The Tri-State — Huntington and Cabell/Wayne counties in West Virginia, Ashland and Boyd/Greenup counties in Kentucky, and Ironton/Lawrence County in Ohio — has unusually strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs, anchored by Marshall University's nationally significant Autism Training Center and Hoops Family Children's Hospital. Your local schools — Cabell County and Wayne County (WV), Ashland Independent and Boyd County (KY), and Lawrence County (OH) — each run special education under their own state's rules. This is the Tri-State'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. Your free front door is your state's birth-to-three early intervention (WV Birth to Three, KY First Steps, or Ohio Help Me Grow) and your school district's evaluation and IEP for ages 3+. Start there, then the best evaluators, schools, reading specialists, therapists, doctors, and advocates near you.
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Long-standing accredited parochial school serving nursery through 8th grade, founded in 1872. Offers small-class structured instruction and faith-based learning support for students who do better in a smaller setting.
A long-established (WVCCA member) Level II therapeutic group home providing an intensive, multidisciplinary residential setting for youth ages 12-18 with significant emotional and behavioral needs. On-site schooling and clinical supports.
Cabell County Schools serves students with disabilities ages 3 through 21 with specialized in-district programs — autism support, behavior, and resource settings — that your IEP team can place your child in. In the Tri-State the strongest specialized placements are most often within the public districts; insist on the right program through the IEP process.
Beyond family support, the WV Autism Training Center trains your child's teachers and helps with school programming and transition planning — a free, expert partner in making your district's placement actually work for an autistic student.
For older students, Marshall University's nationally recognized College Program for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder provides structured support to succeed in college — worth knowing early as you plan a high-schooler's transition and IEP transition goals.
The public school district serving Huntington and all of Cabell County (11,000+ students). Operates IDEA-mandated special education across K-12 including dedicated low-incidence and moderate/severe/profound autism programs, related services (speech, OT, PT), and a structured Child Find/eligibility process for ages 3-21. As a West Virginia public district it is state-accredited through WVDE (Cognia framework). This is the strongest real, currently-operating, credentialed special-education option directly serving Huntington families.
Legislatively established statewide technical-assistance and direct-service agency for Autism Spectrum Disorder, housed at Marshall University in Huntington since 1984. Provides multi-tiered, person-centered direct services and data-driven supports in home, school, and community settings, plus intensive autism-mentor training for school paraprofessionals and a nationally noted College Program for ASD students. Services are free to registered WV families. Decades-long track record and certified specialized staff place it well above generic providers.
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.
Adjacent Huntington-metro public district providing IDEA special-education services, related therapies, and preschool special education for eligible students. Specific programs depend on annual staffing and IEP determinations.
Marshall Health's child & adolescent psychiatry autism evaluation service and its Healthy Connections Developmental Clinic provide multidisciplinary diagnostic evaluation for autism and developmental concerns in Huntington — the region's academic-affiliated diagnostic home, tied to Marshall University and Hoops Family Children's Hospital.
Diversified Assessment & Therapy Services provides assessment and ABA therapy for children in Huntington — a local diagnose-and-treat option. Confirm the evaluating clinician's licensure and the diagnostic instruments used.
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 Tri-State (WVU Medicine Children's in Morgantown and Cincinnati Children's, ~2 hours, are the academic referrals for complex cases), instead of trusting star ratings.
The WV Dyslexia Center provides 1:1 Orton-Gillingham dyslexia tutoring tailored to each child, twice a week — a deep, evidence-based, structured-literacy resource for Tri-State families, rather than a generic tutoring chain.
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators lists accredited O-G practitioners — searchable near Huntington and Ashland. The gold-standard credential for a private dyslexia tutor, instead of trusting ads.
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.
Hospital outpatient program delivering occupational, physical, and speech therapy for children birth-18, including a Snoezelen sensory room for sensory and self-regulation needs. Licensed OTR/L and CCC-SLP clinicians within an accredited hospital system.
501(c)(3) serving the Tri-State area since 1951, providing occupational, physical, and speech-language therapy plus special instruction for children, including WV Birth to Three early-intervention services. Long-standing community reputation.
The Autism Services Center — a historic Huntington nonprofit (founded by autism pioneer Dr. Ruth Sullivan) — runs an ABA program supervised by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and delivered by trained behavior-support professionals. A deep, mission-driven local autism provider.
The Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center provides comprehensive speech-language, hearing, and feeding/swallowing therapy — including a dedicated ASD clinic — delivered by graduate clinicians under ASHA-certified CCC-SLP supervision. Credentialed care at a lower cost.
Milestones is a pediatric outpatient clinic providing physical, occupational, and speech therapy plus psychological services for children ages 0–21 in the Huntington area — a credentialed, multidisciplinary local option (Valley Pediatric Therapy and River Therapies also serve the Tri-State).
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across the Tri-State, ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Huntington, Ashland, or Ironton find the nearest credentialed clinician.
Hoops Family Children's Hospital — a 72-bed pediatric specialty hospital within Cabell Huntington Hospital, part of Marshall Health Network — provides pediatric specialty care including developmental and autism-related services. The Tri-State's local children's-hospital medical home.
For the most complex diagnoses, WVU Medicine Children's in Morgantown and Cincinnati Children's (~2 hours) offer nationally regarded developmental-behavioral pediatrics and autism diagnostics — the academic referrals when a local evaluation is unclear.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians serving the Tri-State — 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 Tri-State — the field's real professional standard.
Each state has a free, federally funded Parent Training and Information Center: WV Parent Training & Information (wvpti-inc.org, 800-281-1436), KY-SPIN in Kentucky (kyspin.com), and OCECD in Ohio (ocecd.org). Free help understanding your rights, evaluations, and the IEP process — a respected first stop before hiring a private advocate.
Each state's protection & advocacy agency offers free legal information and advocacy for special-education rights: Disability Rights of West Virginia (drofwv.org), Kentucky Protection & Advocacy, and Disability Rights Ohio — a no-cost first stop before hiring a private advocate or attorney.
The Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center provides low-cost speech-language, hearing, and feeding therapy (and an ASD clinic) delivered by supervised graduate clinicians right in Huntington — a strong-value option for ongoing services.
The WV Autism Training Center provides free registration, support, and training for WV families of people with autism and their educators — one of the deepest no-cost autism resources in the country, right in Huntington.
For children birth to 3, your state's early-intervention system (WV Birth to Three, KY First Steps, or Ohio Help Me Grow) provides free developmental evaluations and therapies — the earliest, no-barrier place to start in the Tri-State.
Your state's Parent Training and Information Center offers free help understanding evaluations, IEPs, and your rights — a no-cost first call for any Tri-State family navigating special education.
For children birth to 3 with a delay or disability, your state's early-intervention system provides free evaluation and services. In WV it's WV Birth to Three (refer at 866-321-4728); in KY (Ashland/Boyd) it's First Steps (chfs.ky.gov); in Ohio (Ironton/Lawrence) it's Help Me Grow. All three are free and the earliest, no-barrier place to start.
Request a special-education evaluation in writing from your district — Cabell County or Wayne County (WV), Ashland Independent or Boyd County (KY), or Lawrence County (OH). In West Virginia the district must complete the evaluation within 80 days of the referral. This is the free legal route to an IEP under IDEA.
Created by the WV Legislature in 1984 and housed at Marshall University, the WV Autism Training Center provides free support, registration, and training to West Virginia families of people with autism and their educators — a remarkable, deep, no-cost resource that few states have. Start here if your child has (or may have) autism.
Federally funded and free — they help West Virginia families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
West Virginia'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 Huntington?
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 Huntington?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in West Virginia — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.