Special-education help for Tennessee families.

TEIS — Tennessee's IDEA Part C program, run by the Department of Disability and Aging — gives free developmental evaluation and services (speech, occupational, physical, and developmental therapy) to any child birth to 3 with a delay or qualifying condition, anywhere in the state, delivered in your home or community. There is no income test and no diagnosis required. This is the single best first call for a baby or toddler.

TEIS works through nine district offices that cover the whole state. Call the statewide line or use the TEIS website to reach the office serving your county — they come to you, at home and at no cost.

STEP is Tennessee's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — free, one-to-one help understanding your rights, the evaluation, and the IEP/504 process, including Spanish-language support. Trained parent specialists who've been through it themselves staff the line. Call before you pay any private advocate.

STEP offers materials and parent support in Spanish, so Spanish-speaking Tennessee families can understand the IEP process and their rights in their own language — at no cost.

Tennessee's federally mandated protection & advocacy agency provides free legal information and advocacy when a child's special-education rights are being denied — including help with disputes, restraint/seclusion, and discipline. A powerful no-cost resource before you hire a lawyer.

Tennessee's Division of Rehabilitation Services (Vocational Rehabilitation), part of the Department of Human Services, provides free help for students with disabilities to prepare for work, college, and independent living. Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) are available to students with a disability or 504 plan between ages 14 and 22 — career exploration, work-based learning, counseling, and self-advocacy training. Ask your VR counselor to join your child's transition IEP meetings.

Yes — Tennessee HAS a Katie Beckett program. It serves children under 18 with significant disabilities or complex medical needs who don't qualify for Medicaid because of their parents' income. Part A gives full TennCare/Medicaid benefits (therapies, nursing, equipment) to children with the most intensive needs; Part B provides up to $10,000 a year in services without full Medicaid enrollment. Slots are limited, so apply through the Department of Disability and Aging as early as you can.

Employment and Community First (ECF) CHOICES is TennCare's waiver program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, covering employment supports, respite, and community services. Enrollment is limited and there can be a waiting/interest list, so the single most important move is to get your child's name on the list TODAY — call TennCare or the Department of Disability and Aging.

You can ask your school district in writing for a special-education evaluation at any time. Once you sign consent, Tennessee schools must complete the evaluation and decide eligibility within 60 calendar days; if your child is found eligible, the IEP must be written within 30 calendar days after that. Put the request in writing and date it — the clock starts then. Tennessee also requires the school to give you a draft of the evaluation report at least 48 hours before the eligibility meeting. You have the right to everything in your language, to bring anyone to the meeting, and to disagree.

Under IDEA you have the right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE), to a full evaluation at no cost, to be an equal member of the IEP team, to an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) if you disagree, and to dispute-resolution (mediation/due process). STEP, your PTI above, explains all of it for free.

The Tennessee Department of Education's Special Education division sets the rules every district must follow, runs the state complaint and due-process systems, and provides dyslexia guidance under the state's 'Say Dyslexia' law (which requires screening and structured-literacy supports). Start here to know what the state requires of your school.

Use the ZIP finder to pull the nearest evaluators, therapists, and special-education schools to your address, plus your metro's full directory — and these statewide free programs are always shown, no matter how rural your town.

Several reputable practices provide autism/ADHD evaluation and speech/OT/ABA by telehealth across Tennessee — vital for families in the rural Cumberland Plateau and East Tennessee. Nationally, COPAA (advocates/attorneys), the Academy of Orton-Gillingham (dyslexia), ABPP (board-certified evaluators), BHCOE (ABA), and Bookshare (free accessible books) round out your options.