Arkansas early intervention services for children under three are delivered through First Connections, a statewide program that provides free developmental evaluations, therapy, and family support to infants and toddlers with delays or qualifying diagnoses.1Arkansas Department of Human Services. First Connections Early Intervention Program Brochure The program is funded under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and runs through a single point of entry, so families do not have to piece together providers on their own.
How to Start a Referral
Anyone can refer a child. You do not need a doctor’s order or a diagnosis. Call the First Connections Central Intake Unit at 1-800-643-8258.2First Connections. How to Refer a Child Parents, grandparents, foster parents, childcare providers, and neighbors can all make the call. The intake unit is the single point of entry for the entire program.3Code of Arkansas Rules. Arkansas Code 20 CAR 537-503 – Referrals to the First Connections Program
Hospitals, physicians, child welfare staff, and childcare programs are considered primary referral sources under federal law and must refer a child within seven days of spotting a possible delay.4eCFR. 34 CFR 303.303 – Referral Procedures Medical offices can fax the referral along with any screening results.5First Connections. Medical Professionals
Once the intake unit takes the referral, a service coordinator is assigned to your family. That coordinator is your ongoing point of contact.
Who Qualifies
A child must be under three years old and meet one of two criteria.
The first is a developmental delay of at least 25 percent 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.6Code of Arkansas Rules. Arkansas Code 20 CAR 1002-402 – Initial Program Eligibility For example, a 12-month-old functioning at the level of a 9-month-old in communication would meet that threshold.
The second is a diagnosed condition with a high probability of causing 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.1Arkansas Department of Human Services. First Connections Early Intervention Program Brochure
The 45-Day Evaluation Window
After the referral, First Connections schedules a comprehensive multidisciplinary developmental evaluation across all five developmental areas. The evaluation is free.1Arkansas Department of Human Services. First Connections Early Intervention Program Brochure
Everything from the referral through the first Individualized Family Service Plan meeting must be finished within 45 calendar days.7eCFR. 34 CFR 303.310 – Timelines and Convenience of Evaluations and Assessments This is a federal deadline. The only recognized exceptions are unusual circumstances such as a family illness or a natural disaster, and the program has to document any delay. If the clock is running out, ask your service coordinator where things stand.
Alongside the eligibility evaluation, the team also conducts a family-directed assessment covering your child’s current strengths and functional abilities and your family’s priorities and existing resources. Both feed into the service plan.
The Individualized Family Service Plan
If your child qualifies, the team writes an Individualized Family Service Plan, usually called the IFSP. The document lays out your child’s current developmental levels, the measurable outcomes your family wants, and each service that will be provided to reach those outcomes.8Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 34 CFR 303.344 – Content of an IFSP You are a full member of the team that writes it. Nothing goes into the plan without your agreement.
For each service, the IFSP has to state how often it will happen, for how long, and where. Services must be provided in “natural environments” to the greatest extent appropriate: your home, your daycare, the places your child already spends time. If the team decides a clinic setting is necessary, the IFSP must explain why a natural environment would not work.
The plan is reviewed at least every six months, with a full annual meeting to evaluate and revise it.9eCFR. 34 CFR 303.342 – Procedures for IFSP Development, Review, and Evaluation You can also ask for a review any time your child’s needs change or something in the plan isn’t working.
What Services Are Available
The services your child gets depend on the goals in the IFSP. First Connections offers all 17 early intervention categories federal law recognizes under Part C.10First Connections. Early Intervention Services The main ones families draw on are speech-language pathology for communication and feeding, occupational therapy for fine motor and sensory skills, physical therapy for gross motor development, and special instruction, which is developmental teaching aimed at cognitive and adaptive skills.
The plan can also include audiology and vision services, nutrition, psychological and social work services, assistive technology and adaptive equipment, nursing and health services, medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes, sign language and cued language services, and transportation. Service coordination itself is a covered service; that is what your coordinator does.
Family training, counseling, and home visits deserve a specific note. Therapists come to your home and show you techniques you can use during ordinary routines like mealtime and play. The families who see the strongest gains tend to be the ones who fold those strategies into everyday life rather than saving them for scheduled sessions.
What It Costs
Arkansas provides all early intervention services on the IFSP at no cost to parents.11Code of Arkansas Rules. Arkansas Code 20 CAR 1002-211 – System of Payments That covers the evaluation, the IFSP itself, and every therapy or service on it. Some states use sliding fee scales or charge co-pays; Arkansas does not.
The program may bill your private insurance or Medicaid to help fund services, but it cannot require you to enroll in any insurance or public benefit as a condition of your child receiving services.12eCFR. 34 CFR 303.520 – Policies Related to Use of Public Benefits or Insurance or Private Insurance The program also has to get your consent before touching your insurance. If billing would cost you something out of pocket, like a premium increase or reduced coverage, you can refuse. Your child still receives services.
Your Rights If You Disagree
Federal procedural safeguards run through the whole process. The program has to give you written notice a reasonable time before it proposes or refuses to start or change anything about your child’s identification, evaluation, placement, or services.13eCFR. 34 CFR 303.421 – Prior Written Notice and Procedural Safeguards Notice You can accept or decline any individual service, and declining one does not push your child off the others.
If you disagree with an eligibility decision or how services are being handled, you have three formal options.14eCFR. 34 CFR 303.430 – State Dispute Resolution Options Mediation is a voluntary process with a neutral mediator, paid for by the state, and requires both sides to agree. A state complaint is a written filing with the lead agency alleging a violation of Part C rules, and the agency has to investigate and resolve it. A due process hearing is a more formal proceeding before an impartial hearing officer, focused on your specific child’s identification, evaluation, or services.
These options do not cancel each other out. You can file a state complaint and request a due process hearing at the same time, and trying mediation does not waive your right to a hearing later.
What Happens at Age Three
First Connections services end on your child’s third birthday. If your child still needs support after that, the next system is your public school district’s preschool special education program under Part B of IDEA.
The transition is built into the IFSP. Between nine months and 90 days before the third birthday, your service coordinator has to develop a transition plan.15Arkansas Department of Human Services. Rules for DDS First Connections Program Under Part C of IDEA At least 90 days before the birthday, with your approval, a transition conference is held with your family, your service coordinator, and your local school district.16Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 34 CFR 303.209 – Transition to Preschool and Other Programs The meeting covers whether your child may qualify for preschool special education and what steps come next.
Part B eligibility is a separate determination with its own criteria. The school district evaluates independently, and not every child who received early intervention will qualify for preschool special education. If your child does not qualify, the transition conference should also point you toward other community services. Starting these conversations early gives you time to understand the school district’s process before First Connections services end.