The South Plains — Lubbock, Wolfforth, Slaton, and the rest of the Lubbock metro — has unusually strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs, thanks largely to Texas Tech: the Burkhart Center for Autism Education & Research, the TTUHSC Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, and Covenant Children's Hospital anchor the region. Your local districts — Lubbock ISD, Lubbock-Cooper ISD, Frenship ISD, Idalou, and Roosevelt — each run special education, and you have the right to services in your language. This is West Texas'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, CALT, board-certification), never by reviews or who pays. In Texas your free front door is ECI (Early Childhood Intervention, 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 →
Faith-based therapeutic day school serving students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, specific learning disabilities, anxiety and mood disorders, with individualized academics, social-skills training and on-site counseling. Built for students whose needs were not met in traditional settings.
Christian early-collegiate private school in its 17th year, specializing in college-prep education for students with diagnosed learning disabilities such as dyslexia and ADHD who have average-to-above-average ability. Proven multi-year track record with language-based learning differences.
Sharp Academy is a Lubbock private school serving students with learning differences, dyslexia, and ADHD who need small classes and specialized instruction — a specialized option your IEP team can consider when a traditional classroom isn't meeting the need.
Lubbock ISD operates in-district specialized programs — autism support, behavior, and life-skills classrooms — that your ARD/IEP team can place your child in (Lubbock-Cooper and Frenship run their own as well). In West Texas the strongest specialized placements are most often within the public districts; insist on the right program through the ARD process.
SPEDTex is the Texas Education Agency's special-education information center — free, bilingual guidance by phone, email, or chat on evaluations, IEPs, placements, and your rights. A great no-cost first call when choosing a program.
Tuition-free public charter school approved by the Texas Education Agency, the first charter in Texas designed specifically for students with dyslexia, language-based learning differences, and ADHD. Every student receives intensive multisensory reading instruction grounded in Orton-Gillingham and Scottish Rite methods, with project-based learning and working-memory supports. Open to all of Lubbock County by lottery; serves elementary grades.
Full-day, individualized autism academy using applied behavior analysis (ABA), serving children with autism spectrum disorder from 18 months to 22 years. Staffed by six full-time, on-site Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs). Accredited by the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE) and noted as the only BHCOE-accredited ABA provider between Dallas and Albuquerque. Open year-round; teaches communication, pre-academic/academic, social, self-help, and behavioral skills.
Texas Tech University's established autism center (opened 2005) providing direct services, educator preparation, and research. Includes a full-inclusion preschool for autistic and neurotypical children, an outpatient behavior/learning clinic, an adult transition academy with independent-living training, and the CASE college-transition program. Staffed by university faculty and certified specialists; recognized statewide and recently awarded a state grant for parent-partnership outreach.
Lubbock Independent School District provides a free, appropriate public education with a full continuum of special-education services for eligible students ages 3-21 (and birth-21 for hearing/visual impairment), including a dedicated dyslexia intervention program, autism supports, and a Vocational Transition Center for transition-age students. Services delivered through IEPs by certified special-education staff and feeder-pattern coordinators.
State-funded regional day-school program serving deaf and hard-of-hearing students across a 20-county area around Lubbock. Staffed by certified teachers of the deaf, speech-language pathologists, sign-language interpreters, and support personnel, with educational-audiology collaboration through TTUHSC. Operated through Lubbock ISD as the regional host district.
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.
Fast-growing south-metro district with a dedicated Special Education and Special Programs department providing evaluations, IEP services and specialized supports at no cost to families. Programs and placements change year to year.
Large suburban district serving Wolfforth and west Lubbock County with a well-established special-education department offering free IDEA-mandated evaluations, autism and resource services, and related therapies. Programs and placements change year to year.
Lubbock's only developmental-behavioral pediatrics clinic, affiliated with Texas Tech University, UMC and Covenant hospitals, providing comprehensive autism and developmental diagnostic evaluations by physician specialists.
The Burkhart Center for Autism Education & Research at Texas Tech University provides autism services, BCBA-supervised ABA, family support, and educator preparation — plus a mobile/telehealth outreach clinic for the South Plains. A credentialed, university-based diagnose-and-treat home and the region's premier autism resource.
Action Behavior Centers' Lubbock locations offer autism diagnostic evaluations — including the gold-standard ADOS-2 — with Board Certified Behavior Analysts on staff, often at no cost with insurance. A local diagnose-and-treat option.
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 South Plains (Texas Tech and Covenant are the regional academic referrals), instead of trusting star ratings.
The Scottish Rite Learning Center of West Texas provides dyslexia therapy taught by Certified Academic Language Therapists (CALTs) — the gold-standard, Orton-Gillingham-based credential — typically at no charge to families, with students attending four days a week over two to two-and-a-half years. A remarkable, deep, free dyslexia resource in Lubbock.
The Academic Language Therapy Association lists CALTs and Licensed Dyslexia Therapists (LDTs) across West Texas — Texas's gold-standard structured-literacy credentials. The certification to verify in any private dyslexia therapist, instead of trusting ads.
Texas law requires districts to screen for dyslexia and provide evidence-based, structured-literacy intervention. Lubbock ISD and every South Plains district must offer this free — ask in writing for dyslexia screening and services, and know your rights before paying for private tutoring.
Lubbock's first and only locally owned ABA clinic and the only BHCOE-accredited ABA provider between Dallas and Albuquerque, with ten Board Certified Behavior Analysts on site serving children with autism ages 2-22.
Pediatric therapy clinic owned and operated by two sisters — a licensed occupational therapist and a speech-language pathologist — providing individualized speech and OT services to children across the Lubbock area.
Behavioral Innovations provides 1-to-1, BCBA-led ABA therapy and comprehensive autism treatment in Lubbock — a credentialed center-based option (Action Behavior Centers operates several Lubbock clinics, and Bright Pathways ABA also serves the area). Verify current BCBA supervision and ask about BHCOE accreditation.
The Burkhart Center provides focused, BCBA-supervised applied behavior analysis as part of its clinic services — university-based, credentialed autism treatment alongside its diagnostic and family-support programs.
Achieve Pediatric Therapy and Rehab (5211 79th St) offers occupational, speech, and physical therapy for children, and Care Options for Kids (6502 Slide Rd) provides speech, OT, and PT from birth to 21 in home, school, or clinic — credentialed local pediatric therapy options (Covenant Children's also offers pediatric rehab at 4102 24th St).
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across the South Plains, ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Lubbock, Wolfforth, or Slaton find the nearest credentialed clinician.
Covenant Children's Hospital is the South Plains' regional children's hospital, with pediatric specialty care and rehabilitation — the local hospital home for evaluating and managing complex developmental and medical needs, alongside Texas Tech Physicians and TTUHSC.
Texas Tech Physicians (TTUHSC) provides university-affiliated pediatric care in Lubbock — a strong local route to developmental evaluation and referrals, with the Burkhart Center as the autism specialty partner.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians serving the Lubbock 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 South Plains — the field's real professional standard.
Partners Resource Network is Texas's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center, with strong Spanish-language projects (PATH) — free, bilingual help understanding your rights, evaluations, and the ARD/IEP process. A respected free resource before hiring a private advocate.
Texas's protection & advocacy agency offers free, bilingual legal information and advocacy for special-education rights — a no-cost first stop before hiring a private advocate or attorney.
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic provides low-cost speech-language and hearing evaluation and therapy delivered by supervised graduate clinicians — serving West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. A strong-value option for ongoing services.
The Scottish Rite Learning Center provides multi-year, CALT-led, Orton-Gillingham-based dyslexia therapy typically at no charge — one of the strongest no-cost, evidence-based dyslexia resources anywhere in West Texas.
For children birth to 3, ECI provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies in your home — the earliest, no-barrier place to start in Lubbock.
Texas Health Steps provides free checkups and connects Medicaid-eligible children to needed therapies (speech, OT, ABA) — an important low-cost path to services for many South Plains families.
For children birth to 3 with a developmental delay, disability, or qualifying diagnosis, Early Childhood Intervention provides free developmental evaluation and services (speech, OT, PT, specialized skills) in your home — the Lubbock ECI program is your local intake (806-219-0500). The earliest, no-barrier place to start.
Request a Full Individual Evaluation in writing from your district — Lubbock ISD, Lubbock-Cooper ISD, Frenship ISD, Idalou, or Roosevelt. In Texas, once you sign consent the district must complete the evaluation within 45 school days, then hold an ARD/IEP meeting within 30 calendar days. You have the right to this in your language. The free legal route to an IEP under IDEA.
Texas's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency — free, bilingual 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 Texas families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Texas'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 Lubbock?
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 Lubbock?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Texas — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.