The North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton region — Sarasota and Manatee counties, from Sarasota and Venice up through Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch — has strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs, with Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital (St. Petersburg, with a Sarasota outpatient campus) as the academic anchor. Your local districts — Sarasota County Schools and the School District of Manatee County — each run special education. This is the region's own yellow pages of the best, most relevant help — named experts, schools, 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. In Florida your free front door is Early Steps (birth–3) and your school district's evaluation and IEP for ages 3+ (the district must complete an initial evaluation within 60 school days of your written consent). 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 →
Cognia-accredited private school serving students with mild-to-moderate autism, ADHD, anxiety, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and executive-function disorders using individualized, small-group instruction.
Nonprofit therapeutic education center and ABA clinic for students age 5+ with autism, Down syndrome, ADHD and intellectual/developmental disabilities; recognized among Florida's top autism programs and combines classroom instruction with BCBA-supervised therapy.
School program of the long-established Easterseals Southwest Florida nonprofit, serving Sarasota and Manatee students through age 22 with developmental, physical, learning and mild behavioral disabilities as well as autism.
A private school in Lakewood Ranch built specifically for students with dyslexia and language-based learning differences, using structured-literacy, Orton-Gillingham-based instruction — one of the region's dedicated dyslexia schools.
A Sarasota school for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and language-based learning differences, offering small classes and multisensory, structured instruction tailored to how these students learn.
Family Network on Disabilities, Florida's Parent Training and Information Center, offers free help weighing options — public ESE programs, charter, or private placement — and pushing for the right program through the IEP process. Florida's McKay/Family Empowerment scholarships may also fund private special-education options; ask about eligibility.
Sarasota County's only K-12-plus center school dedicated entirely to students with disabilities, serving 300+ students from Pre-K through age 22. Every student has an IEP; small, highly structured classrooms with certified ESE staff and on-site therapeutic, behavioral, and academic services across all exceptionalities including autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Special-education school operated by Easterseals Southwest Florida serving Manatee and Sarasota County students through age 22 who have autism, developmental, physical, learning, and mild behavioral disabilities. Very small class sizes (avg ~6), individualized programming, and integrated therapy supports on a dedicated campus.
Private PK-12 school in Lakewood Ranch dedicated to students with learning differences, using multisensory, brain-based, and project-based evidence-based instruction. Low ~6:1 student-teacher ratio, individualized learning plans, and affiliation with the Learning Disabilities Association of America.
Nonprofit accredited education center and ABA therapeutic clinic for children with autism (ages 5+), Down syndrome, ADHD, and other intellectual/developmental disabilities, serving Sarasota and surrounding counties. Combines a school program with on-campus applied behavior analysis services and a recognized regional autism-program reputation.
Premier transitional day school for bright students with dyslexia, grades 1-8, located on the Florida Southern College campus in Lakeland. Intensive grade-level Orton-Gillingham instruction in reading, writing, and spelling delivered by trained specialists; one of the few dedicated dyslexia schools of its kind in Florida. Included as a strong regional option for the Sarasota area.
Flagship campus of the Cognia/Middle States-accredited Center Academy network, serving grades 4-12 students with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and learning differences. Individualized learning plans, small classes, and FLDOE-recognized diplomas. Nearest campus of an established multi-site special-education system to the Sarasota region.
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.
Neighboring Manatee County's public center school serving students with significant disabilities through specialized academic, behavioral and therapeutic programming; a free option for north-metro families near Bradenton.
State-funded center serving Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto and Charlotte counties; provides free child-find screenings, evaluation support and parent resources that feed into public-school ESE eligibility.
Doctoral-level (Psy.D.) licensed clinical psychologists providing comprehensive autism and psychological/neuropsychological evaluations using gold-standard tools including the ADOS-2 and ADI-R for children and adults.
Long-established Sarasota nonprofit whose licensed, degreed therapists offer evidence-based assessment and counseling for children prenatal through adolescence, with special expertise in the early-childhood (0-6) developmental window.
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg — with a Sarasota outpatient campus — is the region's academic home for comprehensive autism diagnostic evaluation and developmental assessment. The academic referral for complex cases across Sarasota and Manatee.
Founded by Dr. Stefanie Coppes with 15+ years in the Tampa Bay area, Coastal Neuropsychology has a Sarasota office providing comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological evaluations to diagnose ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, learning disorders, and giftedness — the school-ready testing that anchors a strong IEP.
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 Sarasota and Manatee, instead of trusting star ratings.
Beyond its day school, Sea of Strengths delivers structured-literacy, Orton-Gillingham-based reading intervention — the evidence-based, multisensory approach that actually works for dyslexia, in Lakewood Ranch.
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators lists accredited O-G practitioners across the Sarasota–Bradenton area — searchable near Sarasota, Venice, or Lakewood Ranch. The gold-standard credential for a private dyslexia tutor, instead of trusting ads — and steer clear of non-evidence-based fads (vision therapy, Brain Balance).
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.
ABA therapy center with experienced BCBAs and RBTs delivering early intensive behavioral intervention, verbal behavior and social skills, plus in-house speech-language and occupational therapy.
Established ABA provider founded in 2011 with experienced Board Certified Behavior Analysts designing individualized, data-driven treatment plans for children with autism.
A full-service pediatric therapy practice serving Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, and Bradenton with occupational, speech, physical, and ABA therapy under one roof — credentialed clinicians (CCC-SLP, OTR/L, BCBA) for kids with autism, SPD, and learning differences.
Hopebridge's Sarasota center provides interdisciplinary 360 Care — autism diagnostics, BCBA-led applied behavior analysis, plus speech, feeding, and occupational therapy. Ask about BHCOE accreditation and insurance coverage for ABA.
A local provider offering BCBA-directed ABA therapy for children, teens, and young adults with autism across Sarasota, Bradenton, and Venice — a credentialed, focused autism option. Ask about BHCOE accreditation.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across Sarasota and Manatee, ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Sarasota, Venice, Bradenton, or Lakewood Ranch find the nearest credentialed clinician.
Johns Hopkins All Children's Pediatric Developmental Medicine team includes developmental-behavioral pediatricians who evaluate and diagnose autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and learning disorders — the medical anchor many strong IEPs are built on (a primary-care referral is required).
Sarasota Memorial provides pediatric care across Sarasota and Venice — a strong local medical starting point for developmental concerns and referrals, with Johns Hopkins All Children's as the academic referral for complex autism, ADHD, and developmental diagnoses.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians serving the Sarasota–Bradenton 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 Sarasota and Manatee — the field's real professional standard.
Family Network on Disabilities is Florida's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free help understanding your rights, evaluations, and the IEP process. A respected statewide free resource before hiring a private advocate.
Florida'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, Early Steps Gulf Central provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention services regardless of income across Sarasota and Manatee — the earliest, no-barrier place to start.
FDLRS offers free Child Find developmental, vision, hearing, and learning screenings plus parent services for Sarasota and Manatee families — a no-cost way to start identifying needs before paying for private testing.
Florida's Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (the successor to McKay) can fund private special-education school, therapies, and services for eligible students — a major state-funded path to options for Sarasota and Manatee families. Ask about eligibility through Step Up For Students.
Family Network on Disabilities offers free help understanding evaluations, IEPs, and your rights — a no-cost first call for any Sarasota or Manatee family navigating special education.
For children birth to 3 with a developmental delay or disability, Early Steps Gulf Central — Florida's state early-intervention program for Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, and Highlands counties, administered by the Health Planning Council of Southwest Florida — provides free evaluation and services regardless of income. Call (941) 487-5400. The earliest, no-barrier place to start.
Request a special-education (Exceptional Student Education) evaluation in writing from your district — Sarasota County Schools or the School District of Manatee County. In Florida the district must complete the initial evaluation within 60 school days of your written consent, then hold an eligibility/IEP meeting. This is the free legal route to an IEP under IDEA.
Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System (FDLRS) provides free Child Find screenings for developmental, vision, hearing, and learning concerns (ages 3–5 and school-age), plus parent services — a state-funded first step before, or alongside, a district evaluation in Sarasota and Manatee.
Florida'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 Florida families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Florida'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 Sarasota?
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 Sarasota?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Florida — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.