Special-education help for Texas families.

Texas ECI (Health & Human Services) gives free developmental evaluation and services — speech, occupational, physical, and developmental therapy — to any child birth to 3 with a delay or qualifying condition, anywhere in the state, delivered in your home. There is no income test to qualify and no diagnosis required. This is the single best first call for a baby or toddler.

ECI is delivered by local contractors across Texas — use the HHS ECI program search to find the one serving your county, or call 2-1-1. They come to you.

Texas's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center gives free, one-to-one help understanding your rights, the evaluation, and the ARD/IEP process — with strong Spanish-language support (the PATH project). Trained parent specialists who've been through it themselves. Call before you pay any private advocate.

The Texas Education Agency's SPEDTex center answers questions about evaluations, IEPs, placements, and your rights — free, bilingual, by phone, email, or chat.

Texas's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency provides free, bilingual legal information and advocacy when a child's special-education rights are being denied — including help with disputes, restraint/seclusion, and discipline. A powerful no-cost resource before you hire a lawyer.

Texas Workforce Solutions–Vocational Rehabilitation provides free help for students with disabilities (often starting around age 14) to prepare for work, college, and independent living — Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), counseling, training, and assistive technology. Ask your VR counselor to join your child's transition IEP meetings.

Texas Medicaid waiver programs (MDCP for medically dependent children, HCS, CLASS, TxHmL) can pay for therapies, respite, and services for a child with significant disabilities — and eligibility is based on the child's needs, not just family income. The interest lists are years long, so the single most important move is to get on every list TODAY. Call your local intake (2-1-1) to add your child's name.

For children already on Medicaid/CHIP, Texas Health Steps covers checkups and connects them to medically necessary speech, OT, and ABA — an immediate path to services while you wait on a waiver list.

You can ask your school district in writing for a Full Individual Evaluation (FIE) at any time. Once you sign consent, Texas districts must complete the evaluation within 45 school days, then hold an ARD (IEP) meeting within 30 calendar days. Put the request in writing and date it — the clock starts then. You have the right to everything in your language, to bring anyone to the meeting, and to disagree.

Under IDEA you have the right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE), to a full evaluation at no cost, to be an equal member of the IEP team, to an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) if you disagree, and to dispute-resolution (mediation/due process). Your PTI above explains all of it for free.

The Texas Education Agency's Special Education division sets the rules every district must follow, runs the complaint and due-process systems, and publishes the Dyslexia Handbook (Texas law requires dyslexia screening and structured-literacy services). Start here to know what the state requires of your school.

Use the ZIP finder to pull the nearest evaluators, therapists, and special-education schools to your address, plus your metro's full directory — and these statewide free programs are always shown, no matter how rural your town.

Several reputable practices provide autism/ADHD evaluation and speech/OT/ABA by telehealth across Texas — vital for rural families. Nationally, COPAA (advocates/attorneys), the Academy of Orton-Gillingham (dyslexia), ABPP (board-certified evaluators), BHCOE (ABA), and Bookshare (free accessible books) round out your options.