Arizona Administrative Code › Title 6 - ECONOMIC SECURITY › Chapter 6 - DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC SECURITY - DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES › Article 3 - ELIGIBILITY FOR DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES SERVICES PROGRAM › Section R6-6-303 - Requirements for Determining Eligibility for the Division of Developmental Disabilities

Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 28, July 12, 2024
A. For the purpose of eligibility
				determination, the Department shall accept the diagnoses of autism, cerebral
				palsy, epilepsy, and cognitive/intellectual disability as follows:
1. Autism. A psychiatrist, neurologist,
				licensed psychologist, or developmental pediatrician who has expertise in
				diagnosing autism shall make an autism diagnosis. A pediatrician who has
				completed specialized training approved by the Department in the diagnosis of
				autism may also make an autism diagnosis. The psychiatrist, neurologist,
				licensed psychologist, developmental pediatrician, or pediatrician with
				specialized training shall submit a diagnostic report regarding the individual
				documenting the presence of diagnostic criteria for autism, including the
				presence of the required number of symptoms of autism based on current
				guidelines established by the American Psychiatric Association.
2. Cerebral palsy. A licensed physician with
				expertise in diagnosing neurological disorders, such as a neurologist, or
				specialist in rehabilitation medicine, shall diagnose cerebral palsy. The
				physician shall submit a report to the Department documenting the diagnosis of
				cerebral palsy and include available medical records supporting the
				diagnosis.
3. Epilepsy. A physician
				specializing in neurology shall diagnose epilepsy.
a. The physician specializing in neurology
				shall submit a report to the Department documenting the active diagnosis of
				epilepsy and include the following:
i.
				Electroencephalogram (EEG) report;
ii. A description of the nature and frequency
				of the seizures, including current anti-seizure medication; and
iii. Confirmation of the ongoing nature of
				the disorder.
b. If the
				records of a neurological evaluation cannot be obtained or a diagnosis is not
				made by a physician specializing in neurology, the Division Medical Director
				shall review the available medical records to confirm a diagnosis of
				epilepsy.
4.
				Cognitive/Intellectual Disability.
a. A
				licensed psychologist trained to perform psychological evaluations utilizing
				standardized, culturally appropriate, and psychometrically sound measures shall
				diagnose cognitive/intellectual disability by considering the following:
i. Other mental disorders identified in
				current guidelines established by the American Psychiatric Association,
				including Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
				Disorder, and Substance Abuse;
ii.
				Significant disorders related to language or language differences;
iii. Physical factors, including sensory
				impairments, motor impairments, acute illness, chronic illness, and chronic
				pain;
iv. Testing performed during
				an acute inpatient hospitalization;
v. Educational or environmental deprivation;
				and
vi. Psychosocial
				factors.
b. To be
				eligible for the program, in the presence of co-existing mental illness, an
				individual's cognitive/intellectual disability shall not be the result of the
				onset of mental illness.
c. If an
				existing psychological evaluation cannot be obtained, or an initial
				psychological evaluation cannot be completed, the Division's Assistant Director
				or designee shall review the available records to confirm eligibility.