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Special-Education Advocacy · Fairfax County · Virginia

Special-education & IEP help for Fairfax County families

If your child in Fairfax County has autism, dyslexia, ADHD, anxiety, a speech delay, or complex needs — and Fairfax County Public Schools isn't giving them what they need — you don't have to figure it out alone. We're a special-education advocacy service built by a DMV parent who has lived it. The first call is always free.

★ Free to start · Built by a parent · Se habla español

How special education works in Fairfax County

FCPS is the largest school division in Virginia — which means great programs exist, but families can get lost in a very big system. The good news: federal law (IDEA) gives your child the same powerful rights everywhere, and here's the path to using them in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).

  1. Request an evaluation in writing. Your district must evaluate your child for free when you ask in writing ("Child Find"). We'll write that letter for you.
  2. Get the eligibility decision. The school decides if your child qualifies for an IEP (or a 504 plan). A strong outside evaluation makes this far more likely to go your way.
  3. Build the IEP. This is where most families lose ground — the services, goals, hours, and placement are all negotiable. We read the draft, find what's missing, and prepare you.
  4. Get the right placement funded. If your district can't meet your child's needs, it may have to fund a specialized private school — worth $40,000–$100,000+ a year. Winning that is exactly what we do.

Free help for Fairfax County families

Before you pay anyone — including us — know your free options. We'll always tell you honestly when free help is all you need.

Your free & low-cost paths in Virginia

  • Fairfax County Public Schools must evaluate your child for free. Request it in writing — by law they have to respond.
  • PEATC (Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center) — your free, federally funded parent center for Virginia: peatc.org · (703) 923-0010
  • Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia — a free developmental evaluation for children under 3. Don't wait if your little one is behind.
  • Sliding-scale university clinics — real evaluations at a fraction of private cost (UMD, GMU, GW). See our condition pages for direct numbers.

The best schools & specialists near Fairfax County

We track the region's most respected evaluators and specialized schools — ranked by quality, never by who pays. Families near Fairfax County often look at Commonwealth Academy (Alexandria), The Auburn School (Herndon), The Newton School (Sterling), and Oakwood School (Annandale), among others. Start with your child's specific need:

Autism → Dyslexia → ADHD → Anxiety & emotional → Speech & language → Twice-exceptional → Complex needs → Find a school (free matcher) →

Not sure where to start?

Use our free, guided "What's going on with my child?" tool — it turns what you're noticing into a clear one-page summary you can hand your Fairfax County school or doctor.

Talk to someone who gets it — free

Tell us what's happening with your child in Fairfax County. No pressure, no cost — and we'll tell you honestly whether you even need us.

Get your free first call →