County resource guide
Autism Resources in Lawrence County, Missouri
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Lawrence County. Missouri statewide resources also apply.
Lawrence County — home to Aurora and Mount Vernon — is in southwest Missouri. Springfield's healthcare network is easily accessible for evaluations, and Joplin's providers add additional options. Missouri's First Steps serves children under 3, and MPACT provides free IEP advocacy statewide.
Provider directory
Local Providers14 providers in Lawrence 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.
Cassville · multi-county
Mercy Hospital Joplin — Developmental Pediatrics (Barry County)
Mercy Hospital Joplin is the closest major referral center for Barry County families seeking autism evaluations and developmental pediatric care. Cassville is approximately 40 miles east of Joplin, and Springfield provides an alternative hub to the northeast.
Joplin (~40 miles west) and Springfield (~70 miles east) both offer comprehensive autism evaluation services.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Cassville · multi-county
Missouri First Steps — Barry County
Missouri's Part C Early Intervention program for infants and toddlers in Barry County. Home-based services reach Cassville, Monett, and Exeter, providing critical early support in this rural southwest Missouri county.
FREE under IDEA Part C.
Greenfield · multi-county
Missouri First Steps — Dade County
Missouri First Steps provides free birth-to-3 developmental services for Dade County families in Greenfield and Lockwood. EI coordinators connect families with autism-related developmental supports through Missouri's statewide early intervention system.
Mount Vernon · multi-county
Missouri First Steps — Lawrence County
Missouri First Steps provides free birth-to-3 developmental services and autism-related EI supports for Lawrence County families in Mount Vernon and Aurora. Coordinated through local contacts in this rural southwest Missouri county.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Cassville · multi-county
Centria Autism — Southwest Missouri (Barry County)
Centria Autism provides in-home ABA therapy for children with autism in Barry County, connecting families to the Joplin-Springfield autism provider corridor. In-home delivery reduces travel burden for rural Cassville-area families. Accepts Medicaid.
Mental health
Therapists and psychiatrists experienced with autistic children and adults.
Greenfield · multi-county
4 Rivers Behavioral Health — Dade County
4 Rivers Behavioral Health provides mental health and developmental disability services for Dade County families in Greenfield. This small southwest Missouri county between Joplin and Springfield relies on regional CMH services and telehealth for autism-related supports.
Mount Vernon · multi-county
4 Rivers Behavioral Health — Lawrence County
4 Rivers Behavioral Health provides developmental disability services and autism-related mental health supports for Lawrence County families in Mount Vernon. This southwest Missouri county between Springfield and Joplin relies on regional CMH services and Burrell Behavioral Health for autism-related community supports.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Greenfield · multi-county
Autism Society of Missouri — Southwest Missouri (Dade County)
The Autism Society of Missouri provides virtual peer support and statewide resource connections for Dade County families in Greenfield. Online programming and the statewide helpline are the primary autism community resources for families in this small rural county.
Mount Vernon · multi-county
Autism Society of Missouri — Southwest Missouri (Lawrence County)
The Autism Society of Missouri connects Lawrence County families in Mount Vernon and Aurora with virtual peer support and statewide resources. Online programming serves families in this rural southwest Missouri county positioned between two larger metro areas.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Aurora
Aurora R-VIII School District — Special Education
Aurora R-VIII School District and the Mount Vernon R-V district coordinate autism evaluations and IEP services for Lawrence County students. Families often travel to Springfield for comprehensive autism evaluations and specialty ABA therapy.
Cassville · multi-county
MPACT — Missouri Parents Act (Barry County)
Missouri's federally funded PTI provides free IEP advocacy, training, and one-on-one support for Barry County families navigating autism-related school services and special education rights in southwest Missouri.
FREE. Federally funded PTI.
Greenfield · multi-county
MPACT — Missouri Parents Act (Dade County)
Missouri Parents Act provides free IEP training and advocacy by phone and virtually for Dade County families. A vital remote resource for families in this small rural southwest Missouri county with very limited local advocacy support.
Joplin · multi-county
MPACT — Missouri Parents Act (Joplin Area)
Free IEP advocacy for Jasper County and four-state corner families. MPACT helps parents understand their rights under IDEA, review evaluations, and prepare for IEP meetings with Joplin, Carl Junction, or Carthage school districts.
FREE. Federally funded PTI. Serves families in both Missouri and coordinates with KS, OK, AR resources.
Mount Vernon · multi-county
MPACT — Missouri Parents Act (Lawrence County)
MPACT delivers free IEP advocacy by phone and virtually for Lawrence County families in Mount Vernon and Aurora. A critical remote resource for families in this rural southwest Missouri county between Springfield and Joplin.
For providers
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Helpful guides
Guides for Lawrence 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.
See all Missouri resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Missouri.
Missouri state guide →Nearby counties in Missouri
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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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