Fort Wayne and northeast Indiana — New Haven, Huntertown, Auburn, Columbia City, plus the surrounding counties — have strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs, anchored by Parkview's new Pediatric Developmental Center and the longstanding Turnstone. This is Fort Wayne's 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, COPAA, CCC-SLP, OTR-L, board-certification) — never by reviews or who pays. Indiana has no Regional Center system; your free front door is Indiana First Steps for birth–3 and your school district's evaluation 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.
For children birth to 3, Indiana's First Steps provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention services (speech, OT, PT, developmental) through a family-centered, local network. The earliest, no-barrier place to start if you have any concern about your baby or toddler.
IN*SOURCE is Indiana's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free help understanding your rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings, with trained parent advocates. A great first call.
Indiana'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.
The Parkview Pediatric Developmental Center (Parkview Regional Medical Center campus) evaluates and diagnoses autism and developmental delays for children birth to 18 with a full team — a developmental-behavioral physician, child psychologist, speech and occupational therapists, mental-health therapist, and nurse practitioners under one roof. Northeast Indiana's leading evaluation home.
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 northeast Indiana, instead of trusting star ratings.
IN*SOURCE can help your family understand Fort Wayne-area special-education placement options and your rights in choosing the right setting, at no cost — a free, knowledgeable starting point when you're weighing schools and programs.
A searchable directory for comparing Fort Wayne-area private and special-education school options by location, grades, and program — useful if you're seeking a specialized private placement.
ETS Dyslexia Specialists is a Fort Wayne practice providing structured-literacy, Orton-Gillingham-based dyslexia intervention — listed on Indiana's official Disability Resource Finder. Ask about their specific O-G/Barton training when you call to confirm the right fit.
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham and the Academic Language Therapy Association list accredited O-G practitioners and CALTs across northeast Indiana — searchable near Fort Wayne, New Haven, or Auburn. 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.
Turnstone is a longstanding Fort Wayne nonprofit providing one-on-one pediatric occupational, physical, speech, and aquatic therapy for children with disabilities including autism — therapists who specialize in disability and a mission-driven model. A trusted local cornerstone.
A BHCOE-accredited autism therapy center in Fort Wayne, Hopebridge combines ABA with occupational, speech, and feeding therapy under one roof — interdisciplinary care accredited for clinical quality rather than chosen by ad spend.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across northeast Indiana (including Bierman Autism Centers), ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists (including PFW-trained clinicians at Turnstone), and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in New Haven, Auburn, or Huntertown find the nearest.
The Parkview Pediatric Developmental Center includes a developmental-behavioral physician and child psychologist who diagnose and help manage autism, ADHD, and developmental conditions — northeast Indiana's main hospital-based developmental program, with team-based follow-up.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians across the Fort Wayne 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 Fort Wayne area — the field's real professional standard.
IN*SOURCE's trained parent advocates help Indiana families prepare for and understand IEP meetings at no cost — a respected, statewide free alternative to hiring a private advocate first.
Indiana'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.
As a Fort Wayne nonprofit, Turnstone is committed to serving people with disabilities regardless of financial circumstances — pediatric occupational, physical, and speech therapy with a mission-first model, a strong option when cost or insurance is a barrier.
For children birth to 3, First Steps provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies — the earliest, no-barrier place to start in Indiana.
Indiana Legal Services provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families across northeast Indiana — a no-cost route to legal assistance, including some education and benefits matters.
IN*SOURCE offers free workshops and one-on-one parent support across Indiana — a rich free resource for families learning their rights and navigating the system.
Federally funded and free — they help Indiana families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Indiana's protection & advocacy agency — free legal-rights information and help if your child's rights are being denied.
A short message — your child, your Fort Wayne 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 Fort Wayne providers from the vetted directory above.
A clear written plan, plus a vetted Fort Wayne 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.
Tell us about your child →