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Improving Systems, Practices, and Outcomes

Public Awareness and Developmental Monitoring

Public awareness is a term describing efforts to inform the public about the availability of early intervention or preschool special education services for young children with or at risk for developmental disabilities. The goals of public awareness efforts are to locate, identify, and evaluate young children with or at risk of developmental disabilities so that they can be linked with appropriate services.

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Public Awareness

Elements of an Effective Public Awareness Program

An effective public awareness program should provide ongoing activities throughout the state and involve the major organizations that have a direct interest in young children, for example:

  • Public and private agencies at the state, regional, and local levels
  • Parent groups
  • Medical staff
  • Advocates

Public awareness should be broad enough to reach the general public, including persons with disabilities, using a variety of methods. Examples of methods to inform the general public include social media, posters, pamphlets, displays, billboards, toll free-numbers, websites, videos, TV, radio, newspaper releases, and advertisements.

Part C Requirements

The state Part C program is required to develop a comprehensive child find system (34 CFR §303.115) to identify, locate, and evaluate infants and toddlers with disabilities as early as possible, the state lead agency is required to develop a public awareness program (34 CFR §303.301). The purpose is to ensure there are ongoing efforts to keep the public informed about early intervention. Key audiences for the information are primary referral sources (34 CFR §303.303), which include families, hospitals, physicians, and child care programs.

Information to be disseminated includes (34 CFR §303.117):

  • the scope and purpose of the early intervention system
  • how to make a referral
  • how to gain access to a comprehensive, multidisciplinary evaluation and assessment
  • early intervention services
  • central directory

Part B, Section 619 Requirements

The state IDEA Part B system, which includes Section 619, uses the term Child Find (34 CFR §300.111) to refer to the process of identifying, locating, and evaluating children in need of special education and related services. Child Find under Part B of IDEA applies to all children age 3–21 years.

  1. General.
    1. The State must have in effect policies and procedures to ensure that—
      1. All children with disabilities residing in the State, including children with disabilities who are homeless children or are wards of the State, and children with disabilities attending private schools, regardless of the severity of their disability, and who are in need of special education and related services, are identified, located, and evaluated; and
      2. A practical method is developed and implemented to determine which children are currently receiving needed special education and related services.

States can also include public awareness in their child find policies and procedures. Public awareness efforts are especially important for identifying, locating and evaluating children with disabilities who are homeless or are wards of the state, children with disabilities attending private schools, and migrant children.

Developmental Monitoring

Developmental monitoring involves observing a young child over time and tracking their achievement of typical developmental milestones. While less formal than developmental screening, it can be a way for primary referral sources, including parents and physicians, to make decisions about whether a referral for more formal developmental screening is necessary.

National Resources

Public Awareness

Overview of Early Intervention

This overview from the Center for Parent Information and Resources provides general information for families on early intervention and is available in English and Spanish.

Developmental Monitoring

Bright Futures Guidelines and Pocket Guide

This resource provides health care professionals with updated background and recommendations for pediatric health promotion, health supervision and anticipatory guidance for 31 age-based visits. It presents a focus on the social determinants of health and on lifelong physical and mental health. The Bright Futures/AAP Periodicity Schedule presents (in chart form) the screenings, assessments, physical examinations, procedures and timing of anticipatory guidance recommended for each age-based visit in the Bright Futures Guidelines, 4th Edition.

See also: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

Institute for Child Success

This center uses a systems model to increase identification of vulnerable children, help families promote development, and provide links to community resources. Help Me Grow provides a map of the Help Me Grow affiliates in each state.

Learn the Signs, Act Early

This program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) program encourages parents and providers to learn the signs of typical development, monitor every child's early development, and take action where there is a concern. The program offers free checklists and tools to make developmental monitoring practical and easy. Materials include: