County resource guide
Autism Resources in Bradley County, Tennessee
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Bradley County. Tennessee statewide resources also apply.
Bradley County — home to Cleveland and Charleston — is in southeastern Tennessee near Chattanooga. CHI Memorial in nearby Chattanooga and Starr Regional Medical Center provide healthcare services. Bradley County Schools provides special education programs. TEIS serves children under 3. STEP provides free IEP advocacy statewide, and families have good access to Chattanooga's provider network.
Provider directory
Local Providers15 providers in Bradley 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.
Cleveland · multi-county
CHI Memorial — Pediatric Developmental Services, Cleveland
CHI Memorial Hospital in Cleveland is Bradley County's primary hospital, providing pediatric care and developmental referrals for families in this southeastern Tennessee community. Bradley County sits adjacent to Hamilton County (Chattanooga), giving families access to T.C. Thompson Children's for comprehensive autism evaluations.
For comprehensive autism evaluations, ask for referrals to T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital in Chattanooga (~30 miles west).
Chattanooga · multi-county
Children's Hospital at Erlanger — Developmental Pediatrics (Meigs County)
Meigs County (Decatur, TN) is a small rural county in southeast Tennessee approximately 45 miles northeast of Chattanooga. Children's Hospital at Erlanger in Chattanooga is the primary academic medical referral for autism evaluations serving Meigs County families.
About 45 miles from Decatur TN. Athens (McMinn County, ~20 miles) has some closer community developmental services.
Chattanooga · multi-county
Children's Hospital at Erlanger — Developmental Pediatrics (Polk County)
Polk County (Benton, TN) is a rural southeast Tennessee county in the Cherokee National Forest, bordering Georgia and North Carolina. Children's Hospital at Erlanger in Chattanooga (approximately 45 miles west) is the primary academic medical referral for autism evaluations serving Polk County families.
About 45 miles from Benton TN. Cleveland (Bradley County, ~30 miles) has closer community developmental services.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Cleveland · multi-county
Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) — Bradley County
TEIS Part C early intervention for Bradley County children birth to age 3. Free developmental evaluations, IFSP planning, and in-home therapy services in Cleveland and surrounding Bradley County. Covers speech, OT, and developmental therapy.
Free under IDEA Part C. Self-refer by phone — no doctor referral required.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Cleveland · multi-county
BlueSprig Autism — Cleveland/Bradley County
Center-based ABA therapy serving Bradley County in Cleveland. BCBA-supervised programs with comprehensive skill-building and naturalistic teaching. Accepts most commercial insurance under Tennessee's ABA insurance mandate.
Tennessee requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.
Chattanooga · multi-county
Siskin Children's Institute — ABA & Therapy
Benton · multi-county
Southeast TN/Cherokee National Forest ABA — Polk County
ABA therapy for Polk County families through Chattanooga and Cleveland-area providers and in-home delivery in Benton TN. In-home BCBA-supervised ABA is the most practical model for this rural mountain county in the Cherokee National Forest. TennCare and commercial insurance accepted.
Contact Tennessee DIDD Southeast Tennessee regional office for approved ABA providers in Polk County.
Occupational therapy & sensory
Occupational therapy, sensory integration, and sensory diets.
Chattanooga · multi-county
Chattanooga Pediatric Therapy — OT & Sensory
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Chattanooga · multi-county
Autism Society of Greater Chattanooga
Decatur · multi-county
Autism Tennessee — Southeast Tennessee Network
Autism Tennessee connects Meigs County families to the Southeast Tennessee peer network centered in Chattanooga. Support groups, family events, and statewide advocacy resources serve families in Decatur and surrounding rural Tennessee River communities.
Benton · multi-county
Autism Tennessee — Southeast Tennessee Network
Autism Tennessee connects Polk County families to the Southeast Tennessee peer network centered in Chattanooga. Cleveland (Bradley County) is the nearest in-person resource hub. Virtual programming and statewide advocacy serve families in this remote mountain and forest county.
Cleveland · multi-county
Autism Tennessee — Southeast TN/Cleveland Area
Autism Tennessee connects Bradley County families in Cleveland and the Ocoee region to statewide support networks and local programming. Support groups, family resource connections, and advocacy for southeast Tennessee's autism community.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Benton · multi-county
STEP — Support & Training for Exceptional Parents
Tennessee's federally funded PTI. Free IEP advocacy for Polk County families. Phone and virtual support serve this remote mountain county where local advocacy resources are extremely limited. STEP is essential before any IEP dispute in Polk County Schools.
FREE. Statewide PTI.
Athens · multi-county
Support & Training for Exceptional Parents (STEP) — McMinn County
STEP serves McMinn County and the Hiwassee River region with free IEP advocacy, special education rights training, and one-on-one support for families navigating McMinn County Schools special education.
FREE. Tennessee's federally funded PTI.
Cleveland · multi-county
Support & Training for Exceptional Parents (STEP) — Southeast TN
STEP serves Bradley County and southeast Tennessee with free IEP advocacy, special education rights training, and one-on-one support navigating Bradley County Schools special education. Tennessee's federally funded PTI is the first call for any IEP dispute.
FREE. Federally funded Tennessee PTI.
For providers
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Helpful guides
Guides for Bradley 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 Tennessee resources
Waivers, PTI centers, and state programs apply to all families in Tennessee.
Tennessee state guide →Nearby counties in Tennessee
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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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