CHILD FIND…A SEARCH FOR ALL

CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

AGES BIRTH THROUGH 21

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What is Child Find?

Child find is the process of identifying, locating and evaluating children with disabilities who may be in need of special education and related services

Why is there Child Find?

Both state and local education agencies are given the responsibility by federal and state laws to conduct child find activities so that children who need special services have the opportunity to receive those services.

What is the purpose of Child Find?

· To promote public awareness of disabilities

· To alert parents, professionals, and the public to children who may have special needs

· To assist school districts in finding children who may have disabilities and who otherwise may not have come to their attention

· To enable children and families to receive the special education and related services that are needed

What does a disability mean?

For age Birth to 3 An established condition known to result in delay or a documented developmental delay.

For ages 3 through 5 A documented deficit in one or more of the following developmental areas: communication, vision, hearing, motor skills, social emotional/behavioral functioning, self-help skills and/or

cognitive skills.

For ages 5 through 21 Identification of one or more of the following conditions: autism, deaf-blindness, hearing impairment including deafness, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, emotional disturbance, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, and/or visual impairment including blindness

Who can help?

Parents, relatives, public and private agency employees, and concerned citizens are used to help school districts find any child, age birth-21, who may have a disability an need special education and related services. If you are aware of a child who may have special needs, please notify his/her school district. Schools can do their job better with your help.

What happens next?

The school district will contact the parents of the child to find out if the child needs to be evaluated. Free testing is available to families to determine whether or not a disability exists. If a need is identified, the child can begin receiving the appropriate special education and related services.