Autism Resources in Perry County, Missouri

9 providers in Perryville and nearby, plus 12 national programs. Waitlists change often, so it’s worth calling a few.

How we check listings

Filter by age

0 providers in Perry County. Filter by your child’s age — including 18+, which is the hardest to find anywhere.

Based in Perry County

Early Intervention (0–3)

1 provider

Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.

Missouri First Steps — Perry County

Perryville, MO

Missouri Part C early intervention for children under 3 in Perry County. Free home-based developmental evaluation and therapy in Perryville and surrounding southeast Missouri communities.

FREE under IDEA Part C.

In-home

ABA therapy

1 provider

Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.

Centria Autism — Cape Girardeau / Perry County

Perryville, MO · serves several counties

ABA therapy for Perry County families through Cape Girardeau-based providers. In-home and center-based ABA accessible given Perry County's proximity to Cape Girardeau. Accepts commercial insurance and Missouri Medicaid.

Cape Girardeau center-based ABA is accessible for Perry County families.

MedicaidIn-home

Advocacy & legal

1 provider

Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.

MPACT — Missouri Parents Act (Perry County)

Perryville, MO

Free IEP advocacy for Perry County families from Missouri's federally funded PTI. Supports parents navigating Perry County school districts on the Mississippi River corridor.

FREE. Federally funded PTI.

Also serving Perry County

These 18 are based elsewhere, or operate nationally, and list Perry County in the area they cover. Worth calling to confirm how far they actually travel, and whether telehealth or in-home visits are an option.

Diagnostic clinics

2 providers

Formal autism evaluations by developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists.

SEMO Health Network — Developmental Referrals (Bollinger County)

Marble Hill, MO · serves several counties

SEMO Health Network and Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau serve as the primary referral hubs for Bollinger County families seeking autism evaluations. Marble Hill is approximately 30 miles west of Cape Girardeau, giving families access to southeast Missouri's medical infrastructure.

Cape Girardeau (~30 miles east) is the regional hub for autism evaluation and specialist services.

Ages 0–18

SoutheastHEALTH — Pediatric Developmental Services

Cape Girardeau, MO · serves several counties

Developmental pediatrics and autism evaluation at SoutheastHEALTH, the regional medical center for Cape Girardeau and the Missouri Bootheel. Provides diagnostic assessments and developmental care for families in southeast Missouri who would otherwise travel hours to St. Louis or Memphis for specialized services.

Regional hub for southeast Missouri and the Bootheel. Reduces need to travel to St. Louis for many families.

Ages 0–18

ABA therapy

2 providers

Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.

Behavior Care Specialists — Cape Girardeau

Cape Girardeau, MO · serves several counties

ABA therapy services for Cape Girardeau County children and teens. BCBA-supervised in-home and community-based services across southeast Missouri. Accepts most commercial insurance and Missouri Medicaid.

Missouri ABA insurance mandate covers most commercial plans.

MedicaidAges 2–21In-home

Centria Autism — Southeast Missouri (Bollinger County)

Marble Hill, MO · serves several counties

Centria Autism provides in-home ABA therapy for children with autism in Bollinger County, with access to Cape Girardeau's provider network for center-based options. Accepts Medicaid and most private insurance.

MedicaidAccepting new patientsAges 0–21In-home

Respite care

2 providers

Respite care providers giving families a break — in-home, center-based, and overnight.

ARCH National Respite Locator

Searchable by state, MO

A free national directory of respite providers and programs, run by ARCH, the National Respite Network and Resource Center. ARCH says it is not a complete list, so it works best alongside…

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

ARCH's advice is to contact your State Respite Coalition or Lifespan Respite program first. Before you pay out of pocket, also check what your state's Medicaid waiver funds.

Your state's Lifespan Respite program

39 states and DC have been funded, MO

Lifespan Respite programs are federally funded, state-run programs that help family caregivers of children or adults, regardless of special need, find and pay for respite.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

ARCH lists every state's Lifespan Respite contact and respite coalition on this page. Ask specifically about voucher or stipend programs — that is the part families most often miss.

Advocacy & legal

2 providers

Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.

MPACT — Missouri Parents Act (Bollinger County)

Marble Hill, MO · serves several counties

Missouri's federally funded PTI provides free IEP advocacy, training, and support for Bollinger County families navigating special education rights in rural southeast Missouri school districts.

FREE. Federally funded PTI.

Accepting new patientsAll ages

MPACT — Missouri Parents Act (Southeast Missouri)

Cape Girardeau, MO · serves several counties

Free IEP advocacy and parent training for Cape Girardeau County and southeast Missouri families. MPACT assists with IEP reviews, special education dispute resolution, and understanding IDEA rights with Cape Girardeau, Jackson, or Perryville school districts.

FREE. Federally funded PTI.

Accepting new patientsAll ages

Activities, clubs & recreation

10 providers

Clubs, sports, camps, and social programs that welcome autistic children and teens — inclusive, adaptive, and special-needs specific.

ACEing Autism

227 programs in 32 states, MO

Tennis clinics for kids, teens and, in some locations, adults on the autism spectrum.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Cost varies by location and scholarships are available. Use the Find a Program search on their site with your zip code.

American Camp Association — camp finder

About 3,900 camps, MO

A free searchable directory of about 3,900 camps, with a filter for disabilities and other special needs alongside distance, activities, session length and cost. A good single starting…

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Choose day or overnight, then use the "Disabilities and Other Special Needs" filter. Specialized camps can fill early, so start looking in the winter before.

Best Buddies

All 50 states — find your local program, MO

One-to-one friendship matching between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, with programs from elementary school through college and adulthood, plus…

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

A national organization, not a local listing — use the finder on their site, or call 1-800-89-BUDDY, to locate your nearest program.

Ages elementary school through adult

Easterseals — camps and recreation

Local Easterseals across the country, MO

Day and residential camps for children and adults with disabilities, plus sports, social activities and community outings run by local Easterseals.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Programs vary a great deal between locations — use the Find your Easterseals search on the page and check what yours actually runs.

iCan Shine (iCan Bike)

Camps hosted in different towns each year, MO

Teaches people with disabilities to ride a conventional two-wheeled bicycle over a five-day camp, 75 minutes a day. iCan Shine says about 80% of participants ride independently by the end…

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Check their Camp Locations page for dates — camps run in different towns each year, so somewhere near you may host this year and not next.

KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now)

Six cities only: Chicago, DC–Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, St. Louis, MO

Free, non-competitive, one-to-one recreation for youth ages 5 to 21 with physical or developmental disabilities, led by trained volunteer coaches.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Free to families. KEEN runs in six cities plus two university campus chapters (Vanderbilt and the University of Virginia) — outside those, it is not available yet.

Ages 5–21
See all 10 activities, clubs & recreation providers

Little League Challenger Division

Through local Little Leagues — use the League Finder, MO

Little League's adaptive baseball program for anyone with a physical or intellectual challenge.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Use the League Finder on their site to locate the nearest Challenger division, or ask about starting one. Little League's rule is that a player who can take part in regular Little League with reasonable accommodations should do so.

Ages 4–18 (to 22 if in school); Senior League 15+

Miracle League

300 leagues — check for one near you, MO

Baseball for children and adults with physical or mental disabilities, played on custom-designed rubberized turf fields that accommodate wheelchairs and other assistive devices.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Use the Find a Miracle League page on their site — there are 300 leagues, so coverage is good but not universal.

Special Olympics

Nationwide — find your local program, MO

Year-round sports training and competition for children and adults.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Eligibility requires an intellectual disability, a cognitive delay measured by formal assessment, or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay, identified by an agency or professional. If your child is autistic without a cognitive delay, have a direct conversation about fit before signing up rather than after. Ask your local program about any costs.

Ages 8+ (Young Athletes: 2–7)

TOPSoccer (US Youth Soccer)

Through local soccer clubs, MO

The Outreach Program for Soccer — recreational soccer for children and adults with intellectual, emotional or physical disabilities, offered through local US Youth Soccer clubs.

A national program with local chapters — we have not verified a chapter in this county. Use their finder to locate the nearest one.

Find your state association's TOPSoccer clubs through the link on their page, or ask your state association office directly — it is often not advertised on the club's own website.

Not sure which kind of therapy you need?

Start with our plain-language guide to ABA, speech and OT — what each one is, and questions to ask on the first call.

Read the guide

For providers

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About autism services in Perry County

Perry County — home to Perryville — is a rural southeast Missouri county on the Mississippi River. SoutheastHEALTH in Cape Girardeau and St. Louis healthcare resources are both accessible. Missouri's First Steps serves children under 3, and MPACT provides free IEP advocacy statewide.

Helpful guides

Guides for Perry County families

Step-by-step help on the topics that matter most.

See all Missouri resources

Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Missouri.

Missouri state guide →

Common questions

Answered from the providers currently listed for this county — these update as the directory does.

How many autism providers serve Perry County, Missouri?

We list 9 providers serving Perry County, covering ABA therapy, early intervention (0–3), advocacy & legal and diagnostic clinics. Some are based in the county and others serve it from nearby areas. Every listing is reviewed by a person before it is published.

Which autism providers in Perry County accept Medicaid?

3 of the providers we list for Perry County state that they accept Medicaid, including Behavior Care Specialists — Cape Girardeau, Centria Autism — Cape Girardeau / Perry County and Centria Autism — Southeast Missouri (Bollinger County). Coverage and plan participation change often, so confirm directly with the provider before your first appointment.

Where can I find ABA therapy in Perry County?

ABA providers serving Perry County are listed in the ABA therapy section of this page, with phone numbers and websites. Many deliver services in the family's home or at school as well as in a clinic. Ask about waitlists when you call — they vary widely and change month to month.

Can autism therapy happen at home in Perry County?

4 providers serving Perry County deliver services in the family's home. Many children do better in a familiar setting than in an unfamiliar clinic room, and in-home visits remove the travel burden.

Does Medicaid pay for autism services in Missouri?

Missouri families can apply to the Comprehensive, MOCDD, Community Support and Partnership for Hope Waivers, a Medicaid waiver that can fund respite, therapies and in-home support. The typical wait is Varies by waiver and regional office, and your place is usually set by the date you apply — so applying early matters even if you are unsure what services you need. Many waivers also disregard parental income, so families who don't qualify for regular Medicaid often still qualify here.

What if I can't find an autism provider in Perry County?

If none of the Perry County providers is the right fit, these Missouri counties currently have the most listed providers: Polk County (18), Caldwell County (17), Grundy County (17), Platte County (16). Many providers travel or offer telehealth, so it is worth calling even if they are not based nearby. You can also tell us about a provider we are missing.

Nearby counties in Missouri

You know things we don’t

Still missing from Perry County

These are the things no database has and every parent knows. If you can answer one of them, another family in Perry Countygets an afternoon back. It takes about a minute and you don’t need to know the business details — a name and a rough location is enough for us to check.

We check everything before it goes up, and nobody pays to be listed. How we verify.

Get told when this page changes

New provider in Perry County? We'll email you.

One email when we verify a new provider in Perry County — no newsletter, no digest, nothing else. Some counties hear from us a few times a year and some stay quiet for months; we would rather send you nothing than send you filler.

We store your address and county, and nothing else. How we handle it.

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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Help the community

Know a great provider in Perry County?

If a therapist, clinic, or specialist helped your family, tell us about them and we’ll add them to the directory so other families can find them too.

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For providers

Are you a provider serving Perry County?

Add your practice so families searching for help can find you. Listings are free.

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