Iowa runs its autism-related systems through a mix of state agencies, regional Area Education Agencies, and county-level disability offices — there's no single Des Moines city department to call. Polk County residents are covered by Heartland AEA for school-related services and by Polk County Behavioral Health and Disability Services for longer-term Medicaid waiver access, alongside statewide programs run out of Des Moines-area hospitals and nonprofits.

This guide lists the specific phone numbers and referral rules those offices publish, from a toddler's first developmental screening through a school-age evaluation, a hospital-based autism diagnosis, and the county office that handles disability-waiver intake.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Iowa page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Des Moines metro (Polk County).

Early intervention under 3: Early ACCESS (Iowa's IDEA Part C system)

Early ACCESS is Iowa's statewide early intervention system for infants and toddlers from birth to age 3, led by the Iowa Department of Education alongside the Department of Health and Human Services and the University of Iowa's Child Health Specialty Clinics. A family anywhere in the state, including Polk County, can start a referral by calling 1-888-425-4371, emailing the program, or submitting the Iowa Family Support Network's secure online form. Delivery is decentralized: Iowa's nine regional Area Education Agencies administer Early ACCESS locally, and for Des Moines that agency is Heartland AEA, headquartered in nearby Johnston. Screening, evaluation, and early intervention services carry no cost to families, and the program's coaching model works through parents and caregivers directly rather than pulling a toddler into a separate classroom setting.

• Early ACCESS (Iowa's IDEA Part C system)
• Referral phone: 1-888-425-4371 (1-888-IAKIDS1)

New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.

School districts and special education

Iowa's Child Find duty is shared between a child's local school district and the state's regional Area Education Agencies, which supply the specialists who actually conduct evaluations. In Polk County that agency is Heartland AEA, working alongside whichever district serves a family's address; a request to evaluate a suspected disability triggers a Full and Individual Initial Evaluation, and Iowa guidance calls for an eligibility decision within 60 days of that referral.

• Des Moines Public Schools — Special Education — special education office 515-242-7617; works with Heartland AEA on evaluations
• Southeast Polk Community School District — Special Education — 8031 NE University Ave, Pleasant Hill, IA 50327; department line 515-967-4294

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Des Moines

These are hospital and university programs with public intake information. Listing here is informational — it is not a recommendation, and it is not medical advice. Public school evaluation is free and does not require any of these.

• UnityPoint Health — Blank Children's Psychological Services — autism spectrum disorder evaluations for children and adolescents ages 3 to 16, typically over 1 to 3 visits, with an interdisciplinary option combining a developmental pediatrician and pediatric psychologist for complex cases · 515-224-3399 · requires a provider referral, submitted internally by a UnityPoint provider or by fax for outside referrals
• Caravel Autism Health — Des Moines — diagnostic evaluation and applied behavior analysis for children as young as 12 months, available in-clinic or via telehealth · 515-400-3237

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Polk County Behavioral Health and Disability Services — Disability Access Point

Iowa divides the state into four regional Disability Access Points for HHS-funded intellectual and developmental disability services, and Polk County's is run by Polk County Behavioral Health and Disability Services out of its office on Euclid Avenue in Des Moines, covering Polk and thirteen surrounding counties. This is the entry point for Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services waivers, including the Intellectual Disability Waiver; the office's own materials note that many people apply and that some waiver programs carry a waiting list, so a caseworker there can walk a Des Moines family through what to expect before applying.

• Polk County Behavioral Health and Disability Services — Disability Access Point
• Phone: 515-286-3573 (Disability Access Point) · 515-286-3570 (main line)

Local organizations that help Des Moines families

• Autism Society of Iowa — statewide nonprofit headquartered in the Des Moines metro since 1978; support groups, sensory-friendly events, and scholarship programs
• ASK Resource Center — Iowa's federally designated Parent Training and Information Center, based in Johnston; advocacy and training for families of children with disabilities (1-800-450-8667)
• Disability Rights Iowa — the state's federally designated protection-and-advocacy organization, serving all 99 counties (515-278-2502)
• Kiwanis Miracle League of Greater Des Moines — adaptive baseball at a dedicated field near Principal Park for disabled children and adults (515-280-5017)

Documented waits and access notes

Wait times change. Each note below links to the public source it came from — confirm current status directly with the program.

• Des Moines Public Schools' evaluation clock runs on Iowa's 60-calendar-day standard, which keeps ticking over school breaks rather than pausing the way a school-day count would. (source)
• Iowa's Early ACCESS program must complete a Des Moines-area child's evaluation and hold the initial IFSP meeting within 45 calendar days of referral. (source)
• Des Moines families should expect a wait of several years on Iowa's Intellectual Disability or Children's Mental Health waiver lists, and since the state doesn't pre-screen for eligibility, getting a name on the list early is itself the useful step. (source)
• A change effective January 1, 2025 stops Iowa insurers from placing any annual or lifetime dollar limit on autism service coverage, ending the previous age-tiered cap structure. (source)