Your kid grew. The resources should have grown too.
Every autism flyer has a four-year-old on it. The playgroups, the “early” everything, the sensory bins — all of it aimed at families who are years behind where you are. If you’re raising a 13-year-old, a 17-year-old, or a young adult, this page is the antidote: what actually exists here for older kids, with ages published.
●Last reviewed August 2026 · details change — confirm with official sources
You said it, so we built it
“There’s nothing for my teenager” is the single most common thing families tell us. It’s not quite true — but it’s close enough to hurt, because what does exist is scattered, quiet about its age ranges, and never advertised to you. Everything below serves kids older than elementary school, and every age range is one the program publishes itself.
Social groups & friendship
Friendship gets harder and more important at the same time. These are real, running groups for teens and young adults — not therapy disguised as a birthday party.
All At The Table — ages 12–17
Right here in Murfreesboro: a therapeutic tabletop role-playing group run by two licensed therapists, where teens practice cooperation, flexibility, and reading a room while genuinely having fun. Nine-week closed groups, Tuesdays 5:30–7 PM during the school year.
The Hope Preserve — D&D group therapy, 18+
Therapeutic Dungeons & Dragons campaigns for adolescents and adults 18 and up, in Brentwood and online. Ten-session campaigns at $85 per session.
Autism Tennessee Connect groups
Free peer groups run by and for autistic people — Teen Connect meetups, Connect for autistic adults 18+, a group for late-diagnosed adults, and one for LGBTQIA+ autistic adults. Schedules move around, so check their Connect page for the current calendar.
YMCA Full Circle — High School Hangout & Adult Day Program
High School Hangout for ages 16–21 and an Adult Day Program for 22 and up — free for members. Which sites run which programs varies, so call to confirm what’s offered near Murfreesboro this session.
PEERS® at Nashville Child & Family Wellness Center — ages 12–17
The evidence-based UCLA PEERS® social skills program for teens, with caregivers coached in parallel sessions — $735 per module as published. They also run RO-DBT for ages 15+ ($800 for 10 weeks).
Providers who see teens and adults
Plenty of clinics quietly stop at 12, or say “pediatric” and mean it. These publish age ranges that include your kid:
- Pediatric Therapies (Franklin and Murfreesboro) — despite the name, they say it plainly: “infants, children, teens and adults.” 615-377-1623.
- Rise Up Therapies (Franklin) — speech, feeding, and OT for “kids and adults,” with teletherapy if the drive is the dealbreaker. (615) 241-0122.
- The Self-Care Spot (Murfreesboro + teletherapy statewide) — neurodivergent-affirming therapy and assessment for adults, including high-masking and late-identified folks. Adults only, no children. (615) 900-4705.
- Living With Hope Counseling (Murfreesboro) — autism evaluations and therapy at all ages, including teens and adults; $180 per 50 minutes, $235 intake, sliding scale available. (615) 556-8406.
- Dr. Tina Boni, Neurodiversity Counseling & Consulting (Franklin) — evaluation and therapy for autism, ADHD, and OCD in teens, adults, and whole families. (615) 722-0565.
- Quirkiatry (Nashville) — psychiatric care and medication management for autistic and ADHD teens and adults, LGBTQ+ affirming. info@quirkiatry.com.
And when you’re scanning anything else: always check the Ages line in our Provider Directory. We added that line to every entry because families of teens kept calling clinics only to be told “we stop at 10.” That one was for you.
Activities that don’t card you at the door
Not everything has an upper age limit. Some of the best programs in this region will take your 16-year-old, your 22-year-old, and in one case your 53-year-old.
- Advantage Sports & Special Olympics — City of Murfreesboro Parks & Rec runs basketball, soccer, flag football, swimming, track and field, and adaptive fitness for youth and adults. This is the closest thing we have to a lifelong sports home. 615-907-2251.
- Miracle League of Murfreesboro — adaptive baseball with volunteer buddies, ages 4 to 53. Fall 2026 dates were listed as coming soon at last check, so watch the page.
- Nashville Dolphins — free adaptive swim, with a competitive Special Olympics team for ages 8 and up. Real practices, real meets, real teammates. 615-866-9971.
- Little Blue Theatre — inclusive theatre ensembles, including the Indigo Ensemble for ages 13–18. Every show is sensory-friendly, which means nobody is shushing anybody. 615-601-1871.
- Camp Discovery (Gainesboro) — residential camp with age brackets running from 4 all the way to 64, at roughly one counselor per three campers. Six sessions ran June 7–July 24 in 2026. 615-504-1727.
- Easterseals Tennessee — including an Adult Recreational Camp for ages 17 and up. 615-292-6640.
More options, sorted by activity type, live on our after school & extracurriculars page.
The road to adulthood
The teen years are also when the paperwork clock starts running — and starting early is the whole game. Two guides cover it in detail:
Teens & Independent Living
The Tennessee roadmap by age: the transition plan your school owes you at 14, ECF CHOICES, ABLE TN accounts, inclusive college, and what turning 18 really means for decision-making — including the alternatives to conservatorship nobody mentions.
Vocational Rehab
Tennessee’s free employment program, including Pre-ETS job exploration for students starting at 14 — while your teen is still in high school.
Bring your teen years to the Wednesday group
Every Wednesday at 5 PM we meet at We Rock the Spectrum, 820 N Thompson Ln. Any age, no diagnosis required — and parents of teens and young adults are especially welcome, because the rooms you’ve been sitting in were probably full of toddler talk. Come tell us what your kid actually needs; the honest answer is that this page grows from those conversations. More about the group · Tell us what we’re missing