Greater Lansing — Lansing, East Lansing, Okemos, Holt, Grand Ledge, and the rest of Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties — is the state capital and home to Michigan State University, and it has strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs. Your local districts — Lansing School District, East Lansing, Okemos, Holt, Waverly, and Grand Ledge — each run a special-education department, coordinated through Ingham ISD. This is the Capital 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 Michigan your free front door is Early On (early intervention, birth–3) through your Intermediate School District (Ingham ISD for most of the metro), and your district's evaluation and IEP for ages 3+ (the ISD also serves ages 3–5). 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 →
Ingham Intermediate School District runs specialized special-education programs and center-based classrooms (autism, significant cognitive impairment, early childhood) for districts across the Capital Area — the placement many districts use for a more specialized setting, and a place to ask what specialized options exist near you.
The Michigan Department of Education's special-education resources explain your rights and the specialized programs your district and ISD must consider — useful when comparing what Lansing, East Lansing, Okemos, or Holt can offer.
A searchable directory for comparing Lansing-area private and special-education school options by location, grades, and program — useful if you're seeking a specialized placement.
Intermediate-district center school serving Lansing-area students ages 3-26 with autism spectrum disorders, moderate/severe cognitive impairments, and severe multiple impairments via IEP placement through the local district.
Ingham ISD center school for students with autism, moderate/severe cognitive impairments, and severe multiple impairments, enrolled through their resident district's IEP process.
Statewide nonprofit whose Lansing center delivers direct, multisensory Orton-Gillingham reading instruction and language-skills evaluations, with principal trainers who are Orton-Gillingham Academy Fellows or certified members.
The city's public district runs special education classrooms and resource-room supports across all buildings and grade levels for the thirteen state disability categories, including ASD resource rooms.
East Lansing's public district provides special education resource rooms (including ASD-focused rooms) and 504 services across its elementary, middle, and high schools.
Provides individualized, evidence-based ABA programming for children with autism through a local learning center and in-home services, listed in the Autism Alliance of Michigan provider directory.
The intermediate district covering the western Lansing metro (Eaton County) delivers MARSE-compliant special education instruction, evaluations, related services, and work-skills transition partnerships.
Independent, co-ed day school within about 45 miles serving students with learning differences and disabilities including autism and ADHD in small, individualized classes.
Lansing community rehabilitation organization that partners with local special education classrooms to provide individualized work training and transition support for students with disabilities.
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.
Free district special education with ASD classrooms across multiple buildings (Riddle, Cumberland, Reo, Attwood, Gardner, Everett, Beekman) and services from birth through age 26 across 13 disability categories. Programs change year to year.
Long-established Greater Lansing practice providing neuropsychological and psychological testing for children, adolescents and adults, including attention/focus and developmental concerns. Recognized provider listed by the Autism Alliance of Michigan.
East Lansing practice of licensed psychologists offering psychological and neuropsychological evaluations to support autism and learning-disorder diagnosis.
Hospital pediatric subspecialty clinic in Lansing (with MSU Health Care and U-M C.S. Mott specialists) whose Developmental Assessment Clinic provides interdisciplinary developmental screening and follow-up for infants and children.
The Michigan State University Psychological Clinic offers autism diagnostic assessments by therapists with specialized ASD training, plus individual treatment, parent training, and social-skills groups — a rigorous, accessible university diagnostic home in East Lansing.
Dr. Jennifer Huffman is board-certified in clinical neuropsychology with a pediatric subspecialty by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) — conducting rigorous neuropsychological evaluations for learning, attention, autism, and developmental conditions. The gold-standard board credential, right in the Lansing area.
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 Lansing area, instead of trusting star ratings.
The Michigan Dyslexia Institute (a Lansing-based nonprofit with centers across the state) provides Orton-Gillingham instruction — direct, sequential, structured, multisensory and aligned with the Science of Reading — for children and adults with dyslexia. A deeply established, evidence-based local resource.
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham and the Academic Language Therapy Association list accredited O-G practitioners and CALTs across mid-Michigan — searchable near Lansing, East Lansing, or Okemos. 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.
Pediatric clinic providing ABA (led by Board Certified Behavior Analysts), speech-language and occupational therapy plus PT and music therapy for children from birth through young adulthood.
Contemporary 1:1 ABA delivered by trained behavior technicians under BCBA supervision; the Okemos learning center is recognized by the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence and listed by the Autism Alliance of Michigan.
Center- and home-based ABA for children and adolescents with autism, with a BCBA/LBA clinical director and individualized treatment plans. Listed by Autism Support of Michigan.
Greater Lansing clinic offering speech-language therapy, occupational therapy and orofacial myofunctional therapy for children and adults.
ABA Insight is a Lansing ABA provider for children with autism, accredited by the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE) — the real quality marker for ABA, with BCBA-led, individualized programming.
MetroEHS Pediatric Therapy's East Lansing center (near MSU) offers ABA therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and feeding therapy under one roof — a coordinated, multidisciplinary option with licensed and nationally certified clinicians.
Speech-Language Solutions provides evaluation and treatment for language disorders, dyslexia, and autism for children, teens, and young adults in East Lansing — ASHA-certified (CCC-SLP) clinicians who partner with MSU and the Hope Network Center for Autism.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across the Capital Area (including Spark Center for Autism and Acorn Health), ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Okemos, Holt, Grand Ledge, or DeWitt find the nearest.
University of Michigan Health-Sparrow (Lansing) provides pediatric specialty care including developmental and behavioral services — the local children's-hospital medical home for developmental concerns, with U-M's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital (Ann Arbor, ~1 hour) as the academic referral for the most complex developmental-behavioral pediatrics.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians serving the Lansing 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 Lansing area — the field's real professional standard.
Michigan Alliance for Families is Michigan's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free help understanding your rights, evaluations, and the IEP process, with trained parent mentors. A respected statewide free resource before hiring a private advocate.
Michigan'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.
Michigan State University's Oyer Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic provides low-cost speech-language evaluation and therapy for children with communication disorders, delivered by supervised graduate clinicians — a strong-value option for ongoing speech-language services.
The Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton & Ingham Counties runs home-based early-intervention programs (Parent-Infant and Parent-Young Child) for families of young children with social, emotional, or developmental needs — accessible, low-cost support for the Capital Area.
Legal Services of South Central Michigan provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families across the Lansing area — a no-cost route to legal assistance, including some education and benefits matters.
For children birth to 3, Ingham ISD's Early On provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies — the earliest, no-barrier place to start in the Lansing area.
For children birth to 3 with a delay or disability, Michigan's Early On program — delivered locally by Ingham ISD (517-244-4514) — provides free developmental screening, evaluation, and early-intervention services (speech, OT, PT, special instruction). Anyone can refer. All evaluations and services are free. The earliest, no-barrier place to start.
At age 3, request a special-education evaluation in writing from your district — Lansing, East Lansing, Okemos, Holt, Waverly, or Grand Ledge — or through Ingham ISD, which provides early-childhood special education for ages 3–5. This is the free legal route to an IEP and services under IDEA.
Michigan'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 Michigan families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Michigan'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 Lansing & East Lansing?
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 Lansing & East Lansing?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Michigan — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.