Arkansas Early Intervention: Eligibility, IFSP, and Services

If you have an infant or toddler in Arkansas who may be developing slowly, Arkansas early intervention services are available for free through a state program called First Connections, which serves children from birth up to their third birthday.¹ You can start the process yourself by calling the Central Intake Unit at 1-800-643-8258. You do not need a doctor’s referral or a diagnosis to call.²

First Connections operates under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and runs through a single statewide intake system. The timelines in this process are tight on purpose, because early help works better than later help.

Who Qualifies

Your child must be under three and meet one of two criteria.

The first is a developmental delay of 25 percent or more of the child’s age in any one of five areas: cognitive, physical (including vision and hearing), communication, social-emotional, or adaptive (self-help) skills.³ A 12-month-old communicating at the level of a 9-month-old or younger would hit that threshold.

The second is a diagnosed physical or mental condition with a high probability of causing a delay, such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or certain neurological disorders. A child with a qualifying diagnosis does not need to show a measurable delay to receive services.¹

How to Start the Referral

Anyone can refer a child. Parents, grandparents, foster parents, childcare providers, and neighbors can all call the Central Intake Unit at 1-800-643-8258, which is the single point of entry for the whole program.⁴

If a hospital, physician, child welfare worker, childcare program, or other health or social service agency identifies a possible delay, federal rules give them seven days to refer the child.⁵ Medical providers can also fax referrals to the Central Intake Unit along with any screening results.⁶

Once the intake unit has your referral, a service coordinator is assigned to the family. That coordinator is your main contact for everything that follows.

The 45-Day Clock

After the referral, the program schedules a free multidisciplinary developmental evaluation. A team assesses your child across all five developmental areas, and the evaluation itself costs you nothing.¹

The entire process, from referral through the first Individualized Family Service Plan meeting, must be completed within 45 calendar days.⁷ This is a hard federal deadline. The only exceptions are unusual circumstances like a family illness or a natural disaster, and the program has to document the reason. If things seem to be slipping, ask your service coordinator where you stand on the 45-day timeline.

Alongside the eligibility evaluation, the team also does a family-directed assessment. That looks at your child’s strengths and your family’s priorities and existing resources. Both pieces feed into the service plan.

The Individualized Family Service Plan

If your child qualifies, the team writes an Individualized Family Service Plan, or IFSP. The IFSP spells out your child’s current developmental levels, the outcomes your family wants to work toward, and the specific services that will get you there.⁸ You are a full member of the team writing it. Nothing goes in without your agreement.

For each service, the IFSP has to state how often it will be delivered, for how long, and where. Services must be provided in natural environments to the greatest extent appropriate, meaning the places your child already spends time, like home or daycare. If a service needs to happen somewhere else, like a clinic, the IFSP must explain why.⁸

The plan is reviewed at least every six months, with a full annual meeting to evaluate and revise it.⁹ You can ask for a review any time if your child’s needs change or the current services aren’t working.

What Services Are Covered

What your child actually receives depends on the IFSP goals. First Connections offers all 17 federally identified early intervention service categories under Part C of IDEA:¹⁰

Speech-language pathology for communication, language, and feeding
Occupational therapy for fine motor skills, sensory processing, and self-help
Physical therapy for gross motor skills like crawling, standing, and walking
Special instruction, which is developmental therapy for cognitive and adaptive skills
Audiology and vision services
Nutrition services for feeding and nutritional needs
Psychological and social work services
Family training, counseling, and home visits that teach parents how to support development between therapy sessions
Assistive technology and adaptive equipment
Service coordination to help you navigate the system and connect to community resources
Nursing, health services, diagnostic medical services, sign language and cued language services, and transportation assistance

Family training is easy to overlook and often the most useful piece. Therapists come to your home and show you how to reinforce development during mealtime, play, and other everyday routines, rather than only during scheduled sessions.

What It Costs

Arkansas provides all early intervention services on the IFSP at no cost to parents. That covers the evaluation, the IFSP itself, and all ongoing therapy and services.¹¹

The program may bill your private insurance or Medicaid to help fund services, but federal law bars the program from requiring you to enroll in any public benefits or insurance program as a condition of your child receiving services.¹² The program also has to get your consent before billing your insurance. If using your insurance would cause out-of-pocket costs, higher premiums, or reduced coverage, you can say no, and services continue.

Your Rights If Something Goes Wrong

Federal procedural safeguards apply throughout the process. The program must give you prior written notice a reasonable time before it proposes or refuses to start or change your child’s identification, evaluation, placement, or services.¹³ You can accept or decline any individual service, and declining one does not disqualify your child from the rest.

If you disagree with an eligibility decision, the services offered, or how your case is being handled, you have three formal options:¹⁴

Mediation, a voluntary process with a neutral mediator, paid for by the state
A state complaint, filed in writing with the lead agency, alleging a violation of Part C rules
A due process hearing before an impartial hearing officer on disputes about your child’s identification, evaluation, or services

These options don’t cancel each other out. You can file a state complaint and request a due process hearing at the same time, and choosing mediation does not waive your right to a hearing if it fails.

What Happens When Your Child Turns Three

First Connections services end on the child’s third birthday. If your child still needs support after that, the next step is the public school system’s preschool special education program under Part B of IDEA. The transition is planned in advance so you are not scrambling at the end.

Between nine months and 90 days before your child’s third birthday, the service coordinator must build a transition plan into the IFSP.¹⁵ At least 90 days before the birthday, with your approval, a transition conference is held with your family, the service coordinator, and your local school district.¹⁶ The meeting covers whether your child may qualify for preschool special education and what the next steps are.

Part B eligibility is a separate determination with its own criteria. The school district evaluates your child on its own, and the categories differ from Part C. Not every child who received early intervention will qualify for preschool special education, and some children who did not need Part C services will qualify under Part B. If your child does not qualify, the transition conference should also cover other community programs that may help. Arkansas also requires the service coordinator to refer your child to the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services’ Children with Chronic Health Conditions program unless you decline.¹⁵

1
Arkansas Department of Human Services. First Connections Early Intervention Program Brochure
2
First Connections. How to Refer a Child
3
Code of Arkansas Rules. Arkansas Code 20 CAR 1002-402 – Initial Program Eligibility
4
Code of Arkansas Rules. Arkansas Code 20 CAR 537-503 – Referrals to the First Connections Program
5
eCFR. 34 CFR 303.303 – Referral Procedures
6
First Connections. Medical Professionals
7
eCFR. 34 CFR 303.310 – Timelines and Convenience of Evaluations and Assessments
8
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 34 CFR 303.344 – Content of an IFSP
9
eCFR. 34 CFR 303.342 – Procedures for IFSP Development, Review, and Evaluation
10
First Connections. Early Intervention Services
11
Code of Arkansas Rules. Arkansas Code 20 CAR 1002-211 – System of Payments
12
eCFR. 34 CFR 303.520 – Policies Related to Use of Public Benefits or Insurance or Private Insurance
13
eCFR. 34 CFR 303.421 – Prior Written Notice and Procedural Safeguards Notice
14
eCFR. 34 CFR 303.430 – State Dispute Resolution Options
15
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Rules for DDS First Connections Program Under Part C of IDEA
16
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 34 CFR 303.209 – Transition to Preschool and Other Programs