Pinellas County — St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, Dunedin, Seminole, Tarpon Springs — is the bay's other side, and it has its own deep bench: Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital is right here in St. Petersburg, the dePaul and Saint Paul's dyslexia programs are in Clearwater, and Family Network on Disabilities is headquartered in Clearwater. This is a true yellow pages of the best, most relevant help for a child with special needs across Pinellas — named experts and therapists, not just directories. It's ranked by real credentials (ABPP, BHCOE, Orton-Gillingham, COPAA, CCC-SLP, board-certification) — never by reviews or who pays. Start with the free Florida options, 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 →
Fully Cognia-accredited K-12 private school specializing in students with Asperger's, autism, and ADHD with a college-prep focus. Accepts Florida School Choice scholarships including the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities.
Nonprofit private special-education school for students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) and autism, accredited by AdvancED (Cognia). Serves students with a range of exceptionalities in a small-class setting.
Triple-accredited (Cognia, Middle States, NIPSA) private school founded in 1968 for grades 4-12 with ADHD, ASD, and learning differences. Individualized small-group and one-on-one instruction; accepts Step Up FES, Hope, and Tax Credit Scholarships.
Florida private school dedicated to students with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities, using the evidence-based Orton-Gillingham multisensory structured-literacy approach. Serves the broader Florida market including the Tampa Bay region.
The dePaul School (Clearwater) is a Pinellas school for students with dyslexia, K–8, using the Orton-Gillingham approach — intensive, research-based structured literacy for about 100 students who haven't thrived with other methods. Pinellas's flagship dyslexia school.
Saint Paul's School's Cadence Program (Clearwater) is the Tampa Bay area's first school-within-a-school for students with dyslexia and language-based learning differences (grades 2–7) — an integrated structured-literacy approach with teachers trained through the Orton-Gillingham Academy.
FND (Clearwater) can help you compare additional Pinellas school options for dyslexia, autism, and learning differences at no cost — and explain Florida scholarship programs (like the Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with disabilities).
Independent K-8 school founded in 1983 dedicated exclusively to students with dyslexia and language-based learning differences, built entirely on the Orton-Gillingham multisensory approach. Notably the only dyslexia-specific school in the area to earn Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS) accreditation. Roughly 100 students across two small-ratio campuses (grades 1-4 and 5-8). The Tampa Bay area's premier dyslexia school, in the league of language-based specialty schools nationally.
Founded 2013, LiFT (Learning Independence For Tomorrow) is a specialized day school in Pinellas County serving neurodiverse students K-12 with ASD, ADHD and dyslexia, plus a post-secondary LiFT University transition program and adult program. Sensory-friendly purpose-built campus, embedded OT/speech/social-skills therapies, and trained educators; over 95% of students use scholarships and most earn a standard Florida diploma.
Public Pinellas County Schools center serving roughly 144 students PK-12 (ages 3-22) who require intensive academic, medical and/or behavioral support, including students with autism, intellectual disabilities and significant communication, vision, OT and PT needs. Low 5:1 ratios, on-site related services and a focus on communication and self-advocacy. A strong public special-education placement for the most involved learners in St. Petersburg.
Public Pinellas County Schools exceptional-student center serving students ages 3-22 with varying exceptionalities including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Fragile X, and hearing/vision impairments. Provides intensive, individualized special-education programming with related therapies and life-skills/transition supports in a center-based setting. A strong district SPED placement option for the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area.
Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS) member, an accredited specialized school for grades 3-8 serving students with mild learning differences such as dyslexia, ADHD and anxiety. Teaches grade-level curriculum with small classes, an executive-function/organization focus, and intensive phonological (reading) instruction. Within ~25 miles of St. Petersburg.
Tuition-free public charter school serving students with autism spectrum disorder exclusively, ages 3-22 (PreK-12 and transition). Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is integrated into daily instruction and intervention, with structured environments and intensive supports. Open to families across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota counties, including St. Petersburg.
Full-time ESE center charter schools serving students in grades 3-12 with learning and learning-related disabilities, offering a standard-diploma pathway. Named a Cognia System of Distinction (2023). Two large Tampa-area campuses (Tampa and Riverview) serving 750+ students combined with specialized instruction and related services. Tuition-free public option within ~25-35 miles of St. Petersburg.
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.
Pinellas County public ESE center serving students ages 3-22 with significant exceptionalities including autism, intellectual disabilities, and sensory impairments. Specially trained staff and on-site therapeutic supports. Programs change year to year.
Tuition-free public charter school serving students with autism ages 3-22, integrating Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) into daily instruction. Open to families in Pinellas and surrounding counties; BHCOE-accredited program. Programs change year to year.
Comprehensive autism and neurodevelopmental diagnostic evaluations through a major children's teaching hospital, staffed by developmental-behavioral pediatricians and licensed psychologists. Differential diagnosis for ASD, ADHD, intellectual disability, and learning disorders (birth-15). Physician referral required.
Pediatric and adult neuropsychological evaluation practice with clinicians board-certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) and the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN). Diagnostic clarification for autism, ADHD, learning disorders, and intellectual disability.
Licensed-psychologist practice offering autism assessments plus neuropsychological, ADHD, gifted, and psychoeducational/learning-disorder evaluations for children and adults.
Comprehensive, strength-based autism evaluations for children and adults conducted by a Florida-licensed psychologist specializing exclusively in autism testing.
Right in St. Petersburg, the Neuropsychology Program at Johns Hopkins All Children's — where Jennifer Katzenstein, PhD, ABPP-CN co-directs the Center for Behavioral Health — provides comprehensive evaluation of learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism. Pinellas families don't need to cross the bay for top-tier assessment.
The Rothman Center for Neuropsychiatry at Johns Hopkins All Children's (St. Petersburg) evaluates and treats children with neurodevelopmental and behavioral conditions — autism, ADHD, OCD, and anxiety — alongside the hospital's neuropsychology team.
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 (in Clearwater, Largo, or Dunedin), instead of trusting star ratings.
The Academy's directory lists accredited Orton-Gillingham practitioners across Pinellas — searchable by area so you can find one near St. Petersburg, Clearwater, or Largo. The gold-standard credential 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.
Center-based ABA therapy for young children led by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), with individualized treatment plans for children with autism.
BCBA-owned center providing 1-on-1 ABA therapy by Registered Behavior Technicians under direct Board Certified Behavior Analyst supervision, serving the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area.
SLP-founded pediatric clinic offering speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, tutoring, and psychoeducational evaluation by credentialed (CCC-SLP / OTR/L) clinicians.
St. Petersburg practice staffed by experienced speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists serving children and adults.
Pediatric speech-language practice specializing in evaluation and therapy for speech, language, and literacy disorders by an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist.
A BHCOE-accredited autism therapy center in Pinellas Park offering ABA alongside occupational, feeding, and speech therapy — interdisciplinary, accredited for clinical quality rather than chosen by ad spend.
A BHCOE-accredited ABA provider with a Clearwater (Pinellas) clinic — individualized, data-driven applied behavior analysis for children on the autism spectrum, verified for clinical quality.
Speech Therapy of Pinellas is owned and operated by Kalie Irwin, a nationally certified and state-licensed speech-language pathologist (CCC-SLP) experienced with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delays, and cerebral palsy — a named Pinellas standout for speech and language.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across Pinellas, ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Largo, Dunedin, or Tarpon Springs find the nearest.
Developmental-behavioral pediatricians at Johns Hopkins All Children's (St. Petersburg) evaluate and treat autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and other developmental and learning disorders — including a dedicated Autism Program — right in Pinellas.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians across Pinellas — 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 Pinellas County — the field's real professional standard.
Headquartered right in Clearwater, FND's trained parent specialists help you prepare for and understand IEP meetings at no cost — a respected, local free alternative to hiring a private advocate first.
Bay Area Legal Services provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families across Pinellas — a no-cost route to legal assistance, including some education and benefits matters.
FND offers free workshops and one-on-one parent support across Pinellas from its Clearwater home — a rich free resource for families learning their rights, alongside clinical services.
University speech-language clinics (such as USF, across the bay) offer low-cost evaluation and therapy by supervised graduate clinicians. ASHA's directory helps you locate the nearest accredited program serving Pinellas.
For children birth to 3, West Central Early Steps (at Johns Hopkins All Children's) provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies — the earliest, no-barrier place to start in Pinellas.
For children birth to 3, Florida's Early Steps provides free developmental evaluation and early-intervention services. In Pinellas it's run as West Central Early Steps at Johns Hopkins All Children's — the earliest, no-barrier place to start, right here in St. Pete.
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.
Florida's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center is headquartered in Clearwater — free help with your rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings, for west-coast Florida families. A great first call, and it's local.
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 St. Petersburg?
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 St. Petersburg?
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.