Eligibility for Service

Child Age Birth to 5 Years

Children grow at their own pace but there are general developmental guidelines that children follow. If your child's medical providers or someone at school has noticed significant delays in cognitive development and adaptive functioning, this may suggest that your child could benefit from services for persons with Developmental Disabilities (DD). If your child's only condition is medically related, your child may or may not qualify for DD services.

There are 3 main ways for a child under the age of 5 years to be eligible for Developmental Disabilities Services:

1. The child has test scores of two or more standard deviations below the mean in at least two global areas of functioning, one of which is cognition.
2. The child has been assessed and diagnosed by a professional as having Global Developmental Delays.
3. The child has a medical diagnosis that results in impairment of general intellectual functioning or adaptive behavior similar to that of persons with intellectual disability. This may be indicated by substantial (2 or more standard deviations below the mean) limitations in 3 or more areas of life activities, including self-care, understanding and use of language, learning, mobility, self-direction or judgment, and independent or daily living skills.

Children and Adults - Age 5 & Older

Children and adults age 5 and older require that a recent psychological evaluation be completed and an adaptive skills assessment that documents delays must be provided. The child must be diagnosed with an intellectual disability or a related condition and show both significant deficits in adaptive skills and have similar service needs to a person with mental retardation. Scott County will assist with obtaining an evaluation, if one is not available from the school or through private insurance.

Determining if the Person Has a Diagnosis of an Intellectual Disability

It is necessary to have:

• A psychological professional diagnosing Intellectual disability
• IQ test and Adaptive Behavior Assessment that displays substantial impairment of skill related to personal independence and social responsibility (such as: self-care, mobility, communication, self-preservation, and community integration)

Determining if the Person Has a Related Condition

To determine that a person has a related condition, the condition must be found to be closely related to intellectual disability, including, but not limited to, Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Autism, and Prader-Willi Syndrome and it meets all the following criteria:

• The condition is severe and chronic
• Results in impairment of general intellectual functioning or adaptive behavior similar to that of persons with mental retardation
• Requires treatment of services similar to those required for persons with mental retardation
• Is manifested before the person reaches 22 years of age
• Is likely to continue indefinitely
• Results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity
  • Self-care
  • Understanding and use of language
  • Learning
  • Mobility
  • Self-direction
  • Capacity for independent living