Child Find for Early Intervention

The Child Find Program for Early Intervention is a system to identify children from birth to age three who are at risk of a developmental delay. The Child Find Program ensures that at-risk children have a primary care home that will provide developmental surveillance and screening. Physicians are encouraged to provide this as part of every child's routine health care and to make referrals to the Department of Special Children's Services (SCS) for those children who are identified as at-risk. 

The program ensures that families have an opportunity to access health insurance through Child Health Plus or Medicaid if a child is uninsured or underinsured. It provides an avenue for primary care providers to locate at-risk children who have become lost to the system and to determine and resolve barriers to routine health care.

At-risk eligibility criteria includes over 29 medical/biological risk factors such as the following:

• Low Birth Weight
• 10 days or more in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• Growth Deficiency/Nutritional Problems
• Parental Substance Abuse
• Others include Suspected Developmental Delay, At-Risk Factors or Parental Concerns
• Indicated Child Abuse/Neglect Cases

Referral sources are hospitals, physicians, public health nurses, parents, Social Services and community agencies.

If delays or areas of concern are identified, the SCS nurses refer to appropriate community agencies including the Early Intervention Program for an in-depth developmental evaluation.

There is no cost to families. The county cost is administrative only.