March 2006: Topic: Child Find

Director's Message, by John Copenhaver

Every so often, we need to return to some of the basic principles of special education.  Child Find was a critical component of the process during the 1970s and 1980s.  Child Find efforts led to thousands of children being identified and found eligible for special education services.  Before the original special education law passed in the 1970s, many children with disabilities were placed in State residential centers. Many children that attended public schools became frustrated and ultimately dropped out of school because special education services were not being provided.

The purpose of Child Find is to identify, locate, and evaluate children who might have a disability and need special services.  As we have evolved to IDEA 2004, there are several issues regarding Child Find that we must keep in mind:

• Included in the Child Find section of IDEA 2004 is the following addition: “including children with disabilities who are homeless or wards of the State.”  Unfortunately, this population of children is growing larger each year.  We must reach out to agencies and groups that deal with this population.  The IDEA 2004 has added a member to the State Special Education Advisory Panel who is involved with homelessness in the State.
  
  
• Don’t forget that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act under subpart A requires an agency who receives federal funds to “identify and locate individuals with disabilities.”  It is good to combine your 504 Child Find with your special education efforts.  In other words, a district does not need two different processes, just one with language from both laws would meet the requirement.
  
  
• An emerging issue in general and special education is “early intervening services” and responsiveness to intervention.  Child Find has a place in both these processes.  One purpose of Tier 1 and Tier 2 of RtI is to screen children who are experiencing academic or behavioral difficulties.  Many of these children will be located through screening and interventions.  The 15-percent money for early interviewing could be used for services and recommendations in Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the process.
  
  
• We often think of Child Find as an activity in Part C, Section 619, and elementary school.  Child Find is intended to be a process throughout Part C and Part B years—until a student graduates or reaches age ceiling.  Child Find activity relates to Indicators 1–2 in the State Performance Plan—graduation and dropout rates. If a student drops out of school they will impact both indicators.  In their Child Find efforts schools should locate and identify students with disabilities who have dropped out and encourage them to return to school.
  

The following articles and information should help schools improve their Child Find efforts and ensure “No Child is Left Behind.”

Child Find: New Directions and Resources

Elements of a Child Find System

Part C Child Find Demonstration Projects

Finding and Serving Children with Disabilities Placed by Their Parents at Private Schools

CAPTA: Part C Coordination with Child Find

Finding Children Who Are Homeless

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