Chattanooga and southeast Tennessee — Hixson, East Ridge, Red Bank, Cleveland, plus north Georgia just over the line — have strong, credentialed help for kids with special needs, anchored by the nationally known Siskin Children's Institute and Erlanger Children's Hospital. This is Chattanooga's own yellow pages of the best, most relevant help — named experts and clinics where we can verify them, not just directories. It's ranked by real credentials (ABPP, BHCOE, CALT/Orton-Gillingham, COPAA, CCC-SLP, OTR-L, board-certification) — never by reviews or who pays. Tennessee has no Regional Center system, so your free front door is TEIS (Tennessee Early Intervention System) for birth–3 and your school district's evaluation for ages 3+ — start there, then the best evaluators, schools, reading specialists, therapists, doctors, and advocates near you. Then, if you want it, an expert reads your child's records and builds your plan.
We don't rank by star ratings — they're noisy and easy to game. Every group below earns its place by credentials: board certification, school accreditation, professional licensure, and standing in the field's real professional bodies. The honest bar, not the loudest reviews.
TEIS provides free developmental evaluation and early-intervention services for Tennessee children birth to 3 with delays or disabilities. The earliest, no-barrier place to start in the Chattanooga area.
Tennessee's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center offers free help understanding your rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings — knowledgeable, statewide, and a great first call.
Tennessee's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency — free legal information and advocacy when a child's special-education rights are denied. A powerful free resource before you pay anyone.
Siskin Children's Institute in Chattanooga evaluates children for autism, ADHD, and developmental delays with a multidisciplinary team — developmental pediatrics (including developmental-behavioral pediatrician Dr. Jenesis Yanez), psychology, speech, OT, and ABA — all under one roof. The region's premier evaluation home.
The American Board of Professional Psychology's directory lists clinicians who passed board certification in clinical neuropsychology — the credential to verify in any private evaluator across the Chattanooga area, instead of trusting star ratings.
Beyond diagnosis, Siskin Children's Institute runs inclusive early-childhood education programs that blend typically-developing children with children who have disabilities, with embedded therapy — a specialized early-years setting unusual in its depth for the region.
The Chattanooga Autism Center is a local nonprofit offering occupational, physical, and speech therapy alongside autism support and family resources — a community hub for autistic children and their families in the region.
A searchable directory for comparing additional Chattanooga-area private and special-education school options by location, grades, and program.
Siskin's Learning Disability Services provide evaluation and intervention for dyslexia and other learning disabilities in Chattanooga — a credentialed local option that pairs assessment with structured support. Ask which structured-literacy program they use for your child.
The Academy's directory lists accredited Orton-Gillingham practitioners across southeast Tennessee — searchable by area so you can find one near Chattanooga, Hixson, or Cleveland. The gold-standard credential for a private dyslexia tutor.
A huge audiobook/highlighting library — free for students with a qualifying reading disability, so your child keeps up with grade-level books while they learn to decode.
Siskin Children's Institute provides speech-language therapy by ASHA-certified SLPs, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and ABA — with the rare advantage of therapists, teachers, and doctors collaborating in one place. Chattanooga's deepest pediatric therapy bench.
Candace Feltz, MA, CCC-SLP, founded and manages Feltz Therapy Services in the Chattanooga area, with a diverse team of occupational, physical, and speech therapists — a named, nationally certified clinician leading a multidisciplinary private practice.
The BHCOE directory lists accredited ABA providers across the Chattanooga area, ASHA ProFind lists CCC-SLP speech therapists, and AOTA lists OTR/L occupational therapists — searchable by zip so families in Hixson, East Ridge, or Cleveland find the nearest.
Dr. Jenesis Yanez is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Siskin Children's Institute, evaluating and helping manage autism, ADHD, and developmental conditions — a named specialist at the region's leading multidisciplinary children's center.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' directory helps you find board-certified developmental-behavioral pediatricians across the Chattanooga area — the credential to verify for a formal autism or ADHD diagnosis.
The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates' directory lists active, vetted special-education advocates and attorneys serving the Chattanooga area — the field's real professional standard.
TNSTEP's trained parent specialists help Tennessee families prepare for and understand IEP meetings at no cost — a respected, statewide free alternative to hiring a private advocate first.
Tennessee's protection & advocacy agency offers free legal information and advocacy for special-education rights — a no-cost first stop before hiring a private advocate or attorney.
The Speech & Hearing Center is a longstanding Chattanooga nonprofit providing speech-language and audiology services with a mission to serve families regardless of ability to pay — a trusted low-cost option for evaluation and therapy.
For children birth to 3, TEIS provides free developmental evaluations and early-intervention therapies — the earliest, no-barrier place to start in Tennessee.
Legal Aid of East Tennessee's Chattanooga office provides free civil legal help to income-eligible families — a no-cost route to legal assistance, including some education and benefits matters.
TNSTEP offers free workshops and one-on-one parent support across Tennessee — a rich free resource for families learning their rights and navigating the system.
Federally funded and free — they help Tennessee families understand their rights, the IEP/504 process, evaluations, and meetings. A great first call.
Tennessee's protection & advocacy agency — free legal-rights information and help if your child's rights are being denied.
A short message — your child, your Chattanooga district, and what you're facing. We set up a secure way to share the IEP.
We review the records against your rights and match your child to the right Chattanooga providers from the vetted directory above.
A clear written plan, plus a vetted Chattanooga advocate, found and recommended for you, for the in-person help.
Free first reply with honest next steps. No pressure, no surprises — just an expert in your corner.
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