James L. Dennis Developmental Center

The Dennis Developmental Center (DDC) is a pediatric clinic affiliated with both the UAMS Department of Pediatrics and the Psychiatric Research Institute (PRI) at UAMS. The clinic specializes in the assessment of developmental conditions that result in delayed milestones, inability to communicate effectively, inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, learning problems, and poor or atypical social interactions. Evaluation and therapy are also provided for families coping with the stress of chronic developmental disorders or chronic medical illnesses, and with grief and loss concerns.

The DDC coordinates the expertise of developmental pediatricians, nurse practitioners, speech/language pathologists, clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, psychological examiners and when indicated, other clinical specialists.

At the James L. Dennis Developmental Center, our Intake Process consists of one intake form and an insurance referral.

The Intake Form was designed to be completed by the patient’s parent/guardian with the referring physician. These important intake forms assist our clinic in appropriately scheduling services to address clinical concerns and focus on the family’s goals for their child.

Once the Intake form, Parent Form, and Insurance Referral are received, our triage team can review the request and assign an appointment type.  At this point, the child is placed on the DDC’s waitlist until an appointment slot for the designated appointment type becomes available. Our scheduling staff will notify the parents of the appointment date and time by mailing an appointment letter along with an appointment packet.  The appointment packet contains forms for both the parent/guardian and the school/caregiver to fill out.  These forms MUST be brought to the appointment and not mailed or faxed to the DDC.

Briefly, the Intake Request process and the associated timelines are as follows:

• When Intake Forms are received at the DDC, the PCP or referring physician’s office will receive a return fax within 72 hours acknowledging that we have received the form. If you do not receive this faxed response, please call 501-364-4019. A Parent Form will be mailed within 7 days of receipt.
• Once the parent form is received, the DDC Triage team will review all intakes to determine the needs and assign an appointment type or refer to another clinic. When Intake Forms are received at the DDC, the PCP or referring physician’s office will receive a return fax within 24 hours (or the next business day), acknowledging that we have received the form.  If you do not receive this faxed response, please call 501-364-2639.
• The child is then placed on the DDC waitlist until an appointment slot becomes available.  The DDC does not give out specific wait times.  The DDC is booked out 6 months at all times.  Each case is different and appointments are scheduled according to the needs of each child.

Download the referral forms available on this page.