Lincoln and Lancaster County — Nebraska's capital, home to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln — has credentialed, evidence-based help for kids with special needs, anchored by UNL's Barkley Memorial Center clinics and the academic reach of UNMC's Munroe-Meyer Institute up in Omaha. Your local school district, Lincoln Public Schools, runs special education across the city. This is Lincoln'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 Nebraska your free front door is the Early Development Network (EDN, birth–3) 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.
✓ Every provider here is vetted by credentials, never pay-to-play. How we choose →
A Lincoln Public Schools specialized day program serving roughly 100 students in grades K-5 with significant behavioral and emotional needs, staffed by licensed special educators and related-service providers. Operates within the Cognia-accredited LPS district.
Center-based therapeutic program for children with autism using its Lighthouse Fusion model that integrates ABA with speech therapy, overseen by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs). Multiple Lincoln campuses.
Lincoln Public Schools serves students ages birth to 21 with specialized special-education programs — autism support, behavior, and life-skills — within an inclusion model. In Lincoln the strongest specialized placements are most often within the public district; insist on the right program through the IEP process, and use PTI Nebraska to help you push for it.
Beyond diagnosis, the Munroe-Meyer Institute offers education, behavior, and transition programs across the lifespan for Nebraska families — a knowledgeable statewide partner when a district placement isn't meeting your child's needs and you want an academic second opinion.
PTI Nebraska, the state's Parent Training and Information Center, offers free help weighing options and pushing for the right program through the IEP process — for children birth through 26. Invaluable when you're deciding between an inclusion classroom and a specialized program in Lincoln.
Lincoln's public district provides the full continuum of special-education services across 60+ buildings, with its own autism specialists, school psychologists, SLPs, OTs and PTs, and is the primary placement system for most Lincoln families.
An LPS community-based program giving transition-age students with disabilities real-world educational, vocational and independent-living experiences with certified special-education teachers and Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation partnership.
A small (6:1 ratio) NDE-approved private special-education school in Lincoln serving grades 2–12, pairing academics with an intensive-outpatient therapy program and licensed mental-health support for students with behavioral and emotional needs.
About 20 miles north of Lincoln, Villa Marie is an established day and residential school for children ages 6–18 with mild-to-moderate intellectual disabilities, autism or Down syndrome, with fully special-education-certified staff and a decades-long track record.
The Omaha area's long-running private special-education program for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities, autism and other health impairments, offering individualized education from Pre-K through transition and adult services.
An Omaha intervention day school with a real track record serving students with learning differences in small settings, with the goal of building skills to return to a regular school environment.
A long-established Omaha therapeutic special-education school (grades 1–12) for students with emotional and behavioral disorders, accepting placements from districts across eastern Nebraska with a small 8:1 ratio.
Boys Town operates a state-accredited education center plus day schools (Wegner) serving special- and general-education students with significant behavioral and academic needs who cannot succeed in a traditional setting.
An NDE-approved Omaha day-treatment school for K–12 students who struggle in mainstream classrooms due to educational, psychological or behavioral concerns, with small student-to-teacher ratios and integrated therapeutic supports.
Nebraska's 150-year-old state center serving blind, visually impaired and additionally-disabled students statewide through residential, day and outreach programs with specialized Braille, technology and orientation-and-mobility instruction.
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.
Nebraska's Educational Service Units provide special-education staffing, evaluation support, assistive technology and related services to Lincoln-area public districts (ESU #18 serves LPS; ESU #6 serves surrounding districts). Services vary year to year.
Licensed psychologists provide diagnostic psychological and specialty neurodevelopmental evaluations including autism, ADHD and intellectual-functioning assessments for children and adults. Established Lincoln practice.
Offers psychological evaluations for ADHD, autism and other conditions for children and adults, with relatively short scheduling windows and same-day results review. Staffed by licensed mental-health clinicians.
Runs a recurring ASD diagnostic clinic where a multidisciplinary team of providers delivers a comprehensive autism assessment, streamlining access to early-intervention services. Also provides speech and OT in-house.
The Munroe-Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center — about an hour from Lincoln in Omaha — is the state's academic home for developmental-disability and autism diagnostic evaluation, with an integrated Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders and an early-diagnosis (ACT) clinic. The referral for complex cases that need a multidisciplinary university team.
CHI Health St. Elizabeth in Lincoln provides neuropsychological assessment by referral — a local hospital-based path to formal cognitive and developmental testing. Ask for a clinician board-certified in neuropsychology (verify on ABPP) and a physician referral to schedule.
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 Lincoln, instead of trusting star ratings.
Nebraska law (LB 1052) directs districts to screen students for dyslexia indicators and provide evidence-based, multisensory, structured-literacy intervention. Lincoln Public Schools must offer this free — request dyslexia screening and services in writing, and know your rights before paying for private tutoring.
The Nebraska Dyslexia Association advocates for multisensory, structured-literacy education and provides parent resources, support groups, and referrals to trained reading tutors across Lincoln — the place to start for evidence-based dyslexia help, not advertised programs.
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators lists accredited O-G practitioners — searchable near Lincoln. O-G and Wilson are the gold-standard credentials for a private dyslexia tutor; verify them 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.
Family-owned pediatric clinic (founded 2003) providing speech-language and occupational therapy by certified speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists. Long-standing Lincoln provider focused exclusively on children.
Provides multidisciplinary, family-centered speech-language, occupational and physical therapy with ASHA-certified clinicians, many holding specialized training. Serves children and adults in Lincoln.
Speech-language pathologists certified by ASHA provide speech, language and myofunctional evaluation and treatment, with staff trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach for dyslexia/reading therapy. In-person and teletherapy.
The Lincoln rehabilitation site of Children's Nebraska delivers hospital-grade pediatric physical, occupational, speech and feeding therapy by licensed therapists. Part of the state's dedicated children's health system.
Stride Autism Centers operates a Lincoln location providing BCBA-led applied behavior analysis for young children with autism, with an early-intervention/preschool focus. A credentialed center-based ABA option — ask about BHCOE accreditation and whether your insurance is in network.
BlueGems ABA serves the greater Lincoln metro with BCBA-supervised applied behavior analysis at home, in clinic, and in school, collaborating with your child's teachers. A local, credentialed autism provider — verify the supervising BCBA and ask about BHCOE accreditation.
UNL's Barkley Memorial clinic provides speech-language and hearing services for all ages, supervised by CCC-SLP faculty — a credentialed university clinic in Lincoln for evaluation and therapy of speech, language, and communication disorders.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across Lincoln, ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so Lincoln and Lancaster County families find the nearest credentialed clinician.
The Munroe-Meyer Institute's developmental-medicine team — Nebraska's academic referral in Omaha — diagnoses and manages autism, ADHD, and developmental disabilities with a multidisciplinary team. The strongest option in the state for a complex or contested diagnosis.
Lincoln Pediatric Group is a long-established local pediatric practice — a strong starting point for developmental screening and concerns, and for a referral on to Munroe-Meyer Institute or a board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatrician for formal autism or ADHD diagnosis.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians serving Lincoln and Nebraska — 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 Lincoln and Nebraska — the field's real professional standard.
PTI Nebraska is the state's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free help understanding your rights, evaluations, and the IEP process for children birth through 26. A respected statewide free resource before hiring a private advocate.
Nebraska'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 University of Nebraska–Lincoln training clinic, the Barkley Speech-Language & Hearing Clinic offers speech-language and audiology services to the community at reduced cost, delivered by graduate clinicians under CCC-SLP faculty supervision — a remarkable low-cost option in Lincoln. Call for the fee schedule.
For children birth to 3, the Early Development Network provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention services through your Lancaster County Planning Region Team — the earliest, no-barrier place to start in Lincoln.
The Nebraska Dyslexia Association provides free parent resources, support groups, and guidance on evidence-based structured-literacy help — a no-cost first stop for Lincoln families navigating a reading disability.
PTI Nebraska offers free help understanding evaluations, IEPs, and your rights for children birth through 26 — a no-cost first call for any Lincoln family navigating special education.
For children birth to 3 with a developmental delay or disability, Nebraska's Early Development Network — a joint effort of the state Departments of Education and Health & Human Services — provides free evaluation and early intervention through your local Planning Region Team: a Services Coordinator, an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), and therapies. In Lincoln/Lancaster County this is the earliest, no-barrier place to start; call 1-888-806-6287.
Request a special-education evaluation in writing from Lincoln Public Schools. Under Nebraska's Rule 51 the district must complete the multidisciplinary evaluation within 45 school days of your written consent (and never beyond 60 calendar days), then hold an eligibility/IEP meeting. This is the free legal route to an IEP under IDEA.
Nebraska'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 Nebraska families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Nebraska'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 Lincoln?
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 Lincoln?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Nebraska — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.