Greater New Orleans spans several parishes — Orleans, Jefferson (Metairie, Kenner), St. Bernard (Chalmette), and the Northshore in St. Tammany (Mandeville, Covington). This is a true yellow pages of the best, most relevant help for a child with special needs, built so a family ANYWHERE in the metro can find genuinely excellent care nearby — named experts and therapists, not just directories. It's ranked by real credentials (ABPP, BHCOE, Orton-Gillingham/CALT, COPAA, CCC-SLP, board-certification) — never by reviews or who pays. Start with the free Louisiana options, 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 →
Cognia-accredited Catholic special school (LDOE-approved) educating students age six through adulthood with mild-to-moderate intellectual and developmental disabilities. Named a NASET School of Excellence.
Nonprofit center founded in 1999 serving children and adults on the autism spectrum (ages 3–21) using Applied Behavior Analysis and the ULS/Unique curriculum, plus the PATH transition program for older students. Affiliated with Easterseals Louisiana.
Archdiocese of New Orleans K–12 Catholic school for students with mild-to-moderate learning disabilities (autism, ADHD, PDD, severe anxiety), offering individualized curricula and small classes. Member of SACS, NCEA, and NAPCIS.
Ecole Classique (Metairie) works with PreK–12 students who have a range of language-based learning disorders, including dyslexia — small classes and individualized support for learners who need an alternative to a traditional classroom.
Park Place Christian Academy's Dyslexia Center pairs classroom instruction with dyslexia therapy using an Orton-Gillingham-based curriculum — structured-literacy support for students with dyslexia in the Greater New Orleans area.
Families Helping Families can help you compare additional New Orleans-area school options for dyslexia, autism, and learning differences at no cost — including district special-education programs and Louisiana Key Academy, the state's tuition-free dyslexia charter network.
Waldorf-inspired K-12 school for children and young adults with special needs, including autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and other exceptionalities. Uses an adapted, practice-oriented curriculum emphasizing practical life skills for independent and semi-independent living, located in the Irish Channel neighborhood.
Accredited PreK-12 independent school in Metairie whose Learning Center Program (grades 1-12) is built specifically for learning-different students with language-based disorders including dyslexia and dysgraphia, plus some autism spectrum profiles. Uses experiential, multisensory literacy instruction in small multiage classrooms. Accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvancED/SACS) and the State of Louisiana.
The only early-intervention and specialized education program in Greater New Orleans for children who are deaf, hard of hearing, or significantly language-delayed. Serves infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarten with listening and spoken-language instruction, speech therapy, and collaborative OT/PT/music therapy at its permanent Metairie campus.
Tuition-free public charter school dedicated solely to students with dyslexia, part of the Louisiana Key Academy network endorsed by dyslexia researchers Drs. Sally and Bennett Shaywitz and affiliated with the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity. Provides daily small-group structured-literacy (reading) instruction alongside a full curriculum. The Covington/Northshore campus serves St. Tammany and surrounding parishes (roughly 40 miles from New Orleans).
Region's leading dedicated school for students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences, serving Kindergarten through 12th grade for over five decades. Fully accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and Cognia, and approved by Louisiana's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). Located in Baton Rouge (~75 miles from New Orleans) - included as the closest gold-standard language-based school given how sparse accredited dyslexia options are near New Orleans; worth the drive or weekly arrangement for many families.
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.
Orleans Parish district office providing free child-find screenings, multidisciplinary evaluations, and IEP services across the city's charter network. Programs and seats vary by school year.
Well-regarded open-enrollment public charter recognized for its inclusion model and commitment to serving students with disabilities in general-education settings. Offerings change year to year.
Louisiana's largest public district (Metairie/Kenner/West Bank) offering free IDEA evaluations, IEP services, and a range of specialized programs for students with autism and other disabilities. Programs vary by school year.
High-performing North Shore public district (Covington/Mandeville/Slidell) with a long-standing, well-resourced special-education department providing free evaluations and IEP services. Programs change year to year.
Tulane School of Medicine's multidisciplinary clinic specializing in identification and management of autism and related developmental disorders, with parent interview, child observation, and standardized testing.
LSU Health Sciences Center program offering interdisciplinary diagnostic evaluations for children suspected of having autism spectrum disorder, drawing on a team of university clinicians.
Children's Hospital New Orleans pediatric neuropsychologists assess thinking, attention, language, memory, and behavior — informing school and medical decisions — for school-age children through early adulthood with conditions affecting cognition or learning. The metro's leading academic program.
LSU Health New Orleans and Ochsner Health provide pediatric neuropsychological and developmental evaluation for autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities — giving families a second strong academic option across the metro.
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 (in Metairie, Kenner, or the Northshore), instead of trusting star ratings.
Thrive Therapies (Greater New Orleans) includes a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) and International Dyslexia Association member who has worked as a dyslexia interventionist at a specialized dyslexia school — a named standout for structured-literacy dyslexia therapy.
SpeakEasily SLP (Mike Zinni, M.S., CCC-SLP) specializes in speech-language therapy plus academic support for reading, literacy, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia, using evidence-based practices — a named, dual-skill reading and language specialist.
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.
Multidisciplinary team of Board Certified Behavior Analysts providing ABA treatment, behavior support, and educational consultation across private, public, and parochial schools in the metro.
Outpatient pediatric clinic providing occupational, speech, and physical therapy with licensed occupational therapists (OTR/L) and speech-language pathologists for children and young adults.
Uptown clinic offering play-based, sensory-supportive speech, feeding, and myofunctional therapy delivered by licensed speech-language pathologists, in-clinic or at the child's school.
Private practice providing speech, language, and feeding therapy from licensed speech-language pathologists in the child's home or school across the New Orleans area.
A BHCOE-accredited ABA provider with 20+ years of experience, serving New Orleans in learning centers, homes, the community, and in partnership with schools — research-based applied behavior analysis, accredited for clinical quality rather than ad spend.
A BHCOE-accredited New Orleans ABA provider offering customized, evidence-based early-intervention ABA for children ages 2–6 with autism and their families — accredited for clinical quality.
Crane Rehab Center Pediatrics (Metairie) is led by Lori Reyes, MA, CCC-SLP, a pediatric speech-language pathologist with 17+ years of experience treating children with communication disorders — a named standout for speech and language therapy on the Jefferson Parish side.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across the metro (including Within Reach and Gulfsouth Autism Center in New Orleans, Metairie, and Covington), ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Kenner, Chalmette, or the Northshore find the nearest.
Children's Hospital New Orleans (with LSU Health) developmental-behavioral pediatrics provides expert diagnosis and management of autism, ADHD, developmental delay, and learning concerns by board-certified specialists — the metro's leading academic children's program.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians across greater New Orleans — 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 greater New Orleans — the field's real professional standard.
Beyond information, Families Helping Families provides free help preparing for IEP meetings and navigating dispute resolution — IEP facilitation, mediation, state complaints, and due-process options. A respected free alternative to hiring a private advocate first.
Southeast Louisiana Legal Services provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families across the New Orleans region — a no-cost route to legal assistance, including some education and benefits matters.
LSU Health New Orleans' Department of Communication Disorders offers low-cost speech, language, and hearing evaluation and therapy for children — delivered by graduate clinicians under licensed, ASHA-certified supervisors. A university-clinic option in the metro.
Families Helping Families offers free autism and developmental-disability resource navigation across Greater New Orleans — connecting families to vetted local services, alongside clinical care, at no cost.
For children birth to 3, EarlySteps provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies in your child's natural environment — the earliest, no-barrier place to start.
For children birth to 3 with developmental delay or a qualifying condition, Louisiana's EarlySteps provides free developmental evaluation and early-intervention services in your child's natural environment (home, child care, community) — cognitive, motor, communication, social-emotional. The earliest, no-barrier place to start.
Louisiana's federally mandated protection & advocacy system — free legal information and advocacy when a child's special-education rights are denied. A powerful free resource before you pay anyone.
Louisiana's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center for Greater New Orleans (since 1991) — free help with your rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, meetings, and dispute resolution. All LaPTIC services are free. A great first call.
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.
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How do I start the special-education process in New Orleans?
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 Orleans?
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.