The Michiana region — South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, Osceola, and St. Joseph County, reaching across the state line into Niles and Cass County, Michigan — has strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs, anchored by Beacon Children's Hospital, the region's only comprehensive children's hospital, and by IN*SOURCE, Indiana's parent training center, headquartered right here in South Bend. Your local districts — South Bend Community, Penn-Harris-Madison, and School City of Mishawaka — each run special education. This is Michiana'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. In Indiana your free front door is First Steps (birth–3) and your school district's evaluation and IEP for ages 3+. Families on the Michigan side of the line use Michigan's Early On and their local district instead. 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 →
A private day and residential school in South Bend for students on the autism spectrum and with related disabilities, combining academics with social-thinking and clinical/therapeutic services. State-recognized through Indiana's school accreditation pathway and part of the established Gersh Autism network.
An authentic Montessori school serving toddler through junior high across the South Bend/Mishawaka area, accredited by both the American Montessori Society and the Independent Schools Association of the Central States. Its individualized, multi-age, child-paced model can suit some students with mild learning differences.
An established South Bend Montessori community serving ages 3 through 8th grade with a holistic, individualized approach that attends to each child's intellectual, emotional, and physical development. The low-ratio, self-paced model can be a fit for some learners with mild learning differences.
South Bend Community School Corporation serves students with specialized programs — autism support, behavior, and life skills — within its special-education department. Penn-Harris-Madison and School City of Mishawaka run their own as well, and St. Joseph County districts cooperate on low-incidence services. In Michiana the strongest specialized placements are most often within the public districts; insist on the right program through the case-conference (IEP) process.
LOGAN is South Bend's longstanding nonprofit serving children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities and autism — early-childhood programs, family support, therapy, and community services. A knowledgeable local partner as you weigh programs and the right next placement for your child.
IN*SOURCE, Indiana's Parent Training and Information Center — headquartered in South Bend at 1703 S. Ironwood Drive — offers free help weighing options and pushing for the right program through the case-conference (IEP) process, with trained parent representatives in your community. Invaluable and local.
Widely regarded as northern Indiana's premier public district, serving Mishawaka, Granger, Osceola and parts of South Bend. Its Exceptional Education Department was found by the Indiana Department of Education / Office of Special Education to "Meet the Requirements" of Part B of IDEA, runs the full continuum of services under Indiana Article 7 with certified special-education staff, and is known for fully-inclusive preschool SPED with small class sizes (capped at 16) and strong classroom teams. A top-tier public placement option for South Bend-area families.
The public school district directly serving the city of South Bend and its primary special-education provider. Delivers the full range of IDEA/Article 7 services through individualized IEPs developed with families, ranging from consultation and support in the general-education classroom to direct instruction in dedicated special-education classes and specialized program placements across its schools. The default, in-district option a South Bend parent should evaluate first; administrators assist with finding the right program/placement.
A large, established public district about 20 miles east of South Bend providing a full range of special-education services for students with disabilities from ages 3 to 22, coordinated through its Department of Exceptional Learners and operating in compliance with Indiana Article 7 and IDEA. Offers specialized programming and placements with certified special-education staff; a credible regional public option within the ~45-mile radius for families in the South Bend–Mishawaka–Elkhart corridor.
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.
Widely regarded as northern Indiana's premier district, P-H-M's Exceptional Education department was rated 'Meets the Requirements' under IDEA Part B by the Indiana DOE. Multidisciplinary teams include school psychologists, OTs, PTs, and SLPs, with a strong commitment to Least Restrictive Environment. Programs change year to year - confirm current placement options.
A long-standing special-education cooperative (founded 1975) serving John Glenn and eight other school corporations in the greater South Bend/north-central Indiana region. Provides psychological services, therapy, transition programming, and coordination of special education across member districts. Programs change year to year - confirm services through your member district.
Autism evaluations for ages 3-5 at the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, run by Notre Dame's psychology department. Doctoral students conduct assessments under a licensed clinical psychologist; families receive a detailed report with recommendations.
Dr. Mary Hope Griffin's practice provides early autism evaluations using the validated STAT (Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and young children) for children roughly 18-42 months, offering a primary-care pathway to early diagnosis.
In addition to therapy, the South Bend center provides comprehensive autism diagnostic assessments plus ABA, OT, and speech evaluations for young children. Accredited by the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE) and an authorized BACB continuing-education provider.
Beacon Children's Hospital — the region's only comprehensive children's hospital — runs a Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics program that completes evaluations for children at risk for developmental delay, autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome, with developmental pediatricians and a pediatric neurologist in its multispecialty clinic. The local academic-grade starting point for a diagnostic workup.
For the most complex cases, Riley Children's Health — Indiana University's academic children's hospital in Indianapolis — offers pediatric neuropsychology and developmental evaluation. The statewide academic referral when a local workup needs a higher level of specialty.
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 Michiana, instead of trusting star ratings.
Indiana law requires districts to screen K–2 students for dyslexia indicators and provide evidence-based, structured-literacy intervention, with a trained dyslexia interventionist in each school. South Bend Community, Penn-Harris-Madison, and Mishawaka must offer this free — request dyslexia screening and services in writing, and know your rights before paying for private tutoring.
The Dyslexia Institute of Indiana provides multisensory, diagnostic, direct Orton-Gillingham instruction in phonics and written expression for struggling readers, offered online and in person to Michiana families — an evidence-based provider rather than a fad program.
The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators lists accredited O-G practitioners — searchable near South Bend, Mishawaka, and Granger. The gold-standard credential for a private dyslexia tutor; verify O-G, Wilson, Barton, or CALT and skip anything calling itself Davis, Brain Gym, or vision therapy.
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.
One-on-one ABA therapy with goals developed by a team of BCBAs, SLPs, and registered behavior technicians, including integrated speech support through Lighthouse Fusion. An established Midwest autism provider headquartered in the region with small caseloads for consistency.
Part of Beacon Children's Hospital, the region's only comprehensive children's hospital, offering pediatric occupational, physical, and speech-language therapy delivered by certified therapists - a credible hospital-based option for OT (OTR/L) and speech (CCC-SLP) services.
BACA (part of LEARN Behavioral) runs a center-based applied behavior analysis learning center in South Bend, across from Beacon Memorial Hospital, with BCBA-led ABA, diagnostics, early intervention, and parent education for children ages 2–10. A credentialed local autism provider — ask about BHCOE accreditation.
The Memorial Children's Therapy Center, part of Beacon Children's Hospital, is staffed by certified pediatric physical, speech-language (CCC-SLP), and occupational (OTR/L) therapists — hospital-grade, credentialed therapy for children with autism, speech delays, sensory needs, and motor concerns across Michiana.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across Michiana, ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, or Niles find the nearest credentialed clinician.
Beacon Children's Hospital's Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics program provides complete evaluations and ongoing care for autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and developmental delay, with developmental pediatricians and a pediatric neurologist in its multispecialty clinic — the local medical home for a formal diagnosis.
Riley Children's Health, Indiana University's academic children's hospital, is the statewide referral for complex autism, ADHD, and developmental diagnoses when a child needs a higher level of developmental-behavioral specialty than is available locally.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians serving Michiana — 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 Michiana — the field's real professional standard.
IN*SOURCE is Indiana's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center, headquartered right here in South Bend — free help understanding your rights, evaluations, and the case-conference (IEP) process, with trained parent representatives across the state. A respected free resource before hiring a private advocate.
Indiana'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, Indiana's First Steps provides a free developmental evaluation and early-intervention therapies on an income-based sliding scale (many families pay nothing) — the earliest, lowest-barrier place to start in St. Joseph County.
LOGAN, South Bend's longtime nonprofit for developmental and intellectual disabilities and autism, offers early-childhood programs, therapy, respite, and family support — a low-cost, mission-driven local option for Michiana families.
Indiana Medicaid covers medically necessary ABA, speech, OT, and PT for eligible children, and the state's disability waivers can fund additional supports. A major low/no-cost pathway to services for qualifying Michiana families — ask any provider whether they bill Indiana Medicaid.
IN*SOURCE offers free help understanding evaluations, IEPs, and your rights, with trained parent representatives across Indiana and its headquarters in South Bend — a no-cost first call for any Michiana family navigating special education.
For children birth to 3 with a developmental delay or disability, Indiana's First Steps program provides a free developmental evaluation and early-intervention services — speech, occupational, and physical therapy, developmental therapy, and family support — delivered in your everyday routines. Every Indiana family qualifies regardless of income. The St. Joseph County System Point of Entry connects South Bend and Mishawaka families to local providers. The earliest, no-barrier place to start.
Request a special-education evaluation in writing from your district — South Bend Community School Corporation, Penn-Harris-Madison, or School City of Mishawaka. Under Indiana's Article 7, the district must complete the evaluation within 50 instructional days of your written consent, then hold a case-conference committee meeting to write the IEP. This is the free legal route to an IEP under IDEA — Michigan-side families request it from their own district under Michigan rules.
Indiana Disability Rights (formerly IPAS) is the state'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 Indiana families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Indiana'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 South Bend?
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 South Bend?
A New Story lists credential-vetted schools, evaluators, therapists, advocates, and the free public programs and parent centers in Indiana — searchable by ZIP, and free forever.