Roadmap: Identify Disability Type
Timeline: Immediate to several weeks (longer if new evaluations are needed)
In this step, you’re figuring out which path fits you or your family member. You will choose whether they have an Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) or a non-IDD disability. This matters because the state asks for different paperwork depending on the type of disability.
An Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) means the disability started before age 22 and affects learning, understanding, or everyday life skills (like communicating, taking care of yourself, making safe choices, or getting around) in a big way.
If you or your family member has an IDD, you will need papers that show testing scores for IQ or adaptive skills (how someone handles daily life skills). You can often find these scores in:
- School evaluation reports (like an IEP testing report)
- Neuropsychological evaluation
- Autism evaluation
The report needs to include the actual test scores (not just notes) and it must be signed by the professional who completed the testing.
For more information, refer to:
If you need a new evaluation, use the attached list of approved providers to find someone who can complete it.
If you or your family member does not have an IDD, you can still move forward. Instead of IQ/adaptive testing, you will use medical records and “functional” information (examples of what is hard in daily life and what help is needed).