The Fargo–Moorhead metro spans two states — Cass County, North Dakota (Fargo and West Fargo) and Clay County, Minnesota (Moorhead) — so families here navigate two different systems. The region has strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs, anchored by Sanford Children's in Fargo and a deep bench of local clinics. Your local districts are Fargo Public Schools and West Fargo Public Schools on the ND side, and Moorhead Area Public Schools across the river in Minnesota — each runs its own special education. This is the metro'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 Dakota your free front door is Early Intervention / Right Track (birth–3) through Health & Human Services; in Minnesota it is Help Me Grow / Infant & Toddler Intervention. For ages 3+, your school district's evaluation and IEP is the legal route. 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 →
Specialized day school for students with language-based learning disabilities and twice-exceptional learners, using therapeutic, multisensory methods. North Dakota's first dedicated K-8 special education school, now also hosting a clinic-based ABA classroom in partnership with Fargo Public Schools.
Private nonprofit K-5 school approved by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, integrating education with on-site behavioral, speech, occupational and mental-health therapy for children with autism, developmental/intellectual disabilities and behavioral-health challenges. Frequent 1:1 and small-group teacher ratios.
Nonprofit reading center providing one-on-one structured-literacy tutoring for dyslexia using the Barton Reading & Spelling System, an accredited Orton-Gillingham approach. Has served over 1,400 students since 2011, in person in West Fargo and remotely.
Fargo Public Schools and West Fargo Public Schools serve students from early childhood through age 21 with specialized programs — early-childhood special education (ages 3–6), autism support, behavior, and life-skills — within an inclusion model. In this metro the strongest specialized placements are most often within the public districts; insist on the right program through the IEP process.
Across the river in Clay County, Moorhead Area Public Schools runs Minnesota special education and early-childhood special education. Minnesota's evaluation and IEP rules differ from North Dakota's, so Moorhead families follow MN timelines — request an evaluation in writing and lean on Pathfinder and PACER for help.
Anne Carlsen is a long-established North Dakota nonprofit serving children with autism and developmental disabilities — behavioral health, therapy, and educational/clinical services. A credentialed statewide resource that families in the Fargo area can access for specialized support.
Pathfinder Family Center, North Dakota's Parent Training and Information Center, offers free help weighing options and pushing for the right program through the IEP process — and can orient families navigating the two-state ND/MN divide in Fargo–Moorhead.
North Dakota's first K-8 public special-education school, a Setting D program of Fargo Public Schools serving students with language-based learning disabilities and twice-exceptional (2e) learners. Placement is through the IEP team. Integrated project-based STEAM and gross-motor programming with an exceptionally low (about 1:1) student-teacher ratio and a 'school within a school' model that supports transition back to general education.
Established 501(c)(3) autism nonprofit (founded 2008) holding BHCOE Full Accreditation, the recognized national mark of quality for ABA. Provides center-based, home-based, and school-based one-to-one ABA, early intervention, social-skills and school-support services for children with autism and related developmental disabilities across the Fargo-Moorhead region, supervised by BCBAs.
The first BHCOE-accredited ABA clinic in North Dakota, providing individualized applied behavior analysis, speech/language therapy, occupational therapy, autism-waiver service management, and school-based behavior consultation for children and adolescents. Operates the sister Full Circle Academy day school, allowing a coordinated clinic-plus-school model for kids on the spectrum.
West Fargo's special-education department provides services across all disability areas with a full continuum of placements and supports, including dedicated behavior and social-emotional intervention teams and early-childhood special education. A credentialed, IEP-driven public option serving families in the fast-growing West Fargo portion of the metro.
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 team providing a continuum of services and placements across all disability areas, with IEP teams (including parents) determining setting and services. Includes Early Childhood Special Education for ages 3-5. Free for eligible students; specific programs change year to year.
Fargo Public Schools' early-childhood special education program providing free evaluation and intervention services for young children with developmental delays or disabilities. Free for eligible families; specific programs change year to year.
Established (25+ years) Fargo practice providing comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological evaluations for autism, ADHD, learning disabilities and executive-functioning concerns. Staff includes a board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist and nationally certified school psychologist.
Specializes in autism diagnostic evaluation and early-intervention ABA treatment for children, with BCBA-supervised clinical teams serving the Fargo-Moorhead area.
Dr. Justin Boseck, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist at Full Circle Pediatric in Fargo, evaluating neurodevelopmental disorders including autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities for children and teens ages 2–18. Board certification in neuropsychology is the credential to look for — this is the strongest local private-eval option in the metro.
Sanford Children's in Fargo runs a Pediatric Developmental Evaluation Clinic that assesses children 6 months and older with a coordinated team — pediatrician, speech-language pathologist, and occupational therapist — plus pediatric psychology (Dr. Amy Ochsendorf, Dr. Robyn Maley) and child psychiatry. The region's academic hospital home for complex autism and developmental diagnosis.
Neuropsychology Associates is an established Fargo group practice of neuropsychologists (including Dr. Rod Swenson and colleagues) providing neuropsychological evaluation. Ask specifically about pediatric experience and board certification (ABPP/ABCN) when you call, as you would with any 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 across Fargo–Moorhead, instead of trusting star ratings.
If your child struggles to read, request a reading evaluation and evidence-based, structured-literacy intervention in writing from Fargo, West Fargo, or Moorhead schools. Districts must provide free, research-based reading support to eligible students — know your rights before paying for private tutoring.
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators lists accredited O-G practitioners — searchable near Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead, including remote/online tutors who serve the region. The gold-standard credential for a private dyslexia tutor, instead of trusting ads. Insist on Orton-Gillingham, Wilson, Barton, or Take Flight — and steer clear of unproven 'cures.'
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 behavioral-health provider offering comprehensive autism diagnostic assessment and BCBA-supervised ABA therapy serving the Fargo-Moorhead region.
Founded in 2001 by two pediatric speech-language pathologists, providing family-centered speech, language, feeding and occupational therapy for children from birth into adulthood, with an in-home model.
Pediatric clinic providing personalized speech-language, occupational and physical therapy, owned and led by a licensed speech-language pathologist serving the Fargo area.
Speech-language and orofacial-myology clinic led by an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist (CCC-SLP) with over a decade of experience, serving pediatric clients in Fargo.
The North Dakota Autism Center in West Fargo provides BCBA-supervised early intervention and one-to-one ABA therapy, social-skills groups, school support, and caregiver training, serving West Fargo, Fargo, Moorhead, and Cass County. A credentialed, established local autism nonprofit — ask about BHCOE accreditation.
Full Circle Pediatric in Fargo delivers BCBA-supervised, BHCOE-accredited ABA therapy alongside speech-language therapy and occupational therapy, plus school-based behavior consultation and autism waiver service management — serving Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead. A strong, multidisciplinary, credentialed local choice.
Caravel Autism Health serves Fargo–Moorhead from its Moorhead clinic with BCBA-led, one-to-one ABA therapy and peer-interaction groups in a child-friendly setting — a convenient credentialed option for families on the Minnesota side. Ask about BHCOE accreditation and your insurance.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across Fargo–Moorhead, ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Fargo, West Fargo, or Moorhead find the nearest credentialed clinician.
Sanford Children's in Fargo provides the metro's medical home for developmental and behavioral concerns — pediatric psychology (Dr. Amy Ochsendorf, Dr. Robyn Maley) and child & adolescent psychiatry (Dr. Stefanie Hanisch, Dr. Diane Kjelstrup) — for formal autism, ADHD, and developmental diagnosis and treatment.
Essentia Health, the metro's other major system, provides pediatric care on both the Fargo and Moorhead sides — a local medical starting point for developmental concerns and referrals to Sanford or a private neuropsychologist for formal diagnosis.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians serving the Fargo–Moorhead region — 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 North Dakota and Minnesota — the field's real professional standard for the Fargo–Moorhead metro.
Pathfinder is North Dakota's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free help understanding your rights, evaluations, and the IEP process. All services are free to ND parents. A respected statewide free resource before hiring a private advocate.
Moorhead (Clay County, MN) families fall under Minnesota, so PACER Center — Minnesota's nationally respected Parent Training and Information Center — is your free resource for understanding MN special-education rights, evaluations, and IEPs. Use PACER for the MN side, Pathfinder for the ND side.
For ND children birth to 3, Early Intervention and Right Track provide free developmental screening, evaluation, and in-home early-intervention services — the earliest, no-barrier place to start on the Fargo/West Fargo side.
Family Voices of North Dakota is the state's Family-to-Family Health Information Center — free, parent-driven help understanding services, benefits, and systems for children with special health-care needs. A warm, no-cost first call.
NDSU's training clinic provides speech-language and hearing services to the community at reduced cost, delivered by graduate clinicians under licensed CCC-SLP supervision — an affordable, credentialed option for evaluation and therapy in Fargo.
Pathfinder (North Dakota) and PACER (Minnesota) both offer free help understanding evaluations, IEPs, and your rights — a no-cost first call for any Fargo–Moorhead family navigating special education on either side of the river.
For ND children birth to 3 with a developmental delay or disability, North Dakota Health & Human Services runs free Early Intervention — evaluation and in-home developmental services. Right Track adds free developmental screening and follow-along for any ND family with a child birth through two, not just those with a known delay. The earliest, no-barrier place to start on the Fargo/West Fargo side.
Families on the Moorhead (Clay County, MN) side use Minnesota's Help Me Grow / Infant & Toddler Intervention for free birth-to-3 evaluation and early-intervention services through the local school district. A simple online or phone referral starts it. Use this instead of the ND program if you live across the river.
Request a special-education evaluation in writing from your district — Fargo Public Schools or West Fargo Public Schools (ND), or Moorhead Area Public Schools (MN). Under IDEA the district must evaluate and, if eligible, hold an IEP meeting within set timelines (ND uses 60 days from consent; MN uses 30 school days). This is the free legal route to an IEP.
North Dakota's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency — free legal information and advocacy statewide when a child's special-education or disability rights are denied. A powerful free resource before you pay anyone.
Federally funded and free — they help North Dakota families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
North Dakota'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 Fargo?
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 Fargo?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in North Dakota — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.