Fort Wayne sits inside Allen County, which is itself split among three separate school corporations, while its early intervention and disability-waiver systems each route through a dedicated northeast-Indiana office rather than a statewide hotline alone. Fort Wayne is also home to Turnstone, a nationally known adaptive sports and rehabilitation nonprofit, and two hospital systems — Parkview and Lutheran — that both run pediatric developmental programs.

This guide lists the specific contacts behind each of those systems: the regional early-intervention office, two of Allen County's school districts, hospital-based evaluation clinics, and the Bureau of Disabilities Services office that starts a Medicaid waiver application.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Indiana page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Fort Wayne (Allen County).

Early intervention under 3: First Steps (Indiana's IDEA Part C system)

First Steps is Indiana's Part C early intervention system for children from birth to age 3 who have a developmental delay or a diagnosed condition affecting development, run statewide by the Family and Social Services Administration's Bureau of Child Development Services through nine regional System Point of Entry offices. Fort Wayne and the rest of northeast Indiana fall under Cluster C. Because referrals can come from a parent, a doctor, a childcare provider, or anyone else who knows the child, a family doesn't need a diagnosis in hand before calling; the process is confidential and the resulting services are free. As in the rest of the state, a First Steps case transitions to school-based special education once the child turns 3.

• First Steps (Indiana's IDEA Part C system)
• Referral phone: 260-444-2994 (Cluster C, northeast Indiana SPOE)

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

School districts and special education

Allen County is divided among three school corporations — Fort Wayne Community Schools in the urban core, plus Northwest Allen County Schools and Southwest Allen County Schools covering the surrounding suburbs — and each runs its own Child Find process under the same statewide rule that requires Indiana districts to locate and evaluate students ages 3 to 22 who may need special education. A family requests an evaluation from whichever corporation serves their home address; Fort Wayne Community Schools notes it has ten instructional days to respond in writing once a request comes in.

• Fort Wayne Community Schools — Special Education — special education questions 260-467-1110; new-family/school psychology line 260-467-1145
• Northwest Allen County Schools — Special Education — 12913 Coldwater Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46845; 260-637-3155

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Fort Wayne

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.

• Parkview Pediatric Developmental Center — team-based evaluation and diagnosis of autism and other developmental delays in children from birth onward, using a pediatric developmental physician, child psychologist, speech and occupational therapists, and a mental health therapist together · 260-266-5400
• Lutheran Hospital — Pediatric Rehabilitation — evaluation and rehabilitation therapy — speech, occupational, and physical therapy — for children from infancy through the teen years · 260-435-6143

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Indiana FSSA — Bureau of Disabilities Services, District 3

Indiana's Bureau of Disabilities Services (BDS) administers two Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services waivers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the Family Supports Waiver and the more intensive Community Integration and Habilitation Waiver, and Fort Wayne has its own district office rather than relying on a distant regional hub. Applications go in either online through the BDS Gateway portal or on paper (State Form 55068), submitted to the district office by fax, mail, or in person; BDS's statewide help line can walk a family through eligibility and waitlist questions before they apply.

• Indiana FSSA — Bureau of Disabilities Services, District 3
• Phone: 260-423-2571 (District 3 office) · 877-218-3061 (toll-free) · 800-457-8283 (statewide BDS help line)

Local organizations that help Fort Wayne families

• Turnstone — Fort Wayne-based since 1943; adaptive fitness, aquatics, and wheelchair sports, and an official U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee training site (260-483-2100)
• HANDS in Autism — Indiana University's statewide autism training and resource center; free toolkits, visual supports, and family/caregiver training
• Autism Society of Indiana — statewide nonprofit; direct-care support, sensory-friendly community events, and family resources (800-609-8449)
• IN*SOURCE — Indiana's federally designated Parent Training and Information Center, based in nearby Mishawaka; one-on-one help navigating special education (574-234-7101)
• Indiana Disability Rights — the state's federally designated protection-and-advocacy system (317-722-5555, toll-free 800-622-4845)

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.

• State rule allows Fort Wayne Community Schools 50 instructional days after consent to complete an evaluation and convene the case conference committee that rules on eligibility. (source)
• Cluster C works the same federal Part C timeline every Indiana region does: a First Steps evaluation and the first IFSP meeting must be finished within 45 days of the referral date, with no state-added extension. (source)
• According to The Arc of Indiana, both the Family Supports Waiver and the Community Integration and Habilitation Waiver reached maximum enrollment in December 2025, and the state does not expect to release new slots until at least July 2026, which touches Fort Wayne families applying through District 3. (source)