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

Abstract

Despite 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.