The Mid-Willamette Valley — Salem, Keizer, and the rest of Marion and Polk counties — has strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs, anchored by Salem Health and the Willamette Education Service District. Your local districts — Salem-Keizer School District 24J (Oregon's second-largest), plus Dallas, Central, and Silver Falls — each run special education. This is the capital 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, Barton/Orton-Gillingham, COPAA, CCC-SLP, OTR-L, board-certification), never by reviews or who pays. In Oregon your free front door is Early Intervention / Early Childhood Special Education (birth–5, run through the Willamette ESD) and your school district's evaluation and IEP for ages 5+. Start there, then the best evaluators, schools, reading specialists, therapists, doctors, and advocates near you. Then, you'll find free guides and templates to build your plan — bilingual help is available.
✓ Every provider here is vetted by credentials, never pay-to-play. How we choose →
Oregon's only year-round nonprofit school for students with autism and related learning differences, accredited through Cognia and approved by the Oregon Department of Education. Located in Sherwood off I-5, it serves Marion County and the broader Salem area.
Independent school serving students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences since 2005, using structured-literacy/Orton-Gillingham-aligned instruction. Accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission and approved by ODE to contract with public districts.
Salem-Keizer School District 24J — Oregon's second-largest — operates specialized in-district programs (autism support, behavior, communication, and life-skills classrooms) that your IEP team can place your child in. In the Mid-Valley the strongest specialized placements are most often within the public districts; insist on the right program through the IEP process.
The Willamette ESD runs regional specialized programs and services that Marion and Polk districts use for students with significant or low-incidence needs (autism, deaf/hard-of-hearing, vision, complex behavior) — often the specialized step beyond what a single district provides.
FACT Oregon's bilingual family specialists provide free, one-to-one help understanding placement options and pushing for the right program and supports through the IEP process — invaluable when you're weighing a specialized classroom or feel stuck.
The only high school in Oregon and SW Washington dedicated to students with complex learning differences (dyslexia, ADHD, ASD, dysgraphia), with ~9-student classes and individualized instruction.
Oregon's only middle school designed specifically for students with learning differences, providing structured, nurturing, individualized instruction in downtown Portland.
The local public district's specialized SPED options, including a BCBA-led autism program and a small, highly structured Academic Support Intensive program for students with significant learning disorders.
The regional public agency providing autism/SPED specialists, evaluation, and direct services to Marion, Polk, and Yamhill county districts that serve Salem-area students.
Salem clinic with licensed clinical psychologists including a pediatric neuropsychologist, providing comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological evaluations for ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and learning/neurodevelopmental disorders in children and adolescents.
Salem Health provides pediatric rehabilitation and autism-spectrum therapy services in Salem — a local, hospital-based home for assessment and therapy. Ask about developmental evaluation and the path to a formal diagnosis.
OHSU's Institute on Development & Disability / Child Development & Rehabilitation Center in Portland (~50 minutes north) is Oregon's renowned academic referral for complex autism and developmental diagnoses — the place for the most thorough multidisciplinary evaluation.
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 the Salem area, instead of trusting star ratings.
The Willamette Valley Dyslexia Center provides Orton-Gillingham-aligned, structured-literacy instruction and dyslexia support in Salem — a deep, evidence-based local dyslexia resource, rather than a generic tutoring chain.
Traverse Dyslexia offers dyslexia testing and Barton Reading & Spelling System tutoring (an Orton-Gillingham-based, structured-literacy program) in Salem and Silverton — another credentialed, evidence-based 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.
Pediatric speech-language and occupational therapy clinic staffed by certified SLPs (CCC-SLP) and occupational therapists, directed in Salem by Leisha Vogl, CCC-SLP. Treats articulation/phonology, language disorders, autism spectrum disorders, feeding, and sensory-motor needs.
Pediatric clinic offering occupational therapy, speech/language therapy, and feeding treatment for children and families. Operates a Salem Fairview location serving the local community.
Centria Autism's Salem center provides applied behavior analysis for children with autism and is accredited by the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE) — the quality credential to verify in any ABA provider, rather than relying on reviews.
Adventures with Autism is a Salem-based ABA clinic with Board Certified Behavior Analysts, Licensed Behavior Analysts, and Registered Behavior Technicians on staff — a local, clinician-led applied-behavior-analysis option for children with autism.
Pediatric Therapy Services provides physical, occupational, speech, and feeding therapy for children in Salem under one roof — a credentialed, multidisciplinary clinic (Kites Pediatrics at 1880 Lancaster Dr NE is another local pediatric OT option).
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across the Mid-Valley (SunRise ABA also serves Salem), ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Salem, Keizer, Dallas, or Silverton find the nearest credentialed clinician.
Salem Health provides pediatric and developmental services in Salem — a strong local medical starting point for developmental concerns, with OHSU in Portland as the academic referral for complex autism, ADHD, and developmental diagnoses.
OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland offers nationally regarded developmental-behavioral pediatrics and autism diagnostics — the state's academic referral for complex cases, about 50 minutes north of Salem.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians serving the Salem 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 the Salem area — the field's real professional standard.
FACT Oregon is Oregon's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center, with dedicated bilingual specialists and a parent-staffed support line — free help understanding your rights, evaluations, and the IEP process in English or Spanish. A respected free resource before hiring a private advocate.
Oregon'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.
For children birth to 5, the Willamette ESD provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention/ECSE therapies (speech, OT, developmental) — the earliest, no-barrier place to start in Marion and Polk counties.
The Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) covers medically necessary therapies — speech, OT, and ABA — for eligible children. An important low-cost path to ongoing services for many Salem families; ask providers whether they bill OHP.
FACT Oregon's support line is staffed by parents of youth experiencing disability — free, bilingual help finding resources and navigating evaluations, IEPs, and your rights. A no-cost first call for any Salem family.
The Arc Mid-Willamette Valley provides disability advocacy, resources, and family support across the Salem area — a helpful, accessible nonprofit hub for navigating services.
For children birth to 5 with a developmental delay or disability, the Willamette Education Service District provides free Early Intervention (birth–3) and Early Childhood Special Education (3–5) — evaluation and services in speech, motor, social-emotional, and learning, at no cost to families. In Oregon both EI and ECSE run through the ESD, not your district. The earliest, no-barrier place to start.
Request a special-education evaluation in writing from your district — Salem-Keizer 24J, Dallas, Central, or Silver Falls. In Oregon, once you give written consent the district must complete the evaluation within 60 school days, then hold an eligibility/IEP meeting. Salem-Keizer offers bilingual evaluations. This is the free legal route to an IEP under IDEA.
Oregon'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 Oregon families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Oregon'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 Salem?
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 Salem?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Oregon — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.