Because Louisville and Jefferson County govern as one consolidated Louisville Metro, there is a single school district, Jefferson County Public Schools, rather than the many small districts some metro areas have — which makes JCPS's Exceptional Child Education office the one call to make for a school-age evaluation.

For a child under 3, the door is Kentucky's First Steps early intervention system, reached locally through Seven Counties Services; for adult and long-term disability supports, it's the state's Division of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities and its Medicaid waivers. This page lays out each route with the phone numbers and pages a search actually turned up.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Kentucky page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Louisville Metro (Jefferson County).

Early intervention under 3: Kentucky Early Intervention System — First Steps

First Steps is Kentucky's Part C program, run statewide by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services' Department for Public Health, and delivered locally through district Point of Entry offices. In Jefferson County, that office is operated by Seven Counties Services, which also covers Bullitt, Oldham, Spencer, Shelby, Trimble, and Henry counties. A parent, pediatrician, or child care provider can start a referral with a phone call, and no diagnosis is required — only a concern about how a child under 3 is developing.

• Kentucky Early Intervention System — First Steps
• Referral phone: 877-417-8377

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

School districts and special education

Jefferson County Public Schools' Exceptional Child Education (ECE) division handles special-education identification and services for the district, which is coterminous with Louisville Metro. A parent who suspects a disability contacts ECE Placement to open a referral; the district then convenes an Admissions and Release Committee (ARC) meeting to review concerns before deciding whether to move to formal assessment, and a second ARC meeting follows once testing is complete. JCPS also runs a preschool ECE program for eligible 3-year-olds.

• Jefferson County Public Schools — Exceptional Child Education Community Relations, 502-485-3346; JCPS is the sole public school district for all of Louisville Metro

Other places to ask — not a substitute for the district

An evaluation request has to go to the school district itself; only the district can start the legal timeline. These are for asking questions about the process, or for when the district has not responded.

• Kentucky Department of Education — Office of Special Education and Early Learning — the state education agency that sets special-education regulations and Child Find requirements JCPS must follow; useful if a district-level complaint needs to go further

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Louisville

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.

• Weisskopf Child Evaluation Center — multidisciplinary diagnostic evaluation for autism and other developmental disabilities, part of the University of Louisville Autism Center alongside the Bingham Clinic and KATC · 502-588-0850

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Kentucky Division of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DDID) — Seven Counties Services, Jefferson County office

DDID sits inside the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and oversees long-term intellectual and developmental disability supports statewide, contracting with regional boards to deliver them locally. In Jefferson County, that regional board is Seven Counties Services, reachable at 502-459-5292. Families pursue eligibility determination and then a choice between two home- and community-based Medicaid waivers: the Michelle P. Waiver, which has no age floor and covers case management, personal care, respite, and therapies, and the Supports for Community Living (SCL) Waiver, which adds a residential option for adults.

• Kentucky Division of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DDID) — Seven Counties Services, Jefferson County office
• Phone: 502-459-5292

Local organizations that help Louisville families

• Kentucky Autism Training Center (KATC) — housed at the University of Louisville; publishes the free Kentucky Family Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders and a statewide list of regional evaluation centers; katc@louisville.edu
• FEAT of Louisville — Louisville-based nonprofit maintaining a directory of local autism service providers

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.

• Jefferson County Public Schools, like every Kentucky district, must complete an evaluation, determine eligibility, and hold the ARC meeting within 60 school days of the parent's signed consent. (source)
• Louisville families referred to First Steps are entitled to a completed, written IFSP within 45 calendar days of that referral, under the program's statewide policy manual. (source)
• Waiting for the Michelle P. Waiver now commonly takes 8 to 10 years statewide, and a 2024 count found over 13,000 people with developmental disabilities still on the list. (source)
• House Bill 218 eliminated Kentucky's age and dollar caps on ABA coverage in 2018, replacing what had been a monthly limit for older children with unlimited coverage on state-regulated plans. (source)