Every family in Louisiana — from New Orleans and Baton Rouge to the smallest town in Acadiana or the Delta — has the same powerful set of FREE statewide programs for a child with disabilities or delays. You don't need a diagnosis, a lawyer, or money to start. This page is your map to the help Louisiana already owes your child: free early intervention, free parent-rights experts, free legal advocacy, free vocational rehabilitation for teens, and Medicaid programs that pay for therapy even at higher incomes — plus your special-education rights and the exact evaluation timeline the school must follow. Start with the free programs below; then, you'll find free guides and templates to build your plan.
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EarlySteps is Louisiana's IDEA Part C program, run by the Louisiana Department of Health's Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities. It gives free developmental evaluation and services — speech, occupational, physical, and developmental therapy — to any child from birth to age 3 (through 35 months) with a delay or qualifying condition, anywhere in the state, delivered in your home or child-care setting. No income test and no diagnosis is required. This is the single best first call for a baby or toddler.
EarlySteps is delivered through regional System Points of Entry (SPOE) across Louisiana — call the EarlySteps line at 866-327-5978, or use the Louisiana Department of Health's EarlySteps page, to reach the office serving your parish. They come to you.
Louisiana's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — LaPTIC, housed at Families Helping Families of Greater New Orleans — gives free, one-to-one help understanding your rights, the evaluation, and the IEP/504 process for families across the whole state. Trained parent specialists who've been through it themselves. Call before you pay any private advocate.
Beyond the statewide PTI, Louisiana has a network of ten regional Families Helping Families resource centers covering every parish — free, family-run, and able to connect you with local support, training, and someone who knows your district.
Disability Rights Louisiana is the state's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency. It provides free legal information and advocacy when a child's special-education rights are being denied — including help with disputes, restraint/seclusion, and discipline. A powerful no-cost resource before you hire a lawyer.
Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS), part of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, provides free help for students with disabilities — Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) for ages 16–21 with an IEP or 504 plan — to prepare for work, college, and independent living: job-exploration counseling, work-based learning, workplace-readiness training, and self-advocacy instruction. A VR counselor is assigned to each high school; ask yours to join your child's transition IEP meetings.
Louisiana's home- and community-based Medicaid waivers — Children's Choice, the New Opportunities Waiver (NOW), Supports Waiver, and Residential Options Waiver (ROW) — can pay for respite, support coordination, specialized equipment, therapies, and more for a child with developmental disabilities, with eligibility based on the child's needs rather than just family income. The registry of request (waiting list) can be years long, so the single most important move is to get on the OCDD list TODAY. Call your regional Human Services District/Authority or 1-800-660-0488 to add your child's name.
Yes — Louisiana DOES have a Katie Beckett pathway. The Act 421 Children's Medicaid Option (Act 421-CMO) is a traditional TEFRA program, effective January 1, 2022, that disregards parental income and resources so a child with significant disabilities can qualify for Medicaid based on the child's own needs — even when the family earns too much for regular Medicaid. Unlike the waivers, there is no years-long waiting list, so apply through the Louisiana Department of Health as soon as your child may qualify.
You can ask your school district (LEA) in writing for an initial special-education evaluation at any time. Under Louisiana's Bulletin 1508, once you sign consent the district must complete the evaluation within 60 business days, then hold a meeting to determine eligibility and, if your child qualifies, develop the IEP. Put the request in writing and date it — the clock starts then. You have the right to information in your language, to bring anyone to the meeting, and to disagree.
Under IDEA you have the right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE), to a full evaluation at no cost, to be an equal member of the IEP team, to an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) if you disagree, and to dispute-resolution (mediation/due process). The Louisiana Department of Education publishes "Louisiana's Educational Rights of Children with Disabilities," and your PTI above explains all of it for free.
The Louisiana Department of Education's Students with Disabilities office sets the rules every district must follow (Bulletins 1508 and 1530), runs the state complaint, mediation, and due-process systems, and publishes Louisiana's dyslexia guidance — Louisiana law requires dyslexia screening and structured-literacy support. Start here to know what the state requires of your school.
Use the ZIP finder to pull the nearest evaluators, therapists, and special-education schools to your address, plus your metro's full directory — and these statewide free programs are always shown, no matter how rural your parish.
Several reputable practices provide autism/ADHD evaluation and speech/OT/ABA by telehealth across Louisiana — vital for rural families in the Delta and Acadiana. Nationally, COPAA (advocates/attorneys), the Academy of Orton-Gillingham (dyslexia), ABPP (board-certified evaluators), BHCOE (ABA), and Bookshare (free accessible books) round out your options.
Federally funded and free — they help Louisiana families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Louisiana's protection & advocacy agency — free legal-rights information and help if your child's rights are being denied.
Start with the free guides — your child’s IEP and the evaluation — so you know what the school owes your child.
Use a free letter template to request an evaluation or meeting, and the IEP checkup to test every goal.
Pick a credential-vetted advocate or evaluator from the directory above — free to browse, and never pay-to-play.
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How do I start the special-education process in Louisiana?
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 Louisiana?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Louisiana — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.