Greater Portland — South Portland, Westbrook, Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, and the rest of Cumberland County — has strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs, anchored by MaineHealth's Barbara Bush Children's Hospital and Spurwink, one of New England's largest autism and special-education providers. Your local districts (SAUs) — Portland Public Schools, South Portland, Westbrook, Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth — each run a special-education department. This is southern Maine'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. Maine works a little differently: Child Development Services (CDS) is your free front door for BOTH early intervention (birth–2) AND preschool special education (ages 3–5); your school district takes over for school-age. Start there, then the best evaluators, schools, reading specialists, therapists, doctors, and advocates near you. Then, if you want it, an expert reads your child's records and builds your plan.
We don't rank by star ratings — they're noisy and easy to game. Every group below earns its place by credentials: board certification, school accreditation, professional licensure, and standing in the field's real professional bodies. The honest bar, not the loudest reviews.
In Maine, Child Development Services (CDS) — the local CDS REACH site for Cumberland County, in Falmouth — provides free early intervention for birth–2 and free preschool special education (FAPE) for ages 3–5, under the Maine Department of Education. The earliest, no-barrier place to start (and the route to a preschool IEP).
At kindergarten age, your school district (SAU) takes over special education — request an evaluation in writing from Portland Public Schools, South Portland, Westbrook, Scarborough, or Cape Elizabeth. This is the free legal route to an IEP and services under IDEA and Maine Unified Special Education Regulation (MUSER).
Maine'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.
MaineHealth's Barbara Bush Children's Hospital (Maine Medical Center, Portland) provides developmental-behavioral pediatric evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment — board-certified physicians with subspecialty training plus pediatric neuropsychologists, including early childhood (0–5) autism and developmental evaluation. The region's premier diagnostic home (207-662-2221).
The MaineHealth Glickman Lauder Center of Excellence in Autism and Developmental Disorders provides specialized autism and developmental diagnostic evaluation and care — a dedicated, statewide-leading center for complex cases.
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 southern Maine, instead of trusting star ratings.
Spurwink operates state-approved Special Purpose Private Schools (including a Portland campus) serving students ages 5–21 with autism and significant behavioral-health and developmental needs — combining special education with embedded clinical services. One of Maine's largest and most established specialized placements (LINK team 207-871-1200).
Maine approves Special Purpose Private Schools for students whose needs can't be met in the district; the Maine DOE directory helps you find approved specialized placements serving the Portland area — a placement your IEP team can fund when appropriate.
A searchable directory for comparing Greater Portland private and special-education school options by location, grades, and program — useful if you're seeking a specialized placement.
The Children's Dyslexia Center of Portland provides free one-on-one Orton-Gillingham reading instruction for children in grades 1–12 with dyslexia, delivered by specially trained tutors — part of the Scottish Rite-supported network. One of the best no-cost reading resources in Maine.
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham and the Academic Language Therapy Association list accredited O-G practitioners and CALTs across southern Maine — searchable near Portland, South Portland, or Westbrook. The gold-standard credentials for a private dyslexia tutor.
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.
Hammond Associates provides speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, applied behavior analysis, and audiology for children and adults in Maine, with Portland and Sanford locations — a coordinated, multidisciplinary option with ASHA-certified (CCC-SLP) and licensed clinicians.
Whole Circle Pediatric Therapy provides pediatric occupational and speech therapy in Portland with experienced, nationally certified (CCC-SLP, OTR/L) clinicians — custom support for communication, sensory, and motor development.
Parkwood Clinic provides speech-language therapy in Portland with nationally certified clinicians, many holding specialized credentials (PROMPT, SOS feeding) and recognized as Certified Autism Specialists — a strong option for complex speech, motor-speech, and feeding needs.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across Greater Portland, ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in South Portland, Westbrook, or Scarborough find the nearest.
Barbara Bush Children's Hospital's developmental-behavioral pediatricians diagnose and help manage autism, ADHD, intellectual disability, and complex developmental conditions — Maine's premier academic developmental-medicine team.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians serving the Portland area — 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 southern Maine — the field's real professional standard.
The Maine Parent Federation is Maine's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free help understanding your rights, evaluations, and the IEP process, with trained parent specialists. A respected statewide free resource before hiring a private advocate.
Maine'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.
Free one-on-one Orton-Gillingham reading instruction for children in grades 1–12 with dyslexia in Portland — an outstanding no-cost reading resource for qualifying families.
Pine Tree Legal Assistance provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families across Maine (Portland office) — a no-cost route to legal assistance, including some education and benefits matters.
The Autism Society of Maine offers free information, referral, and family support — helping Maine families find services, understand options, and connect with support. A warm, no-cost first point of connection.
For children birth to 5, Maine's CDS REACH (Cumberland) provides free developmental evaluations, early intervention (0–2), and preschool special education (3–5) — the earliest, no-barrier place to start in Greater Portland.
Federally funded and free — they help Maine families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Maine's protection & advocacy agency — free legal-rights information and help if your child's rights are being denied.
A short message — your child, your Portland district, and what you're facing. We set up a secure way to share the IEP.
We review the records against your rights and match your child to the right Portland providers from the vetted directory above.
A clear written plan, plus a vetted Portland advocate, found and recommended for you, for the in-person help.
Free first reply with honest next steps. No pressure, no surprises — just an expert in your corner.
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