your written consent. Start there, then the best evaluators, schools, reading specialists, therapists, doctors, and advocates near you.
✓ Every provider here is vetted by credentials, never pay-to-play. How we choose →
Durham K-12 school for neurodivergent students with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia and executive-function challenges. Serves about 70 students from across the Triangle with a low student-to-teacher ratio and individualized support.
Nonprofit educational institution serving children with autism and developmental disabilities in the Triangle. ABA-based programs are overseen by a clinical director who is a licensed psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).
Established 1997 for bright children with language-based learning differences such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. Every teacher is Orton-Gillingham trained and two-thirds hold national CALP or CALT certification in multisensory language teaching.
Serving Triangle-area students with ADHD, processing and memory issues, and learning disabilities including dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia for more than 35 years. Structured, remediation-focused program.
NAEYC-accredited, NC 5-star development center serving children ages 2-6 with and without disabilities. Provides integrated speech-language, occupational, and physical therapy plus vision and hearing services individualized for each child.
Founded in 1977, Hill Learning Center is a nationally respected nonprofit school (and tutoring/teacher-training center) for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and learning differences — its Orton-Gillingham-based methodology builds reading, written language, and math. A landmark Triangle placement, plus after-school tutoring and the 95 RAP reading-intervention program.
The NC Department of Public Instruction's Exceptional Children Division oversees the specialized classrooms, autism and behavior programs, and continuum of placements your district must offer — ask what specialized options Durham, Chapel Hill-Carrboro, or Orange County can provide.
A searchable directory for comparing Durham/Chapel Hill private and special-education school options by location, grades, and program — useful if you're seeking a specialized placement.
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.
District special-education department providing IEP services across all 14 IDEA disability categories, including autism, with a full continuum of placements in the least restrictive environment. Includes speech-language, OT and PT related services. Programs change year to year.
Well-regarded Triangle district exceptional-children program providing the full IDEA continuum of special-education services and related therapies for eligible students ages 3-21. Programs change year to year.
One of the nation's largest districts, offering a broad continuum of special-education programs including dedicated autism and language/learning-disability supports across many campuses in the adjacent Wake/Triangle area. Programs change year to year.
Triangle district exceptional-children program serving eligible students ages 3-21 with IEP-driven special education and related services across IDEA disability categories. Programs change year to year.
UNC School of Medicine institute providing evaluation and treatment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and genetic syndromes, with clinicians across psychology, medicine and developmental pediatrics.
Raleigh-Durham pediatric clinic offering psychological/diagnostic evaluations alongside speech, OT, PT, mental-health and ABA services for children of all ages and diagnoses.
The Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development — a National Institutes of Health Autism Center of Excellence — and the Duke Autism Clinic provide comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, and ongoing behavioral and medication consultation for children and adolescents with autism. One of the nation's leading academic diagnostic homes, right in Durham.
UNC's TEACCH Autism Program — the internationally renowned, structured-teaching model born at UNC — provides evidence-based autism diagnostic evaluation and intervention for individuals of all ages, plus parent coaching and professional training, at its Chapel Hill/Carrboro center. A globally significant resource in your backyard.
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 the Durham–Chapel Hill area, instead of trusting star ratings.
Beyond its day school, Hill Learning Center offers after-school Orton-Gillingham-based tutoring and runs the 95 RAP reading-intervention program — a gold-standard, evidence-based option for remediating dyslexia in the Triangle.
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham and the Academic Language Therapy Association list accredited O-G practitioners and CALTs across the Triangle — searchable near Durham, Chapel Hill, or Hillsborough. The gold-standard credentials for a private dyslexia tutor.
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.
Established ABA provider with a Durham clinic near Southpoint offering center-based and in-home Applied Behavior Analysis therapy supervised by licensed BCBAs in purpose-built therapy spaces.
Triangle ABA is a locally owned, BHCOE-accredited ABA provider serving Durham and Chapel Hill, founded and run by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst raising a child with autism — board-certified, state-licensed BCBAs and independently verified outcomes. BHCOE accreditation is the real quality marker for ABA.
Established in 1982, Developmental Therapy Associates is a leading Durham provider of pediatric occupational and speech therapy — one of only a handful of clinics nationally specializing in sensory-integration therapy, with licensed and nationally certified (CCC-SLP, OTR/L) clinicians.
Emerge Pediatric Therapy provides occupational, speech, and physical therapy for children across Durham, Cary, and Carrboro with licensed and nationally certified clinicians — a well-regarded, family-centered local option.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across the Triangle (including Proud Moments ABA in Durham), ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Durham, Chapel Hill, or Hillsborough find the nearest.
Duke Children's developmental-behavioral pediatricians (Child Development & Behavioral Health Clinic and the Duke Children's Evaluation Center) diagnose and help manage autism, ADHD, intellectual disability, and complex developmental conditions — a top-ranked academic developmental-medicine team in Durham.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians across the Durham–Chapel Hill area — 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 Durham–Chapel Hill area — the field's real professional standard.
ECAC is North Carolina's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free help understanding your rights, evaluations, and the IEP process, with trained parent specialists. A respected statewide free resource before hiring a private advocate.
North Carolina'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.
For more than 45 years, North Carolina Central University's Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic has provided free assessment and treatment for children and adults in the Durham community, delivered by supervised graduate clinicians — an outstanding no-cost option for ongoing speech-language services.
The Autism Society of North Carolina provides free navigation, resource lists, and autism-resource specialists to help Triangle families find services, understand options, and connect with support. A warm, no-cost first point of connection.
Legal Aid of North Carolina's Durham office provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families across the Triangle — a no-cost route to legal assistance, including some education and benefits matters.
For children birth to 3, the Durham CDSA provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies through the NC Infant-Toddler Program — the earliest, no-barrier place to start.
For children birth to 3 with a delay or disability, North Carolina's Infant-Toddler Program — delivered locally by the Durham Children's Developmental Services Agency (CDSA), which also serves Orange, Chatham, Person, and nearby counties — provides free evaluation and early-intervention services (speech, OT, PT, special instruction). The earliest, no-barrier place to start.
At age 3, request an Exceptional Children evaluation in writing from your district — Durham Public Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, or Orange County Schools. North Carolina completes the eligibility process within 90 calendar days of your written consent. This is the free legal route to an IEP and services under IDEA.
North Carolina'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.
Federally funded and free — they help North Carolina families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
North Carolina'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 Durham & Chapel Hill?
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 Durham & Chapel Hill?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in North Carolina — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.