7.2: Child Find Procedures and Developmental Screening

In the field of early childhood education, the processes of Child Find and developmental screening are essential components of a comprehensive system designed to support children with diverse needs. Together, they form the first steps in identifying youngsters who may require specialized intervention or special education services to succeed.

The Child Find Mandate

Child Find is a legal requirement under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It mandates that all states must have a comprehensive system to identify, locate, and evaluate every child—from birth through age 21—who may have a disability and be in need of special education and related services.

The Child Find mandate involves local lead agencies and school districts providing public awareness campaigns and coordinating referral networks. This ensures that children are connected to appropriate services at the earliest possible stage, which research consistently shows leads to better long-term developmental and academic outcomes.

Child Find covers both Part C (infants and toddlers from birth to age three) and Part B (children and youth from ages 3 through 21) of IDEA.

Understanding Developmental Screening

Developmental screening is a brief, general type of assessment used to address common questions regarding whether a child’s development is on track. It is intended to efficiently identify children who may have delays and need more thorough, in-depth evaluation in specific areas.

The primary characteristics of developmental screenings include:

• Brief and Cost-Effective: Screenings are designed to be administered to large groups of children in a short period of time without the need for highly specialized training.
• Broad Focus: They typically cover major developmental domains, including cognitive, physical (motor), communication/language, social-emotional, and adaptive skills.
• Norm-Referenced: Most comprehensive screening instruments compare a child’s performance to a "norm group" of same-age peers to determine if the child falls below a predetermined "cut-off" score.

Technical adequacy of screening assessment tools and what to look for when selecting a screening assessment tool will be discussed in 8.3: Selecting a Standardized Assessment Tool

Developmental vs. Universal Screening

There is a critical distinction between developmental and universal screening within a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework:

• Universal Screening: Usually focuses on academic or social-emotional benchmarks (such as literacy or math skills) to identify children who need additional instructional support within the general core curriculum to prevent them from falling behind.
• Developmental Screening: Primarily used as part of Child Find to determine if a child’s development is typical across all domains or if they may have a underlying disability that warrants a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation for special education eligibility.

Recommended Practices and Legal Requirements

Screening tools represent the testing component of the RIOT framework and should be supported by review of prior information, direct observation, parent reports, and caregiver interviews. It is also vital that screenings are culturally and linguistically relevant. For English Language Learners, assessments must be appropriate for the child's language background to prevent misinterpreting linguistic differences as developmental delays.

Federal regulations mandate specific timelines for screening in various programs. For instance, Head Start and Early Head Start performance standards require that every child receive a comprehensive screening within 45 days of enrollment. Other state-funded programs also have strict requirements for identifying developmental concerns early.

Following a Developmental Screening

Developmental screening is only the first step in the comprehensive assessment cycle. If a child’s score falls below the cut-off or if results are equivocal, an interdisciplinary team (which includes the parents) uses those results to decide if a more comprehensive, in-depth diagnostic evaluation is necessary.

It is important to remember that screening results alone cannot be used to diagnose or label a child, to determine eligibility for services, or to set specific instructional goals. Instead, they serve as the gateway to securing the targeted interventions and supports that a child may need.