Existing and Proposed Child Find Initiatives in One State's Part C Program

AbstractDespite a Child Find mandate in IDEA, early detection and screening of infants and toddlers with special needs continues to remain an area in need of improvement. The authors sought to better understand existing and proposed outreach initiatives in one state's Part C Early Intervention (EI) program that ranks among the lowest nationally in the area of Child Find. Undergraduate students (n = 17) completed a Child Find reflection as part of an EI Methods course. Parents (n = 10) whose child had received EI and were currently employed in an information-sharing role supporting EI families and staff participated in a semi-structured focus group. Thematic analyses revealed promising district-specific efforts, perceived roadblocks hindering statewide outreach, and recommended strategies that can be used across states in urban and rural areas. Implications for informing state initiatives, supporting brainstorming efforts in other state Part C programs, and conducting targeted studies to strengthen the evidence-base for Child Find initiatives are discussed.Keywords: Early intervention, detection, screening, Child Find, perceptionsThe provision of Early Intervention (EI) services for infants and toddlers with special needs (Part C of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004) aligns with burgeoning research on plasticity in early brain development (Dawson, 2008). Early Intervention also has been shown to be more cost-effective than later remediation (e.g., Barnett, 2000), resulting in improved outcomes for children (e.g., American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Children with Disabilities [AAP], 2006; Campbell, Ramey, Pungello, Sparling, &. MillerJohnson, 2002; Hebbeler et al., 2007; Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000), and have a positive impact on building a family's capacity (Dunst & Bruder, 2002).In general, children may be referred for EI by entities, such as hospitals, physicians, parents, local education agencies, public health facilities, child care providers, social service agencies, or other health care providers (Early Identification Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities [EIP], 2002). Some diagnoses, like Down syndrome, are associated with automatic eligibility for services (commonly referred to as "category 1" diagnoses). Those with a suspected delay or disability (i.e., not on the continually updated "category 1" list) undergo standardized testing to determine eligibility for EI services (commonly referred to as "category 2"), with the selected standardized measure and criterion for percentage of delay varying by state. Some states also provide services to an "at risk" category of children, but this category is not used in all states. (In the state where this study took place, children in this "at risk" category may receive periodic monitoring by a separate referral agency who directs them to EI should later testing reveal a significant delay that would make them eligible for services.)As a way to promote early detection and screening of young children with significant delays or disabilities, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) includes a mandated Child Find provision. Child Find refers to "the methods and procedures used by Part C or Part ? (619) programs to locate infants, toddlers and preschoolers who are in need of, or potentially in need of, Part C early intervention or Part ? (619) preschool special education. The child find mandate refers specifically to the efforts and activities of Part C or Part ? (619) program practitioners that locate, identify, and promote referrals to early intervention or preschool special education programs" (Dunst &. Trivette, 2004, p. 4). States must have policies and procedures in place for parents and professionals to refer children to EI or special education services, as well as methods for determining eligibility, coordinating with other state agencies, evaluating and assessing referred children, and creating procedures for making referrals by primary referral sources (EIP, 2002). …