Locating children who need early childhood services is difficult with children experiencing quarantine and social distancing due to the global pandemic resulting from COVID-19. Child Find is a system that focuses on early identification of disabilities in children. There are many ways to actively locate children who may be eligible for early childhood services due to a delay or disability. One way is through developmental screening with an online system.
Online developmental screening may occur where a professional (e.g., healthcare, educator, social service provider, etc.) invites parent(s) of young children to complete questionnaires online. Parents independently complete questionnaires online. The online system scores and generates a report from the results of the screening assessment. A reply (e.g., letter/email/other/text) can be generated for parents whose children appear to be developing typically. Children who are identified as at-risk or whose parents indicate concerns may require a personalized response (e.g., telephone call, video conferencing). For an effective online Child Find system, families need to have the technology needed for online developmental screening activities which may include: access to the Internet or WiFi, electronic device (e.g., computer, iPad, smart phone), and resources (e.g., time, materials, etc.) to complete the screening with their child.
In the selected poems of Langston Hughes he writes,
“The sea is a desert of waves,
A wilderness of water.”
The World Wide Web may seem like a vast and deep sea of unlimited potential. Parents and professionals may be looking for answers. Using online tools may offer a solution when riding the waves of a global pandemic. We are living in a time when people are looking for alternatives to face-to-face services for young children and families. Remote services may include online developmental screening in order to locate children who are eligible for critical early childhood services.
For more information check out this webinar called “Child Find: Identifying Children for IDEA Services in a Remote and Virtual Context.” I made this webinar for the Brookes Coffee Chat series and it is now available on demand at the following link:
https://brookespublishing.com/resource-library/child-find-identifying-children-for-idea-services-in-a-remote-and-virtual-context/
