Southeastern Connecticut — New London, Norwich, Groton, Waterford, East Lyme, Ledyard, and the rest of New London County, home to Naval Submarine Base New London and many Navy families — has strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs, anchored by Connecticut Children's and United Community & Family Services (UCFS), with Yale a short drive away. Your local districts — New London, Norwich, Groton, Waterford, and East Lyme — each run special education. This is the region'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 Connecticut your free front door is Birth to Three (birth–3) and your school district's evaluation and IEP for ages 3+. Military families: ask about EFMP and the TRICARE Autism Care Demonstration. Start there, then the best evaluators, schools, reading specialists, therapists, doctors, and advocates near you.
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A 100-plus-year-old therapeutic day and residential school in Quaker Hill serving grades 2-12, approved by the Connecticut State Department of Education as a private special education program with a low ~4:1 student-teacher ratio. It uses a relationship-based, natural therapeutic-environment model for students with emotional, behavioral, and learning needs.
A Connecticut-approved private special education program (operated by the Bradley Schools network) serving grades 3-12 in Uncasville for students whose psychiatric, behavioral, or developmental needs (including autism and intellectual disabilities) cannot be met in a public setting. Programming combines intensive specialized instruction with clinical and behavioral support.
A clinical day treatment school operated by Natchaug Hospital (Hartford HealthCare Behavioral Health Network) and approved by the Connecticut Department of Education, serving K-12 students whose social, emotional, or behavioral health needs prevent success in a public school. Each student receives an individually designed academic and clinical treatment plan.
LEARN is southeastern Connecticut's Regional Educational Service Center, serving 25 towns and 24 districts, with specialized day programs for students ages 3-21 with autism, developmental, and behavioral/mental-health needs. Programming is transdisciplinary and grounded in ABA principles and other evidence-based practices.
Norwich Public Schools runs specialized autism and intervention programs within an inclusion model, and New London, Groton, Waterford, and East Lyme run their own as well. In southeastern Connecticut the strongest specialized placements are most often within the public districts; insist on the right program through the PPT and IEP process.
LEARN is the regional educational service center for southeastern Connecticut (the New London area), running specialized public programs and schools — autism, emotional/behavioral, and significant-needs placements — that districts use when a child needs more than the home district can provide. Often the first specialized step your PPT can access before a private placement.
CPAC, Connecticut's Parent Training and Information Center (based in Niantic, right in our area), offers free help weighing options and pushing for the right program through the PPT/IEP process — for families of children birth to 26, including those at Naval Submarine Base New London. Invaluable before paying for placement help.
State-approved special education school for students ages 5-22 with moderate-to-severe Autism Spectrum Disorder, intellectual disabilities, and multiple disabilities. Community-based academic and adaptive-skills model with certified staff; the only autism-focused approved day school physically in the immediate New London region (Niantic).
Hartford HealthCare's clinical day-treatment school for K-12 students whose emotional, social, or behavioral health prevents success in a public-school setting. Combines certified special-education instruction with clinical treatment; Joint Commission accredited and approved by Connecticut's Bureau of Special Education. Norwich location serves the New London area.
The first accredited college-prep boarding/day school in the country built specifically for students with nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) and autism spectrum disorders, grades 8-PG. NEASC-accredited and a NAIS member, with a structured, social-cognition-focused program. About 35 miles from New London.
Long-established (founded 1934) NEASC-accredited therapeutic boarding and day school for adolescents with social, emotional, and learning challenges (anxiety, mood disorders, NLD, Asperger's/ASD, LD). College-prep academics fully integrated with on-site individual, group, and family therapy. Roughly 40 miles from New London on the CT shoreline.
Connecticut's southeastern Regional Educational Service Center, established 1967, serving 24 districts and 25 towns including New London. Operates specialized public special-education programs (autism, emotional/behavioral, multiple disabilities) that area districts place students into — the primary publicly funded specialized-placement resource for the region.
NEASC-accredited college-prep boarding and day school (grades 9-PG) for students with dyslexia, ADHD, executive-function, processing-speed, and other language-based learning differences. Daily one-to-one tutorials; 97% of graduates attend four-year colleges. About 30 miles from New London in coastal Rhode Island.
Premier 'school-within-a-school' for grades 1-8 students with language-based learning differences (dyslexia, ADHD, executive-function), housed in the long-established NAIS-member Wheeler School. Structured Orton-Gillingham reading instruction with a built-in path to mainstream when ready. About 50 miles from New London in Providence.
CSDE-approved special-education school for students ages 5-22 with autism, intellectual disability, and related disabilities. Core academics taught by certified subject-area and special-education teachers in small, individualized, person-centered settings; one of Connecticut's top-ranked autism schools. Roughly 45 miles from New London.
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.
The New London Public Schools district provides free, federally mandated special education and related services (evaluations, IEPs, in-district specialized programs) for resident students ages 3-21. Service array and in-district programs change year to year; verify current offerings with the pupil-services office.
Groton Public Schools delivers free special education and related services to resident students, including in-district autism, language-based, and behavioral programs as well as out-placement when needed. Programs change year to year; confirm current options with the district.
A specialty practice of licensed pediatric neuropsychologists providing in-depth neuropsychological evaluations measuring cognition, attention, memory, executive function, and learning for children with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and complex learning disabilities. Evaluations produce detailed diagnostic and educational recommendations.
The University of Connecticut's teaching clinic in Storrs provides year-round diagnostic speech-language and audiology evaluations (including central auditory processing assessments) for newborns through adults, supervised by ASHA-certified faculty clinicians. It assesses language impairment, speech-sound and motor-speech disorders, fluency, and more.
The pediatric rehabilitation department at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital (Yale New Haven Health) in New London provides speech-language and hearing evaluations and outpatient therapy delivered by nationally certified speech-language pathologists. It serves a broad range of pediatric communication and developmental concerns.
Connecticut Children's Autism Spectrum Assessment Program (ASAP) — a collaboration of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics and Speech-Language Pathology for children 12 months through adolescence — gives a timely initial diagnostic evaluation so services can start. Its Preschool Evaluation Program assesses children under five. The academic referral for complex cases in the region.
United Community & Family Services, a nonprofit community health center in Norwich, runs a Program for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders with comprehensive assessments, medication management, and behavioral and social-communication intervention in one place — a credentialed local diagnostic option close to home.
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 southeastern Connecticut, instead of trusting star ratings.
Connecticut law requires universal reading screening in kindergarten through grade 3 and evidence-based, explicit, systematic, multisensory structured-literacy intervention, overseen by the state's Office of Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities. New London, Norwich, and every area district must offer this free — request dyslexia screening and services in writing, and know your rights before paying for private tutoring.
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators lists accredited O-G practitioners across southeastern Connecticut — searchable near New London, Norwich, or Groton. The gold-standard credential for a private dyslexia tutor, instead of trusting ads. (Wilson Reading is another evidence-based structured-literacy option.)
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.
A Norwich center providing applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for children with autism under the supervision of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), with individualized treatment plans and parent training. Center- and home-based options are offered.
InBloom Autism Services' Norwich Learning Center provides BCBA-led applied behavior analysis for children with autism, with a learning-readiness program and individualized therapy spaces — a credentialed local center-based ABA option (UCFS and other CT DSS-approved providers also serve the area). Ask about BHCOE accreditation and TRICARE for military families.
Sky's the Limit Therapy provides pediatric occupational therapy for children with autism, sensory processing differences, ADHD, and learning disabilities, serving New London, Waterford, Norwich, East Lyme, Old Lyme, Groton, and Ledyard — a credentialed local OT clinic.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across southeastern Connecticut, ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in New London, Norwich, or Groton find the nearest credentialed clinician.
Connecticut Children's Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics evaluates and cares for children with autism, ADHD, developmental delays, and learning disorders, including a Preschool Evaluation Program and a Transition to Adulthood clinic — the academic medical referral for complex diagnoses in the region.
Navy families at Naval Submarine Base New London (in Groton) should enroll in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) and ask about the TRICARE Autism Care Demonstration, which covers ABA for eligible dependents. EFMP coordinates assignments and services around your child's needs — a key, no-cost military benefit.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians serving southeastern Connecticut — 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 southeastern Connecticut — the field's real professional standard.
CPAC is Connecticut's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center, based in Niantic — free help understanding your rights, evaluations, and the PPT/IEP process, staffed by parents of children with disabilities. A respected statewide free resource before hiring a private advocate.
Connecticut'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.
United Community & Family Services is a nonprofit community health center serving New London County with sliding-scale, income-based pediatric, behavioral health, and autism/neurodevelopmental services — a major low-cost path for families regardless of insurance.
For children birth to 3, Connecticut Birth to Three provides free developmental evaluations and multidisciplinary early-intervention therapies, with a 45-day timeline to your initial IFSP — the earliest, no-barrier place to start in New London County.
For Navy families at Naval Submarine Base New London, the TRICARE Autism Care Demonstration covers ABA therapy for eligible dependents with autism — a major low/no-cost path to services. Pair it with EFMP enrollment.
CPAC offers free help understanding evaluations, IEPs, and your rights — a no-cost first call for any New London County family navigating special education.
For children birth to 3 with a developmental delay or a diagnosed condition, Connecticut's Birth to Three System provides free evaluation and multidisciplinary early intervention — speech, occupational, and physical therapy and special instruction, usually in your home. By law the assessment and your initial IFSP must be completed within 45 calendar days of referral. Services are covered by state and federal funds, Medicaid, and insurance. The earliest, no-barrier place to start; in our area Reachout Inc. is a regional Birth to Three provider.
Request a special-education evaluation in writing from your district — New London, Norwich, Groton, Waterford, or East Lyme. The district must convene a Planning and Placement Team (PPT), and once you consent, complete the evaluation and hold the eligibility/IEP meeting within 60 school days. This is the free legal route to an IEP under IDEA.
Connecticut'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 Connecticut families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Connecticut'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 New London?
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 New London?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Connecticut — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.