County resource guide
Autism Resources in Grainger County, Tennessee
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Grainger County. Tennessee statewide resources also apply.
Grainger County — home to Rutledge — is in northeastern Tennessee. Grainger County Schools provides special education. Families travel to Knoxville or Morristown for specialized autism evaluation and therapy. TEIS is available, and STEP provides free IEP advocacy statewide.
Provider directory
Local Providers18 providers in Grainger 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.
Maynardville · multi-county
East Tennessee Children's Hospital — Union County Referral
Union County families in Maynardville are approximately 20 miles north of Knoxville, providing excellent access to East Tennessee Children's Hospital for comprehensive autism evaluations. ETCH is the regional pediatric hub for all of East Tennessee.
Knoxville (~20 miles south) is the primary diagnostic hub. Union County families have relatively good urban access.
Dandridge · multi-county
Jefferson Memorial Hospital — Developmental Referrals
Jefferson Memorial Hospital (Covenant Health) in Jefferson City provides primary hospital care for Jefferson County. Families in Dandridge and New Market are approximately 30 miles east of Knoxville, giving them reasonable access to East Tennessee Children's Hospital for comprehensive autism evaluations.
For comprehensive autism evaluations, ask for referrals to East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville.
Morristown · multi-county
Lakeway Regional Medical Center — Developmental Pediatrics (Morristown)
Lakeway Regional Medical Center in Morristown is Hamblen County's primary hospital. Morristown is the economic hub for the Lakeway region of Northeast Tennessee. For comprehensive autism evaluations, families are referred to Niswonger Children's Hospital in Johnson City (~35 miles east) or East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville (~50 miles west).
Niswonger Children's (Johnson City, ~35 miles) and East TN Children's (Knoxville, ~50 miles) are the regional autism diagnostic hubs for Hamblen County.
Knoxville · multi-county
University of Tennessee Medical Center — Developmental Pediatrics
Grainger County families most often travel to Knoxville (Knox County, approximately 35 miles southwest) for autism evaluations at the University of Tennessee Medical Center or East Tennessee Children's Hospital. Knoxville is the major medical hub for the entire East Tennessee region.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Rutledge
Tennessee Early Intervention System — Grainger County
Tennessee's Part C early intervention program serving Grainger County children birth to age 3. TEIS coordinators in Rutledge deliver in-home speech, OT, and developmental services to eligible families in Appalachian rural communities.
FREE. Grainger is served through the Knox/Grainger TEIS region.
Knoxville · multi-county
Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) — Knox County
Maynardville · multi-county
Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) — Union County
TEIS Part C early intervention for Union County children birth to age 3. Free evaluations and in-home therapy services in Maynardville and throughout Union County.
FREE under IDEA Part C. Self-refer by phone.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Rutledge · multi-county
Acorn Health — East Tennessee In-Home ABA
Acorn Health brings BCBA-supervised ABA therapy to Grainger County families through in-home delivery. Serving rural Appalachian communities in the Holston River valley and surrounding areas near Rutledge.
Tennessee ABA insurance mandate. In-home model for rural Appalachian counties.
Maynardville · multi-county
Centria Autism — Union County
In-home ABA therapy serving Union County families in Maynardville and surrounding communities. BCBA-supervised individualized programs accepting TennCare and commercial insurance.
Tennessee requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.
Dandridge · multi-county
Lighthouse Autism Center — Jefferson County
Center-based ABA therapy serving Jefferson County through the East Tennessee network. BCBA-supervised with naturalistic developmental approaches. Accepts most commercial insurance under Tennessee's ABA insurance mandate.
Tennessee requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.
Morristown · multi-county
Lighthouse Autism Center — Morristown/Hamblen County
Center-based ABA therapy serving Hamblen County in Morristown. BCBA-supervised with naturalistic developmental approaches. Accepts most commercial insurance under Tennessee's ABA insurance mandate. Morristown is one of the larger cities in the northeast Tennessee corridor.
Tennessee requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Maynardville · multi-county
Autism Tennessee — East TN / Union County
Autism Tennessee connects Union County families to the Knoxville area autism support network. Maynardville's proximity to Knoxville gives families access to the full range of East Tennessee autism resources and parent support.
Morristown · multi-county
Autism Tennessee — Lakeway Region/Morristown Area
Autism Tennessee connects Hamblen County families in Morristown to the Northeast Tennessee autism support network. Support groups, resource navigation, and statewide advocacy for the Lakeway region's autism community.
Rutledge · multi-county
Autism Tennessee — Northeast Tennessee Network
Autism Tennessee connects Grainger County families to the Northeast Tennessee peer support network. Knoxville-area events are accessible for many Rutledge families, with virtual programming expanding access for those in the most rural Appalachian communities.
Advocacy & legal
Legal advocates, special education advocates, and disability rights organizations.
Rutledge
STEP — Support & Training for Exceptional Parents
Tennessee's federally funded PTI at Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. Free IEP advocacy and training for Grainger County families. Phone and virtual consultations serve Appalachian rural families who cannot easily travel to Knoxville for advocacy support.
FREE. Call before any IEP dispute in Grainger County Schools.
Morristown · multi-county
Support & Training for Exceptional Parents (STEP) — Hamblen County
STEP serves Hamblen County and the Lakeway region with free IEP advocacy, special education rights training, and one-on-one support for families navigating Hamblen County Schools and Morristown City Schools.
FREE. Tennessee's federally funded PTI.
Dandridge · multi-county
Support & Training for Exceptional Parents (STEP) — Jefferson County
STEP serves Jefferson County with free IEP advocacy, special education rights training, and one-on-one support for families navigating Jefferson County Schools special education.
FREE. Tennessee's federally funded PTI.
Maynardville · multi-county
Support & Training for Exceptional Parents (STEP) — Union County
STEP serves Union County families with free IEP advocacy and special education rights training for families navigating Union County Schools.
FREE. Tennessee's federally funded PTI.
For providers
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Helpful guides
Guides for Grainger 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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