Santa Fe County — the city of Santa Fe plus Pojoaque, Eldorado, Edgewood, and the surrounding pueblos and villages — has real, credentialed help for kids with special needs, anchored by CHRISTUS St. Vincent pediatrics and a tight community of bilingual evaluators and therapists, with UNM Children's and the UNM Center for Development & Disability about an hour south in Albuquerque. Your local districts — Santa Fe Public Schools and the Pojoaque Valley, Española, and Moriarty-Edgewood districts — each run special education. This is Santa Fe'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/CALT, COPAA, CCC-SLP, OTR-L, board-certification), never by reviews or who pays. In New Mexico your free front door is the Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program (birth–3) and your school district's evaluation and IEP for ages 3+. Many of the best providers here work in both English and Spanish. Start there, 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 →
Founded in 2011, this independent K-8 school serves bright students with dyslexia, ADHD, and language-processing disorders using individualized, multisensory structured-literacy (Orton-Gillingham) instruction. Member of the National Independent Private Schools Association.
Santa Fe Public Schools serves students with disabilities from age 3 to 21 with specialized programs — autism support, behavior, communication, and life-skills — within an inclusion model. Pojoaque Valley, Española, and Moriarty-Edgewood run their own as well. In Santa Fe the strongest specialized placements are most often within the public districts; insist on the right program through the IEP process.
Las Cumbres Community Services, a longtime northern New Mexico nonprofit and local FIT provider, helps families through early intervention and the transition from birth-3 services into district preschool special education — a knowledgeable, bilingual local partner in finding the right next placement.
Parents Reaching Out, New Mexico's Parent Training and Information Center, offers free help weighing options and pushing for the right program through the IEP process — with bilingual family liaisons who serve Santa Fe families. Invaluable before you settle for a placement that doesn't fit.
New Mexico's official state school for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, headquartered in Santa Fe. Provides a full academic PreK-12 program plus early-childhood (birth-5) services, residential options, and statewide outreach/itinerant services. Certified teachers of the Deaf, ASL-rich environment, and very low student-teacher ratio (~3:1). The premier credentialed deaf-education placement serving Santa Fe families at no tuition cost.
New Mexico's official state school for students who are blind or visually impaired, founded 1903. Residential academic campus in Alamogordo plus an Albuquerque early-childhood program and statewide outreach/itinerant Teachers of the Visually Impaired who serve students in their home districts, including the Santa Fe area. Delivers the Expanded Core Curriculum (braille, orientation & mobility, assistive tech, independent living). The credentialed vision-disability placement option for northern NM families.
Small (cap ~24 students, K-12) accredited private day school in Albuquerque structured for students on the autism spectrum and others who haven't thrived in mainstream settings. Very low ratios (no more than 8:1), individualized programming, and certified staff; licensed as a nonpublic school by the NM Secretary of Education. Roughly 55-60 miles from Santa Fe, but the nearest credentialed autism-focused day school for northern NM families where Santa Fe options are sparse.
The district special-education system serving ~2,000+ Santa Fe students with IEPs across all disability categories (including ~150+ with autism), plus the Nye Early Childhood Center for ages 3-5 with disabilities and the state-approved SAGE gifted-education program (grades 1-12). The free, federally mandated FAPE placement and the default first stop for Santa Fe families seeking evaluations, IEPs, and in-district specialized supports.
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.
A tuition-free state public school serving deaf and hard-of-hearing students from birth through grade 12, with statewide early-intervention services. The only land-grant school for the deaf in the U.S. and a long-standing fixture of Santa Fe special education.
Provides bilingual (English/Spanish) diagnostic psychological evaluations, including Autism Spectrum Disorder assessment for young children, conducted by licensed psychologists.
Northern New Mexico Neuropsychology, founded by Lauren K. Parks, PhD (a licensed clinical psychologist and UNM faculty member specializing in pediatric neuropsychology), provides outpatient neuropsychological evaluations for children, adolescents, and young adults — including brain injury, learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism. A credentialed local option for a thorough private evaluation.
The UNM Center for Development & Disability — New Mexico's university center on developmental disabilities, about an hour south in Albuquerque — runs autism diagnostic clinics and developmental evaluation for complex cases, plus a statewide information network. The academic referral when a local evaluation isn't enough.
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 Santa Fe and northern New Mexico, instead of trusting star ratings.
New Mexico law (NMSA 22-13-32) requires districts to screen first-grade students for characteristics of dyslexia and to provide evidence-based, structured-literacy intervention with progress monitoring. Santa Fe Public Schools and every district must offer this free — request dyslexia screening and structured-literacy services in writing, and know your rights before paying for private tutoring.
Hope B. DuBois is a Santa Fe reading tutor using the Orton-Gillingham approach, credentialed as a Certified Academic Language Practitioner / Certified Dyslexia Practitioner — the real, evidence-based dyslexia credential, not an advertised gimmick. A verified local option for one-on-one structured-literacy tutoring.
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators lists accredited O-G practitioners across New Mexico — searchable near Santa Fe. The gold-standard credential for a private dyslexia tutor, instead of trusting ads. Avoid Davis, Brain Gym, vision therapy, and Brain Balance — they are not evidence-based for dyslexia.
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.
Founded in 2017, RISE has grown into a comprehensive multidisciplinary clinic offering speech-language evaluations and therapy plus occupational therapy, staffed by certified speech-language pathologists.
Building Blocks Pediatric Therapies provides outpatient pediatric speech-language therapy and occupational therapy in Santa Fe for children with autism, speech delays, sensory-processing needs, and learning differences — a credentialed local clinic. Ask for CCC-SLP speech-language pathologists and OTR/L occupational therapists.
Santa Fe Therapy Associates offers family-centered pediatric care for children ages 0–18 — speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, feeding therapy, physical therapy, and orofacial myology — with credentialed clinicians (CCC-SLP, OTR/L). A strong, comprehensive local option.
FronteraCare provides BCBA-led applied behavior analysis for children with autism in Santa Fe — in-home, in-school, or via telehealth. A credentialed local ABA option; always confirm the supervising clinician is a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and ask about BHCOE accreditation.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across New Mexico, ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Santa Fe, Pojoaque, or Eldorado find the nearest credentialed clinician.
CHRISTUS St. Vincent has cared for children across northern New Mexico for decades, with pediatric clinics (Herrera Drive and Arroyo Chamiso) offering primary care plus pediatric autism care and psychology services — a strong local medical starting point for developmental concerns and referrals, with UNM Children's in Albuquerque as the academic referral for complex cases.
UNM Children's Hospital and the UNM Center for Development & Disability — about an hour south in Albuquerque — are New Mexico's academic referral for developmental-behavioral pediatrics and complex autism, ADHD, and developmental diagnoses when a local evaluation isn't enough.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians serving Santa Fe and northern New Mexico — 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 Santa Fe and New Mexico — the field's real professional standard.
Parents Reaching Out is New Mexico's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free, bilingual help understanding your rights, evaluations, and the IEP process, serving families from birth to age 26. A respected statewide free resource before hiring a private advocate.
New Mexico'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 3, New Mexico's FIT Program provides free developmental evaluation and early-intervention therapies — always free regardless of income or immigration status. In Santa Fe, Las Cumbres Community Services is a local provider. The earliest, no-barrier place to start.
Las Cumbres Community Services is a longtime northern New Mexico nonprofit offering early intervention, infant mental health, and family support — bilingual and on a sliding/no-cost basis for many families. A trusted, accessible local door.
New Mexico Medicaid (Centennial Care), through EPSDT, covers medically necessary evaluations and therapies — including ABA, speech, and occupational therapy — for eligible children. A major low/no-cost path to private services; many Santa Fe ABA and therapy providers accept it.
Parents Reaching Out offers free, bilingual help understanding evaluations, IEPs, and your rights — a no-cost first call for any Santa Fe family navigating special education.
For children birth to 3 with a developmental delay or disability, New Mexico's Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program — run by the Early Childhood Education & Care Department — provides free evaluation and early-intervention services (speech, occupational, and physical therapy, developmental support, and family service coordination), most often right in your home. FIT is always free regardless of income or immigration status. In Santa Fe, Las Cumbres Community Services is a local FIT provider. The earliest, no-barrier place to start.
Request a special-education evaluation in writing from your district — Santa Fe Public Schools, Pojoaque Valley, Española, or Moriarty-Edgewood. In New Mexico the district must complete the initial evaluation within 60 calendar days of your written consent, then hold an eligibility/IEP meeting. This is the free legal route to an IEP under IDEA — you do not need a private diagnosis first.
New Mexico'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 New Mexico families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
New Mexico'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 Santa Fe?
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 Santa Fe?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in New Mexico — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.