Indicator: Access to early intervention screening

Definition

Children receive early intervention screening for any developmental, sensory, and behavioral concerns to determine whether services are needed.

RECOMMENDED METRIC(S)

•    Percentage of children with identified concerns who are connected to services
•    Percentage of children needing selected special education services in kindergarten who were not identified and connected to services before kindergarten

Type(s) of Data Needed

Administrative data; survey data

Why it matters

Screening children for developmental, sensory, and behavioral concerns may allow for early intervention, which is one reason why one of the Healthy People 2030 objectives established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is to “increase the proportion of children who receive a developmental screening.” Data collected via the National Survey of Children’s Health indicate that only 31 percent of children ages 9–35 months received developmental screenings in 2016–2017. Further, White children and children from economically advantaged backgrounds receive early screening and intervention services more often than children of color.

What to know about measurement

Children may receive screening through different mechanisms, and no single system currently captures the necessary information to measure this indicator. State Pre-K programs are required to conduct vision, hearing, and developmental screenings, and provide referrals when needed. Head Start also requires the use of screeners. Although not required, pediatricians can also conduct screenings and other developmental assessments during an office visit. At the national and state levels, this information is currently collected and reported annually through the National Survey of Children’s Health. Survey items could be adapted by local educational agencies or institutions to better understand the experiences of the individual students they serve.

Source frameworks

This indicator appeared in two source frameworks reviewed for this report. Our recommended measures draw on those proposed in the Center for the Study of Social Policy’s Early Childhood System Performance Assessment Toolkit.

References

The framework's recommendations are based on syntheses of existing research. Please see the framework report for a list of works cited.