Special-education help for Wyoming families.

Wyoming's Early Intervention and Education Program (Wyoming Department of Health, Behavioral Health Division) gives free developmental screening, 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. There is no income test and no diagnosis required. This is the single best first call for a baby or toddler.

Part C services in Wyoming are delivered through local Child Development Centers (CDCs) in each region — they handle screening, evaluation, and your child's Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Ask the Department of Health to connect you with the CDC serving your county, or call 2-1-1.

Wyoming's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center gives free, one-to-one help understanding your rights, the evaluation, and the IEP/504 process — and trained parent specialists who have been through it themselves. They can help you prepare for meetings, read your child's records, and know what to ask. Call before you pay any private advocate.

Beyond one-to-one help, WPIC runs free workshops and publishes plain-language guides on the IEP process, transition, and dispute resolution — and can talk you through exactly what to say at your next meeting. A free, friendly first resource for any Wyoming parent.

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

The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services — Division of Vocational Rehabilitation provides free help for students with disabilities to prepare for work, college, and independent living. Its Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), delivered through the "Pathways to Progress" program, serve students ages 10–21 who have an IEP, a 504 plan, or a suspected disability — career exploration, work-based learning, and skills. Ask your VR counselor to join your child's transition IEP meetings.

Wyoming's Medicaid Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers — the Comprehensive and Supports waivers for developmental disabilities, and the Children's Mental Health Waiver — can pay for therapies, respite, and services for a child with significant disabilities, with eligibility based on the child's needs. Demand outstrips slots, so the single most important move is to get your child's name on the waiver / interest list TODAY. Call your local Wyoming Department of Health field office or 2-1-1 to start.

Important: Wyoming does NOT currently offer a Katie Beckett / TEFRA option that ignores parent income. For most families, the HCBS waivers above are the pathway to Medicaid-funded therapy and respite for a child with significant needs — which is exactly why getting on every interest/waiting list now matters so much. Children already on Medicaid/Kid Care CHIP can also access medically necessary therapy through EPSDT in the meantime.

You can ask your school district in writing for a special-education evaluation at any time. Once you give written consent, Wyoming districts must complete the initial evaluation within 60 calendar days, then meet to decide eligibility and (if eligible) write the IEP. Put the request in writing and date it — the clock starts then. You have the right to materials in your language, to bring anyone you want 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). Wyoming publishes its Notice of Procedural Safeguards, and your PTI above explains all of it for free.

The Wyoming Department of Education's Special Programs Division sets the rules every district must follow (Chapter 7 special-education rules), runs the complaint and due-process systems, and publishes guidance and the procedural-safeguards notice. Start here to know what the state requires of your school, and how to file a complaint if your district isn't following the law.

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

In a state this rural, telehealth is often the fastest route to care — several reputable practices provide autism/ADHD evaluation and speech/OT/ABA by telehealth across Wyoming. 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.