I have decided to start a series of posts describing how a parent can navigate the State of Arizona’s Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). I am well versed in the process having been working with “the system” since 2006 when my daughter was diagnosed with autism. I am diligent about scouring the web for information on any process and immersed myself in finding out how to begin the long process of getting my daughter eligible for state services (not school-provided).
The first in the series of posts will be eligibility. In the state of Arizona, four diagnoses are used to determine DDD eligibility: epilepsy, cerebral palsy, cognitive disability* or autism. The diagnosis must be made prior to a person’s 18th birthday in order to be eligible.
For children under the age of six, an “at risk of” statement can be used for DDD referrals. The Arizona Department of Economic Security defines at risk as “a child under the age of six years may be eligible if there is a strongly demonstrated potential that the child has or will have a developmental disability as determined by appropriate tests.”
In order for a child to be found eligible for DDD services, they must show substantial functional limitations in three of seven areas in addition to having a qualifying diagnosis. The life areas assessed are self-care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living and economic self-sufficiency.
It is important to note that the state of Arizona only recognizes autistic disorder, ICD-9 299.00, as a qualifying autism diagnosis after the child’s sixth birthday. Children that have received a diagnosis of PDD-NOS or Asperger’s Syndrome may qualify prior to the age of six in the at risk category but unless an autistic disorder diagnosis is received, DDD eligibility ends on the child’s sixth birthday.
Once a child has been found DDD eligible, they are eligible for life if they have one of the four eligible diagnoses. However, DDD eligibility does not come with much in the way of services, as the funding is not there. The Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS) is who funds services for some of the DDD-eligible population. That is an entirely different process and another set of hoops to jump through; I will be addressing that in a future post.
For more information, visit the Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities website.
* The state of Arizona’s Division of Developmental Disabilities has adopted the use of the phrase cognitive disability to represent what is also known as mental retardation.
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- Arizona Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council Forums
- ACDL Files Class Action Lawsuit Against Arizona DES
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I am looking for information on filing a former complaint with DDD regarding service provision for a child with a IFSP. can you help me locate this information. Thank you.
actually you can be eligible for DDD services after your 18th birthday if you have the family write statements saying that you noticed something was wrong or different about the person and just didnt see a doctor about it. My uncle was 65 when he got on DDD
Thanks Alexa, this is really good to know. I bet this bit of information is buried deep in the regulations somewhere.
My daughter was declared CP after a heart attach at the age of 7 wks. She is now 27yrs old and has lived in a group home for the last 6yrs. Problem here is the small amount of recourse to combat things such as bruises, broken teeth and bones, neglect, I wonder if her complaints of pain are due to not getting her meds. The list is ongoing and so is the resolve. Where is the list of Responsible Persons to contact for corrective measures? If you think the answer is DDD Monitoring/Quality Assurance,, think again.
My heart breaks. There may be other programs that will be an advocate for your daughter; state, insurance ombudsman programs. My son is 27 also. In my thoughts/prayers. PS
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