County resource guide
Autism Resources in Jefferson County, Missouri
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Jefferson County. Missouri statewide resources also apply.
Jefferson County — home to Festus, Arnold, and Hillsboro — is a suburban county south of St. Louis with growing provider access tied to the metro area. Families can access St. Louis Children's Hospital and Cardinal Glennon for evaluations. Missouri's First Steps early intervention serves eligible children, and MPACT provides free IEP advocacy statewide.
Provider directory
Local Providers7 providers in Jefferson County
About our listings
Provider listings on Autism Parent Club are submitted by practices or researched from public sources. All listings are reviewed for accuracy before publication. To suggest a correction, use the “Suggest a correction” link below.
Diagnostic clinics
Formal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.
Arnold
Children's Mercy — Autism & Developmental Evaluation (Jefferson County Outreach)
Children's Mercy Hospital's Autism Center provides comprehensive autism diagnostic evaluations and serves Jefferson County families through outreach clinics in the Arnold area. As a nationally recognized pediatric center, their team includes developmental behavioral pediatricians and neuropsychologists experienced with complex presentations.
Speech therapy
Speech-language pathology, AAC, pragmatic language, and feeding.
Arnold
Communicate — Pediatric Speech Therapy (Arnold)
Communicate provides pediatric speech-language therapy in Arnold for Jefferson County children with autism, focusing on expressive and receptive language, AAC device training, and social communication. Clinicians collaborate with local school IEP teams to align therapy goals with classroom language supports.
Occupational therapy & sensory
Occupational therapy, sensory integration, and sensory diets.
Hillsboro
KidTherapy — Pediatric OT & Sensory Processing (Hillsboro)
KidTherapy in Hillsboro delivers occupational therapy for Jefferson County children with sensory processing challenges, fine motor delays, and autism-related self-care needs. Therapists use a sensory-rich clinic environment with swings, crash pads, and tactile exploration stations and provide detailed home program guidance.
Festus · multi-county
Mercy Hospital Festus — OT and Therapy Services (Madison County)
Mercy Hospital Festus provides occupational therapy services accessible to Madison County families in Fredericktown seeking sensory processing and motor skill support for children on the autism spectrum. The Farmington-Festus corridor serves as a therapy access route for this Ozark region.
Festus/Farmington corridor therapy option for Madison County families.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
St. Louis · multi-county
Autism Society of the Heartland — St. Louis
St. Louis chapter with support groups, family events, and resource navigation for families in the bi-state metro area.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
St. Louis · multi-county
MPACT — Missouri Parents Act
Missouri's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. Free IEP advocacy, training, and one-on-one support for Missouri families statewide. Knows Missouri's special education regulations and due process rights.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Essential before any IEP meeting or dispute in Missouri.
Hillsboro
MPACT — Missouri Parents Act (Jefferson County)
MPACT is Missouri's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center, providing free IEP advocacy and special education rights training to Jefferson County families. Parent advocates help families navigate evaluation requests, IEP disputes, and due process rights under IDEA — at no charge.
For providers
Be the first featured provider in Jefferson County
Featured listings include your logo, extended description, a direct contact button, and top placement above standard listings. Families searching for help in Jefferson County see you first.
Missing a provider? Submit a listing — it’s free →
School districts & government services
Public programs and school district contacts for Jefferson County.
School & special education
- Jefferson County Schools — Special Education
Jefferson County has multiple school districts; contact your local district for special education services.
Services & benefits
- Missouri DMH — Jefferson County DD Services
Contact DMH for Jefferson County DD waiver intake.
Adult services
- Missouri DMH — Jefferson County DD Services
Contact DMH for Jefferson County DD waiver intake.
Respite & support
- Missouri DMH — Jefferson County DD Services
Contact DMH for Jefferson County DD waiver intake.
Helpful guides
Guides for Jefferson County families
Step-by-step help on the topics that matter most.
School & IEP
Navigating the IEP process
Your rights under IDEA, how evaluations work, and what every IEP section means.
Finding help
ABA, OT, speech and waitlists
How to find qualified providers, navigate insurance, and get off waitlists faster.
Getting started
Where to start after diagnosis
A week-by-week checklist for the first 90 days — from evaluation to early intervention.
Benefits & money
SSI, Medicaid waivers, ABLE accounts
Federal benefits your child may qualify for and how to apply without losing your spot.
Mental health
Co-occurring conditions and support
Managing anxiety, ADHD, and depression alongside an autism diagnosis.
Daily life
Sensory processing and OT
Understanding sensory needs, sensory diets, and how occupational therapy helps.
Adulthood
Employment, housing, legal planning
Supported employment, housing options, guardianship alternatives, and ABLE accounts.
Communities served
Cities in Jefferson County
Serving families across Jefferson County including Hillsboro, Arnold, Festus, Crystal City, De Soto, Herculaneum, Pevely, Byrnes Mill, High Ridge and Murphy and more.
See all Missouri resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Missouri.
Missouri state guide →Nearby counties in Missouri
See something that needs fixing?
Providers move, phone numbers change, and links break — it happens. If anything on this page is out of date, wrong, or no longer working, please tell us and we’ll fix it. Keeping this accurate for autism families is the whole reason we’re here.
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