Child Find

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act includes the Child Find mandate. Child Find requires all school districts to identify, locate and evaluate all children with disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disabilities. This obligation to identify all children who may need special education services exists even if the school is not providing special education services to the child.

IDEA requires all States to develop and implement a practical method of determining which children with disabilities are receiving special education and related services and which children are not. (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3); Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, pages 72, 206-207).

Who is Covered by Child Find?

Schools are required to locate, identify and evaluate all children with disabilities from birth through age 21. The Child Find mandate applies to all children who reside within a State, including children who attend private schools and public schools, highly mobile children, migrant children, homeless children, and children who are wards of the state. (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3))

This includes all children who are suspected of having a disability, including children who receive passing grades and are “advancing from grade to grade.” (34 CFR 300.111(c)) The law does not require children to be “labeled” or classified by their disability. (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3)(B); 34 CFR 300.111(d)).

Child Find and IDEA 2004

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004. The primary purpose of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is to ensure that all children with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education, including special education and related services that are “designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living …”

Early Intervention (Part C)

Child Find for infants and toddlers is governed by the Early Intervention Regulations (34 C.F.R. 303.321) consistent with Part B of IDEA 04 (34 C.F.R. 300.128).

Congress encourages states to provide Early Intervention Services so children with developmental delays and other disabilities will receive treatment early. Congress enacted the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers to provide inter-agency coordination of services to children from birth to two years of age. Under IDEA, states must ensure that children with disabilities are eligible for special education services by age three.

Early intervention programs may be administered by multiple agencies but are coordinated by an inter-agency team headed by a lead agency. This agency is responsible for ensuring that infants and toddlers suspected of having a disability are identified and that the various agencies involved have a referral system in place. Once a referral is made, a service coordinator is appointed and must complete an evaluation within 45 days.