Knoxville's autism-related services concentrate in Knox County Schools, a pair of Hopebridge clinics offering both diagnosis and therapy under one roof, and the state's East Tennessee regional offices for early intervention and long-term Medicaid waivers — with neighboring Anderson County running a parallel track for families just over the line toward Oak Ridge.

This page lists exactly who to call for each step: TEIS's Knoxville office for a child under 3, Knox County Schools' Early Child Find team for a preschooler, a Hopebridge center for a combined diagnostic-and-therapy visit, and the Department of Disability and Aging's East Tennessee line for waiver intake.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Tennessee page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Knoxville (Knox County).

Early intervention under 3: Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS)

Birth to age 3 in Tennessee runs through TEIS, the state's federally required Part C early-intervention system: a referral needs no diagnosis and can come from a parent, physician, or childcare provider, and the evaluation itself is always free. Knox County's TEIS office sits at 2175 Business Center Drive, Suite 11, and answers at (865) 579-3099, though any family in the state can also dial the general referral line, (800) 852-7157, or email DD.TEIS_Referrals@tn.gov. TEIS hands off to Section 619 preschool special education at age 3, at which point Knox County Schools' Early Child Find office, (865) 594-1530, takes over.

• Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS)
• Referral phone: (800) 852-7157 (statewide TEIS referral) · (865) 579-3099 (Knoxville TEIS office)

New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.

School districts and special education

Knox County Schools carries Child Find responsibility for roughly 9,000 students with disabilities ages 3–22 across Knoxville and the rest of the county, splitting intake by age: an Early Child Find office for preschoolers, and a Student Support Team process run through each individual school once a child is enrolled. Just northwest of Knox County, Anderson County Schools — which also serves Clinton and Oak Ridge — runs its own entirely separate Child Find process for families who live on that side of the county line.

• Knox County Schools — Special Education — serves ~9,000 students ages 3–22; Early Child Find (preschool) (865) 594-1530; district main line (865) 594-1800
• Anderson County Schools — Child Find — covers Clinton and Oak Ridge, just northwest of Knox County; Special Education Department (865) 463-2814; services free for children ages 2½–21

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Knoxville

These are hospital and university programs with public intake information. Listing here is informational — it is not a recommendation, and it is not medical advice. Public school evaluation is free and does not require any of these.

• Hopebridge — Farragut Autism Therapy Center — autism testing and diagnosis alongside ABA therapy for children under 10, with occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, and feeding therapy where available at this location · 865-328-0841
• Hopebridge — Knoxville Northwest Autism Therapy Center — autism testing and diagnosis, ABA therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, and feeding therapy, geared toward early intervention for children under 10 · 865-328-0843

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging (DDA) — East Tennessee Region

DDA is the successor to the former Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and now runs intake for the state's core IDD Medicaid pathways — Katie Beckett, Employment and Community First CHOICES, and Medicaid Alternative Pathways (MAPs) — through three regional offices covering the whole state. Knox County falls under the East Tennessee region, which assists with applications, conducts eligibility reviews, and stays in periodic contact with families on a program's waiting list.

• Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging (DDA) — East Tennessee Region
• Phone: 1-888-531-9876

Local organizations that help Knoxville families

• Special Olympics Tennessee — Greater Knoxville Area 5 — covers Knox County, Anderson County, and Oak Ridge; 20+ sports plus a Motor Activity Training Program for younger athletes; contact Kiley Heyward, (865) 803-4762
• The Arc Tennessee — statewide advocacy organization with 15 local chapters across Tennessee; (615) 248-5878 or toll-free (800) 835-7077

Documented waits and access notes

Wait times change. Each note below links to the public source it came from — confirm current status directly with the program.

• Tennessee's private-insurance autism mandate, TCA §56-7-2367, only requires coverage parity with other neurological disorders up to age 12, a lower cutoff than several neighboring states use. (source)
• Once a Knox County parent signs consent, state board rule gives Knox County Schools 60 calendar days to finish evaluating and decide eligibility, then a further 30 days to have an IEP written. (source)
• TEIS's Knoxville office does not get extended time under state policy — the evaluation and first IFSP meeting for a referral are due inside the same 45 days IDEA sets as the federal Part C limit. (source)
• A joint report to the General Assembly showed Katie Beckett enrollment reaching 4,411 children statewide by the end of 2024, with 4,188 of them in the capped Part B track — a program East Tennessee families reach through the same regional intake as ECF CHOICES. (source)