County resource guide
Autism Resources in Monroe County, Tennessee
Local providers, school contacts, and support services for autism families in Monroe County. Tennessee statewide resources also apply.
Monroe County — home to Madisonville, Sweetwater, and Vonore — is in southeastern Tennessee. Monroe County Schools provides special education. Families typically travel to Chattanooga or Knoxville for specialized autism evaluation and therapy. TEIS serves children under 3. STEP provides free IEP advocacy statewide, and Tennessee's DIDD Employment and Community First CHOICES waiver is available for eligible residents.
Provider directory
Local Providers17 providers in Monroe 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.
Maryville · multi-county
Blount Memorial Hospital — Pediatric Developmental Referrals
Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville is Blount County's primary hospital, providing pediatric care and developmental referrals. Blount County's proximity to Knox County (Knoxville) gives families access to East Tennessee Children's Hospital's autism program approximately 20 miles north.
East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville (~20 miles north) is the regional autism diagnostic hub. Ask your pediatrician for a ETCH referral.
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.
Madisonville · multi-county
Sweetwater Hospital Association — Developmental Referrals
Monroe County is served by Sweetwater Hospital Association and Fort Loudoun Medical Center (Covenant Health). For comprehensive autism evaluations, Monroe County families typically access East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville (~45 miles north) or T.C. Thompson Children's in Chattanooga via Bradley County.
East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville is the primary autism evaluation referral. Fort Loudoun Medical Center in Lenoir City is also accessible.
Knoxville · multi-county
UT Medical Center — Child Development Center
The University of Tennessee Medical Center's Child Development Center in Knoxville is approximately 25 miles from Loudon and is the primary referral center for Loudon County autism evaluations. UT's developmental medicine team provides comprehensive multi-disciplinary assessments.
About 25–30 minutes from Loudon — one of the more accessible rural East Tennessee counties for specialty care.
Early Intervention (0–3)
Free services for children under 3 under IDEA Part C.
Madisonville
Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) — Monroe County
TEIS Part C early intervention for Monroe County children birth to age 3. Free developmental evaluations, IFSP planning, and in-home therapy services in Madisonville and throughout the Cherokee Reservoir region.
Free under IDEA Part C. Self-refer by phone — no doctor referral required.
ABA therapy
Applied Behavior Analysis therapy — typically requires insurance authorization.
Maryville · multi-county
Centria Autism — Blount County/Maryville
In-home and center-based ABA therapy serving Blount County families in Maryville and Alcoa. BCBA-supervised individualized programs. Accepts most commercial insurance and TennCare under Tennessee's ABA requirements.
Tennessee requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy.
Madisonville · multi-county
Centria Autism — Monroe County
In-home ABA therapy serving Monroe County families in Madisonville and surrounding communities in the Cherokee National Forest foothills. BCBA-supervised individualized programs accepting TennCare and commercial insurance.
Tennessee requires commercial insurance to cover ABA therapy. In-home model serves Monroe County's rural mountain communities.
Loudon · multi-county
East Tennessee ABA — Knoxville/Loudon Corridor
ABA therapy for Loudon County children through Knoxville-area providers. Loudon County's proximity to Knoxville gives families access to a robust network of clinic-based and in-home ABA providers.
Ask your UT diagnostic team for referrals to ABA providers currently accepting Loudon County patients.
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.
Parent & family support
Parent groups, sibling programs, and family peer support.
Loudon · multi-county
Autism Tennessee — East Tennessee Network
Autism Tennessee connects Loudon County families to the East Tennessee regional support network, peer groups, and statewide autism programming and advocacy. Knoxville-area events are accessible to Loudon families.
Madisonville · multi-county
Autism Tennessee — Monroe County Network
Autism Tennessee connects Monroe County families in Madisonville and Vonore to the East Tennessee autism support network and statewide resources. Peer support and resource navigation for families in Tennessee's scenic Cherokee Reservoir region.
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.
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.
Maryville · multi-county
Support & Training for Exceptional Parents (STEP) — East TN
STEP serves Blount County with free IEP advocacy, special education rights training, and one-on-one support for families navigating Blount County Schools special education. Tennessee's PTI is the essential first call for any school dispute.
FREE. Tennessee's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center.
Madisonville · multi-county
Support & Training for Exceptional Parents (STEP) — Monroe County
STEP serves Monroe County families with free IEP advocacy, special education rights training, and one-on-one support navigating Monroe County Schools. Tennessee's federally funded PTI is essential in smaller rural counties with limited local advocacy resources.
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.
Nashville · multi-county
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center — STEP (Special Education Advocacy)
Tennessee's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. Free IEP advocacy and special education support for Loudon County families statewide.
FREE. Statewide PTI.
For providers
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Helpful guides
Guides for Monroe 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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