Identifying Specific Disabilities and Children At-Risk

See Child Maltreatment: Referral Requirements under CAPTA and IDEA and Resources

• ADHD in Young Children: Use Recommended Treatment First (May 2016) - Fact sheet, infographics, and additional resources.
• National and State-Specific Patterns of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Treatment Among Insured Children Aged 2-5 Years (Early Release - May 03, 2016) - Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 65 .
• Learning & Attention Issues - Signs and Symptons (2015) Understood
• ADHD Symptoms and Diagnosis (2015) NCBDDD at CDC
• Diagnosing ADHD (2016) National Resource Center (NRC) on ADHD.
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder webpage (2015) NICHCY - Includes a fact sheet (2012)
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): The Basics (2016) NIMH

See Early Identification of ASD in Young Children

• Communicating with Baby: Tips and Milestones From Birth to Age Five, sponsored by NAEYC supports recognition of communication milestones. A companion toolkit for parents, developed by ASHA, includes printable flyers on ways to support communication development based on the developmental age of the child.

• Identifying Children Who Are Deaf-Blind (2011) NCDB
• Assessment of Children Who Are Deaf-Blind (2011) NCDB
• Assessing Communication and Learning in Young Children Who are Deafblind or Who Have Multiple Disabilities (2009) Oregon Health & Science University
• Early Identification of Infants Who Are Deaf-Blind (2009) NCDB
• Outreach to Improve Early Identification in Kentucky (2009) Deaf-Blind Perspectives, NCDB
• NCDB Early Childhood Identification and Intervention Needs Survey: Summary (2008) National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB)

• Outcomes of Children with Hearing Loss (OCHL) - This large scale longitudinal study was conducted by researchers at Boys Town National Research Hospital, the University of Iowa, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It examined the impact of early identification and intervention on children with hearing loss. A Parent Handout summarizes the research findings and practical implications for families. (2015)
• Dear Colleague Letter on Meeting the Communication Needs of Students with Hearing, Vision, or Speech Disabilities (November 12, 2014) U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). See also, the accompanying Fact Sheet and Frequently Asked Questions.
• Best Practices in Family-Centered Early Intervention for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: An International Consensus Statement (2013) Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 18(4), 429-445. Principle 1 addresses Early, Timely, & Equitable Access to Services.
  • Raising and Educating Deaf Children: Foundations for Policy, Practice, and Outcomes is a website in association with the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education and publishes quarterly bulletins with evidence-based policy- and practice-based information about raising and educating children who are deaf or hard of hearing. (2014)
• National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) - Provides extensive resources for families of young children who are deaf or hard of hearing and for those who provide their services.
  • Eligibility and Service Delivery Policies: Differences Between IDEA Part C and IDEA Part B: A Comparison Chart, 2016 - Compares Part C and Part B policies in the following areas: Eligibility Criteria, Eligibility Determination, Types of Services, Service Settings, Service Recipients, Parental Rights, and System of Payments. It is intended as a resource to support transition between these programs for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
  • Improving Follow-up After Newborn Hearing Screening: An Action Kit for Audiologists (2016) - Designed to help audiologists create an efficient and reliable system of diagnosis and referral and ultimately improved outcomes for infants who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families.
  • Archived Webinars Related to Early Childhood Hearing Screening & Follow-up (various dates)
  • Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (JEHDI) (2016) - This bi-annual peer-reviewed online journal provides free access to articles on evidence-based practice, standards of care, and current research related to all aspects of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI).
  • Aspects of Eligibility for Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing under IDEA Part B Section 619 Preschool: A Survey Report, 2015 (2016) - Developed by a committee with membership from the 619 Consortium, NCHAM, and ECTA.
  • Understanding the IDEA Part C Regulations: the Role of EHDI (2013) - Developed by a committee convened by NCHAM.
  • Part C Eligibility Considerations: For Infants and Toddlers who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (2011) - Developed by a committee with membership from the IDEA Infant Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA), NCHAM, and NECTAC.
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Resources:
  • Supplement to the JCIH 2007 Position Statement: Principles and Guidelines for Early Intervention After Confirmation That a Child Is Deaf or Hard of Hearing (2013), by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) - Provides principles and guidelines for early intervention with young children with hearing loss. This document is a supplement to the recommendations found in the Year 2007 Position Statement: Principles and Guidelines for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Programs (2007).
  • Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) - a program of the AAP, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).
  • Hearing Assessment in Infants and Children: Recommendations Beyond Neonatal Screening (2009) AAP
• Hearing Loss in Children - Resources from the NCBDD:
  • Organizational Recommendations and Screening Guidelines
  • Mild and Unilateral Hearing Loss: Implications for Early Intervention
  • Educational Materials for Families and Professionals
  • Database of EHDI programs in the States and Territories
  • Questions You May Want to Ask Your Child's Early Intervention Team. (2012)
• Why Children with Communication Delays Need Hearing Tests (n.d.), from the Connecticut Birth to Three Program, offers tips on how to include a hearing test on a child's IFSP.
• Early Intervention Checklist to Support Families of Infants, Toddlers and Young Children with Hearing Loss or Deafness (n.d.) offered by Pennsylvania's Early Intervention program
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Resources:
  • Hearing Assessment
  • Hearing Loss in Children
• Toolkits for Providers and Parents of Children with Hearing Loss - Developed by the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality (NICHQ).
• Raising and Educating Deaf Children: Foundations for Policy, Practice, and Outcomes publishes quarterly bulletins with evidence-based policy- and practice-based information about raising and educating children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

• The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health has has webpage with information on Fragile X. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also provides information for families about the causes and treatments of Fragile X.
• The FRAXA Research Foundation has general information about the common symptoms of Fragile X and how a Fragilx X diagnosis is made.
• The National Fragile X Foundation has a page for families who have recently recieved a diagnosis of Fragile X entitled "Newly Diagnosed."

• The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) has a Web page called Early Warning Signs that provides a variey of resources on the early identification of learning disabilities. See also, LD Basics and General LD Info.
• Recognition & Response (R&R) is a tiered model that is designed to help early childhood teachers identify children aged 3 through 5 with early signs of learning difficulty and respond in ways that help them experience early school success.
• LD OnLine has pages on Common Signs of Learning Disabilities and Early Identification of Learning Disabilities.
• Get Ready to Read! has an online screening tool that helps identify a child's readiness for learning reading and writing.
  See also, Should I Be Concerned?

• Promoting Optimal Development: Screening for Behavioral and Emotional Problems (Pediatrics (2015) doi: 10.1542/peds.2014-3716. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) - This report reviews the prevalence of behavioral and emotional disorders in children and discusses factors affecting the emergence of such problems; the importance of screening and intervention; barriers to screening and strategies to overcome those barriers; and potential changes at the practice and systems level to facilitate successful behavioral and emotional screening. It includes an appendix highlighting screening instruments that can be used in primary care settings for different age groups, including young children aged 0-5.
• Mental Health Surveillance Among Children — United States, 2005–2011. MMWR 2013;62 (Suppl 2) - This report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) summarizes information about ongoing federal surveillance systems that can provide estimates of the prevalence of mental disorders and indicators of mental health among children living in the United States and presents estimates of childhood mental disorders and indicators from these systems during 2005–2011. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (6.8%) was the most prevalent parent-reported current diagnosis among children aged 3–17 years, followed by behavioral or conduct problems (3.5%), anxiety (3.0%), depression (2.1%), and autism spectrum disorders (1.1%).
• The Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children (TACSEI), a TA of the ECTA, has a number of publications on young children with challenging behaviors.
  • Facts About Young Children with Challenging Behaviors (2004)
  • Supporting Infants and Toddlers with Challenging Behavior (n.d.)
  • Addressing Persistent Challenging Behaviors (n.d.)

See Young Children who are Exposed Prenatally to Substances and Their Families

• AAP Resources:
  • Eye Examination in Infants, Children, and Young Adults (2003, reaffirmed in 2007)
  • Use of Photoscreening for Children's Vision Screening (2002, reaffirmed in 2008)
• Facts about Vision Loss (n.d.) NCBDD
• Eligibility Determinations for Children with a visual impairment (May 2017) - This memorandum policy letter from OSEP provides additional guidance to assist states with supporting their local education agencies in reaching appropriate eligibility determinations for children with a visual impairment disability, including blindness. Links to resources are included to help states examine their procedures that relate to the identification and evaluation of children with this disability.

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