Special-education help for New Jersey families.

The New Jersey Early Intervention System (run by the NJ Department of Health) gives developmental evaluation and services — speech, occupational, physical, and developmental therapy — to any child birth to 3 with a delay or qualifying condition, anywhere in the state, usually in your home. The evaluation is free and no diagnosis is required; services are on a sliding-fee scale and no family is turned away for inability to pay. This is the single best first call for a baby or toddler — dial the system access point at 1-888-653-4463.

NJEIS is delivered through four Regional Early Intervention Collaboratives that cover every county — use the NJEIS site or the statewide access number to reach the one serving your area. They come to you, in your home and community.

New Jersey's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center (SPAN) gives free, one-to-one help understanding your rights, the evaluation, and the IEP process — with strong Spanish-language support. Trained parent advocates who have raised children with disabilities themselves walk you through every step. Call SPAN before you pay any private advocate.

Beyond one-to-one help, SPAN runs a family helpline, free workshops, and clear guides on evaluations, IEP meetings, transition, and dispute resolution. A great place to learn your rights before any meeting with the school.

New Jersey's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency provides free legal information and advocacy when a child's special-education rights are being denied — including help with disputes, restraint/seclusion, and discipline. They publish a New Jersey Special Education Advocacy Guide and are a powerful no-cost resource before you hire a lawyer.

New Jersey's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (in the NJ Department of Labor) provides free help for students with disabilities to prepare for work, college, and independent living. Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) begin as early as age 14 — job exploration counseling, workplace-readiness training, self-advocacy, and work-based learning — and students don't even have to formally apply to access them. Ask your DVRS counselor to join your child's transition IEP meetings.

For a child with significant disabilities, New Jersey's Medicaid waiver programs — including Community Resources for People with Disabilities (CRPD), the Private Duty Nursing / Medically Fragile pathway, and the Supports Program through the Division of Developmental Disabilities — can pay for therapies, nursing, respite, and services. For children on these waivers, parental income and assets are disregarded, so a working family can still qualify based on the child's needs. Slots and lists fill up, so the single most important move is to apply and get on every list TODAY.

Unlike some states, New Jersey does NOT operate a standalone Katie Beckett / TEFRA state-plan option. Instead, the same goal — Medicaid for a disabled child regardless of parents' income — is reached through the disability waivers above, where parental income is not counted. Many children also qualify for NJ FamilyCare (the state's Medicaid/CHIP program). Call your county Board of Social Services or the Division of Developmental Disabilities to start, and ask specifically about every waiver your child might fit.

You can ask your school district in writing for a special-education evaluation at any time — date it, because that written referral starts the clock. Within 20 calendar days the Child Study Team must meet with you to decide whether to evaluate. Once you sign consent, New Jersey districts have 90 calendar days to complete the evaluation, determine eligibility, and develop and implement the IEP. You also have the right to receive the evaluation reports at least 10 days before the eligibility meeting, to everything in your language, to bring anyone, 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). Your PTI (SPAN) above explains all of it for free.

The New Jersey Department of Education's Office of Special Education Services sets the rules every district must follow (N.J.A.C. 6A:14), runs the complaint, mediation, and due-process systems, and publishes guidance including The Dyslexia Handbook (New Jersey law requires dyslexia screening and structured-literacy instruction). 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 where in New Jersey you live.

Several reputable practices provide autism/ADHD evaluation and speech/OT/ABA by telehealth across New Jersey — helpful for families far from a clinic or on a waitlist. 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.