Greater Nashville — Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville — is home to the world-class Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Currey Ingram Academy, and TNSTEP, the state's parent center. The hard part is knowing which help is genuinely excellent and how to reach the free options first. This is Nashville's own directory, ranked by real credentials (ABPP, BHCOE, Orton-Gillingham accreditation, COPAA, board-certification) — never by reviews or who pays. Start with the free Tennessee options, then the best evaluators, schools, therapists, doctors, and advocates near you.
✓ Every provider here is vetted by credentials, never pay-to-play. How we choose →
School for students with specific learning disabilities whose staff are highly trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach, Multisensory Math and the Strategic Instruction Model, focused on building effective learners and confident self-advocates.
Founded in 1977, Benton Hall Academy serves students who learn differently — ADHD, dyslexia, autism, and general neurodivergence — across lower, middle, and high school with small classes and individualized support.
A Tennessee Department of Education–approved nonprofit school (35+ years) serving students with emotional and psychiatric disorders, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism, and developmental delays — students can earn high school credits and diplomas.
Just outside Nashville, Currey Ingram Academy (Brentwood) is a JK–12 day and boarding school for students with learning differences — dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, ADHD, executive-function and processing deficits, and high-functioning ASD — using Orton-Gillingham and evidence-based instruction. 100% of graduates are accepted to college.
TNSTEP's parent specialists can help you compare additional Nashville-area school options for dyslexia, autism, and learning differences at no cost — statewide guidance from Tennessee's parent center.
A directory to compare additional special-education private schools across the Nashville region — a verified starting point when you need a program beyond Currey Ingram.
Premier JK-12 day and boarding school exclusively for students with learning differences (dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, ADHD, executive-function and processing-speed deficits, twice-exceptional, mild ASD). 83-acre campus, certified specialized faculty, individualized multisensory instruction. The flagship learning-differences school of Middle Tennessee, in the league of Siena/Katherine Thomas.
Established 1977, a Nashville day school serving students with learning differences (dyslexia, ADHD, autism, neurodivergence) in lower, middle, and high school. Admission requires a psycho-educational evaluation; small classes with multisensory instruction targeting each student's specific learning difference.
State-approved special-education day school (grades 1-12) in the Genesis Learning Centers network, serving students with emotional/psychiatric disorders, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, dual-diagnosis, and developmental delays. Earns high-school credits toward an academic or exceptional-education diploma. ~35 miles SE of Nashville.
Long-established therapeutic day and residential school serving individuals ages 7-22 with intellectual and developmental disabilities (including autism, Down syndrome, Prader-Willi). Functional academics, daily-living and vocational skills, and the Total Lifestyles Program with certified staff. ~45 miles south of Nashville.
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.
MNPS public school serving students ages 3–22 with multiple and complex disabilities, offering a modified curriculum, assistive technology, a core communication system, and in-house OT, PT, speech/language and vision/hearing services. Placement is determined by the IEP team. Note: programs and offerings change year to year—verify current details with the district.
District special-education services including STRIVE (life-skills/vocational with PT, OT and speech), Structure programs using Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, and early-childhood ECSE classrooms across the LRE continuum. Note: programs and placements are IEP-driven and change year to year—confirm current offerings with the district.
District special-education programs serving the full range of IDEA disability categories including autism, intellectual disabilities, and speech/language impairments, with services delivered along the least-restrictive-environment continuum. Note: programs change year to year—verify current details with the district.
Hospital-based developmental medicine program where developmental-behavioral pediatricians and pediatric nurse practitioners evaluate and manage children (through age 18) for autism and developmental concerns, including neuropsychological testing.
Long-standing pediatric private practice offering diagnostic, therapeutic and educational evaluations and services for children with developmental and learning challenges, with licensed speech-language and occupational therapy clinicians.
Founded by Jackie Klaver, Ph.D., with board-certified clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Michelle Weinstein — comprehensive pediatric neuropsychological, psychoeducational, and neurodevelopmental evaluations for learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism (ages ~6–22).
Drs. Aimee Dukes and Katherine Price (licensed psychologists, NCSP, HSP) provide comprehensive psychoeducational assessment with expertise in autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and learning disabilities, plus IEP/504 consultation.
Dr. Pamela Drury, PhD, provides comprehensive cognitive, behavioral, and emotional assessments including learning, ADHD, and gifted evaluations for children and adults.
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center's TRIAD (Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders) — partnered with Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital — has provided autism evaluation, research, and treatment for 25+ years, among the most respected programs in the country.
Vanderbilt's Division of Developmental Medicine provides comprehensive neuropsychological and developmental evaluation of learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism for children up to age 18 — academic, board-certified diagnostic care.
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, instead of trusting star ratings.
Certified Academic Language Therapists delivering Take Flight (a structured-literacy program built for dyslexia), plus dyslexia testing and academic tutoring across Brentwood, Hendersonville, Murfreesboro, and greater Nashville.
Dyslexia screening and comprehensive testing plus multisensory Orton-Gillingham/Lindamood-Bell therapy, tutoring, and homeschool tutorial for students of all ages in the Nashville/Brentwood area.
Pairs students with dyslexia and language-based literacy needs with Certified Structured Literacy Instructors trained in Orton-Gillingham, with ongoing tutoring, academic assessment, and session notes for parents.
Erin Paske is a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), Licensed Dyslexia Therapist, and Certified Advanced Barton Tutor pursuing a Ph.D. in Literacy Studies (reading disabilities/dyslexia). She founded the Nashville Dyslexia Center (Franklin / greater Nashville) with co-founder Steven Paske, CALT — structured-literacy dyslexia therapy by credentialed therapists.
The Academy's directory lists accredited Orton-Gillingham practitioners across greater Nashville — the gold-standard credential for a private dyslexia tutor, verified by training rather than advertising.
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.
Brings ABA, speech and occupational therapy under one roof with Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA), Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) and Occupational Therapists (OT) collaborating on each child's plan, emphasizing early intervention for young children.
Pediatric speech-language and occupational therapy practice based in the West Meade/Belle Meade area serving Nashville and Brentwood, with ASHA-certified (CCC-SLP) speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists.
Pediatric outpatient clinic specializing in speech-language and occupational therapy for children birth through school age with developmental delays and disorders, providing clinical care since 2004.
ABA therapy center for children with autism, with programs designed and supervised by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) and delivered by trained behavior technicians.
A BHCOE-accredited autism therapy provider with Donelson and Brentwood centers offering ABA alongside occupational and speech therapy — accredited for clinical quality, not ad spend.
A BHCOE-accredited ABA provider serving Nashville children on the autism spectrum from birth to age 21 — research-based applied behavior analysis, accredited for clinical quality.
A pediatric therapy clinic providing occupational, speech-language, and physical therapy plus feeding and Dynamic Movement Intervention for children with developmental and sensory needs.
A pediatric occupational therapy clinic for children with autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, developmental delays, sensory processing disorder, feeding challenges, and handwriting difficulties — clinic, home, school, or virtual.
Owned by Natalie Stasch, MS, CCC-SLP — neurodiversity-affirming speech, occupational, physical, and feeding therapy (late talkers, autism, AAC, sensory) delivered in homes and community settings across Davidson and Williamson counties.
A multidisciplinary pediatric practice offering occupational, speech, behavior (ABA), physical, and feeding therapy plus psychoeducational evaluations, with clinics in Nashville, Nolensville, Franklin, and Smyrna.
A BHCOE-accredited autism therapy provider with Donelson and Brentwood centers, offering ABA alongside occupational and speech therapy — accredited for clinical quality rather than chosen by ad spend.
A BHCOE-accredited ABA provider serving Nashville children on the autism spectrum from birth to age 21 — research-based applied behavior analysis, accredited for clinical quality.
The Behavioral Health Center of Excellence directory lists accredited ABA providers across greater Nashville (including Behavior Frontiers and Global Behavior Education Alliance) — the real quality bar for autism therapy.
Ebony Johnson, M.S., CCC-SLP, founded Magnolia Speech Therapy (Smyrna, serving Middle Tennessee) — a pediatric speech and occupational therapy practice that also offers language, social-skills, and feeding therapy for children across the Nashville area.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's directory lists speech-language pathologists who hold the CCC-SLP — the national mark of a fully qualified clinician.
An extension of the Chattanooga institute (est. 1950) offering medical developmental-behavioral diagnosis for children ages 18 months to 8 years, including autism and ADHD (by physician referral).
A developmental and behavioral medicine practice whose pediatric nurse practitioners specialize in autism, ADHD, and learning/behavioral/mental-health concerns with evidence-based care.
Vanderbilt's Division of Developmental Medicine — closely tied to the Kennedy Center TRIAD — provides expert diagnosis and management of autism, ADHD, intellectual disability, and developmental delay by board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians in greater Nashville — the credential to verify for a formal autism or ADHD diagnosis.
A Nashville program advocating to ensure children with disabilities get a quality education, graduate, and avoid juvenile-court involvement — educational advocacy and legal representation.
A Nashville education-law firm with 40+ years of experience representing families in IEP, Section 504, IDEA, and due-process matters throughout Tennessee.
Attorney Jessica Salonus — herself the parent of a child with a disability — represents Tennessee families (including Nashville) in IEP, 504 plan, and IDEA disputes.
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates' directory lists active, vetted special-education advocates and attorneys serving greater Nashville — the field's real professional standard.
Beyond information, TNSTEP offers free IEP review and strategy and trained parent support to help you prepare for and understand IEP meetings — a respected free alternative to hiring a private advocate first.
The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families — including helping families advocate for special-education services. A no-cost route to legal assistance.
Middle Tennessee State University's speech-language and hearing clinic (Murfreesboro) offers low-cost evaluation and therapy for children with communication needs — delivered by graduate clinicians under ASHA-certified supervisors.
The Arc Davidson County & Greater Nashville offers free advocacy, education, and family support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — a warm, no-cost community resource alongside clinical services.
For children birth to 3, TEIS provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies — the earliest, no-barrier place to start.
For children birth to 3, Tennessee's Early Intervention System (TEIS) provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention services (speech, OT, PT, developmental). The earliest, no-barrier place to start if you have any concern about your baby or toddler.
Tennessee'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.
Tennessee's only federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free training, workshops, IEP review and strategy, and support, with offices and bilingual staff across the state. A great first call.
Federally funded and free — they help Tennessee families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Tennessee's protection & advocacy agency — free legal-rights information and help if your child's rights are being denied.
When you’re ready, an expert can review your child’s IEP and build your plan. See how it works →
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How do I start the special-education process in Nashville?
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 Nashville?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Tennessee — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.