Finding care
Finding autism evaluation and support in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama
For a child under 3, you can refer yourself to your state’s free early intervention program, without waiting for a doctor. From age 3, any local public elementary school can arrange an evaluation. Adults can ask a health care provider for a referral to a psychologist, neuropsychologist or psychiatrist with autism experience. All four states license behavior analysts, so you can check an ABA provider’s license.
Getting an autism evaluation and support often means working with several systems at once: health care, early intervention, schools and state programs. To get through them, learn who evaluates autism, start with the free program for your child’s age, learn which services to ask about and how to check an ABA provider, use your state’s programs, sort out cost, search, then ask a few questions.
1. Know who evaluates autism
The CDC says a formal evaluation is done by one or more trained specialists, such as a developmental pediatrician, child psychologist, speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist. NIMH adds that a team may include child neurologists, child psychiatrists and educational specialists.
If your child’s provider doesn’t do regular developmental screening, the CDC says you can ask for it.
For adults, NIMH says to talk with a health care provider and ask for a referral for an autism evaluation. Adults can be referred to a neuropsychologist, psychologist or psychiatrist with autism experience.
2. Start with the free program for your child’s age
Children under 3: free early intervention
Every state runs an early intervention program for babies and toddlers. The CDC says that if your doctor can’t connect you, you can contact the program yourself.
| State | Program | How to refer |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | Tennessee’s Early Intervention System (TEIS). Services are provided at no cost to families | call 800-852-7157, use TEIS’s online referral form, or email DD.TEIS_Referrals@tn.gov |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Early Intervention System (KEIS), formerly First Steps | call 877-417-8377. Ask about the family share fee, which depends on income |
| Georgia | Babies Can’t Wait, for children from birth to age 3, regardless of income. Evaluation and service coordination are free, other services use a sliding fee, and no family is denied services for inability to pay | refer by phone, email, fax, letter or in person through your county’s coordinator |
| Alabama | Alabama’s Early Intervention System, for birth to age 3 | call Child Find at 1-800-543-3098, or refer online through Never Too Early Alabama |
Age 3 and older: ask the school
The CDC says you can call any local public elementary school, even one your child doesn’t attend, and say: “I have concerns about my child’s development and I would like to have my child evaluated through the school system for preschool special education services.” NIMH notes that for older children, the school’s special education team may do an initial evaluation and recommend more evaluation from a specialist.
Tennessee’s TRIAD program suggests contacting TEIS if your child is under 34 months, and your county school system if your child is 34 months or older.
3. Know which services to ask about
The CDC names several kinds of support:
- Behavioral approaches, which the CDC says have the most evidence. A well-known one is applied behavior analysis (ABA).
- Speech and language therapy, the most common developmental therapy.
- Occupational therapy, which teaches skills for living as independently as possible.
These can happen at school, in a clinic, in the community or at home, or a mix.
4. Check an ABA provider
The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) certifies three levels:
| Credential | What it means |
|---|---|
| BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) | a graduate-level certification; BCBAs practice independently |
| BCaBA | an undergraduate-level certification; works under a BCBA’s supervision |
| RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) | a paraprofessional who works under close supervision |
You can look anyone up in the BACB’s certificant registry, which also shows current disciplinary actions.
All four of our states also license behavior analysts:
- Tennessee: Applied Behavior Analyst Licensing Committee; verify through the Department of Health’s license verification.
- Kentucky: Applied Behavior Analysis Licensing Board (aba.ky.gov); verify at oop.ky.gov.
- Georgia: Behavior Analyst Licensing Board, under the Secretary of State.
- Alabama: Behavior Analyst Licensure Advisory Council, under the Department of Mental Health, which posts a roster of active licenses.
5. Use your state’s autism programs
| State | Program | What it offers |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | TRIAD at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, 615-322-8240 | diagnostic assessment, free workshops for caregivers of children ages 2 to 7, and training and consultation with TEIS for qualifying families of children 12 to 60 months |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Autism Training Center at the University of Louisville, 502-852-4631 | statewide training and resources for families and professionals. It doesn’t provide case management or crisis support |
| Georgia | Department of Public Health Autism Access and Innovation | screening and diagnostic referrals for children and youth from birth to 21, with contracted psychologists in each public health district who evaluate children before age 3 |
| Alabama | Regional Autism Network, created under the Alabama Autism Support Act, statewide line 1-800-367-0955 | help for anyone with questions about diagnosed or suspected autism, through five university sites: Alabama-Huntsville, Alabama, South Alabama, Auburn and UAB |
Nationally, the Autism Society’s helpline, 800-328-8476 (800-3-AUTISM), connects callers to local resources and providers. The CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. program also has an ambassador in each state, listed on the CDC’s website.
6. Work out how you’ll pay
Early intervention is free or low-cost, as above, and school evaluations are free. Most health plans cover autism evaluation and many cover ABA, often with prior approval. Our insurance guide explains approvals and appeals.
7. Search LunahUP
As of November 5, 2026, LunahUP lists these behavior analysts by license type, and profiles that list autism as a focus:
| State | Behavior analysts | Profiles listing autism |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 2,775 | 14 (Georgia autism providers) |
| Tennessee | 1,501 | 18 (Tennessee autism providers) |
| Kentucky | 777 | 4 (Kentucky autism providers) |
| Alabama | 625 | none yet |
Search your city and choose “Behavior analyst” as the provider type, then verify the license and BACB certification.
8. Ask these questions
- “Do you evaluate children of my child’s age, or adults?”
- “Who’s on the evaluation team, and how long does it take?”
- “What’s the wait for an appointment?”
- “Will you give us a written report we can share with the school?”
- For ABA: “Who will work with my child day to day, and how often will a BCBA supervise?”
The short version
- Under 3: refer your child to your state’s early intervention program yourself.
- Age 3 and up: call any local public elementary school and ask for an evaluation.
- Adults: ask a health care provider for a referral to a psychologist, neuropsychologist or psychiatrist with autism experience.
- Check ABA providers in the BACB registry and your state’s license lookup.
- TRIAD, the Kentucky Autism Training Center, Georgia’s Autism Access and Innovation and Alabama’s Regional Autism Network help families find services.
Questions before your next step
How do I get my child evaluated for autism?
Under age 3, contact your state’s early intervention program directly. From age 3, call any local public elementary school and ask for an evaluation for preschool special education.
Link to this answerHow can an adult get an autism evaluation?
NIMH says to ask a health care provider for a referral to a neuropsychologist, psychologist or psychiatrist who has experience with autism.
Link to this answerIs early intervention free?
Tennessee’s TEIS is free to families. Georgia’s Babies Can’t Wait provides evaluation and service coordination free, uses a sliding fee for other services, and doesn’t turn families away for inability to pay. Ask your state’s program about costs.
Link to this answerHow do I check an ABA therapist’s credentials?
Search the BACB’s certificant registry for BCBA, BCaBA or RBT status, and check your state’s behavior analyst license lookup.
Link to this answerWho can help me find autism services in Alabama?
Alabama’s Regional Autism Network, at 1-800-367-0955, helps anyone with questions about diagnosed or suspected autism through five university sites.
Link to this answerSources & approach
LunahUP Directory wrote this guide to explain practical search and appointment choices. Public health and professional references support the general information; the directory’s own workflows describe how LunahUP works. Provider-specific facts are supplied on the linked profiles. This guide has not been clinically reviewed and does not offer individual medical advice.
- CDC autism diagnosis
- CDC autism diagnosis, CDC autism treatment
- NIMH autism spectrum disorder publication, revised 2025
- CDC Act Early, early intervention
- CDC Act Early, state contacts
- CDC Act Early, ambassadors
- Tennessee TEIS
- Georgia Babies Can’t Wait
- Alabama Early Intervention System
- BACB: BCBA, BCaBA and RBT pages (bacb.com)
- BACB: BCBA, BCaBA and RBT pages (bacb.com), part 2
- BACB: BCBA, BCaBA and RBT pages (bacb.com), part 3
- BACB: certificant registry
- BACB: U.S. licensure list
- State behavior analyst boards: Tennessee
- State behavior analyst boards: Kentucky (aba.ky.gov)
- State behavior analyst boards: Kentucky (oop.ky.gov)
- State behavior analyst boards: Alabama
- TRIAD, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (vkc.vumc.org)
- TRIAD, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (vkc.vumc.org), part 2
- Kentucky Autism Training Center
- Georgia DPH Autism Access and Innovation
- Alabama Regional Autism Network (mh.alabama.gov)
- Alabama Regional Autism Network (mh.alabama.gov), part 2
- Autism Society helpline
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