Special-education help for North Carolina families.

The North Carolina Infant-Toddler Program (NC ITP), run by NCDHHS's Division of Child and Family Well-Being, gives free 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. There is no income test to qualify and no diagnosis required. This is the single best first call for a baby or toddler.

NC ITP services are delivered by 16 local Children's Developmental Services Agencies (CDSAs) across North Carolina. Use the NCDHHS Early Intervention office directory to find the CDSA serving your county, or call the CDSA nearest you to start a referral. No referral from a doctor is required — a parent can call directly.

North Carolina's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center gives free, one-to-one help understanding your rights, the evaluation, and the IEP/504 process — with Spanish-language support. Trained parent specialists who've been through it themselves answer your questions and can help you prepare for meetings. Call before you pay any private advocate.

ECAC publishes a free, plain-language Parents' Guide to Special Education in North Carolina that walks you step by step through referral, evaluation, eligibility, the IEP, and dispute resolution — exactly how it works under NC's own rules. A great download before your first meeting.

North Carolina'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/discrimination. They publish free guides on the NC IEP referral process and Pre-ETS. A powerful no-cost resource before you hire a lawyer.

North Carolina's Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities (EIPD, formerly the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services) provides free Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) for students with disabilities beginning at age 14 — career exploration, work-based learning, paid internships, counseling, and job skills. Students can receive Pre-ETS without first being found eligible for full VR services. Ask your school transition counselor for a referral, or self-refer to your nearest EIPD office, and have your VR counselor join your child's transition IEP meetings.

The NC Innovations Waiver covers home- and community-based services for children with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and the Community Alternatives Program for Children (CAP/C) covers medically fragile children — both based on the child's needs, not just family income. The Innovations waiting list (Registry of Unmet Needs) is years long, so the single most important move is to get your child's name on every list TODAY. Contact your local LME/MCO (or call NC Medicaid) to add your child now.

North Carolina DOES offer a Katie Beckett / TEFRA pathway — Medicaid eligibility for a child with significant disabilities based on the child's income and needs, not the parents'. Unlike the Innovations waiver, it has no comparable waiting list, and it opens the door to state-plan Medicaid services like doctor visits, behavioral care, and ABA (RB-BHT). If your family's income is too high for regular Medicaid, this is often the fastest way to get your child covered. Apply through your county Department of Social Services.

You can ask your school in writing (a letter or email to the principal) for a special-education evaluation at any time. In North Carolina the clock is 90 calendar days from the date of your written referral — and within those 90 days the school must evaluate your child, hold an eligibility meeting, and, if your child qualifies, write the IEP. Notably, NC's 90 days starts at the written referral, not when you sign consent, and it cannot be extended even over summer. Put the request in writing and date it — that's the day the clock starts.

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 (facilitation, mediation, formal complaint, or a due-process hearing). Your PTI (ECAC) above explains all of it for free.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's Exceptional Children Division sets the Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities that every district must follow, runs the formal complaint, mediation, and due-process systems, and publishes guidance for families — including North Carolina's dyslexia and structured-literacy resources. Start here to know exactly 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 how rural your county.

Several reputable practices provide autism/ADHD evaluation and speech/OT/ABA by telehealth across North Carolina — vital for families in rural mountain and coastal counties. 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.