Screening and Assessment Practices for Serving Head Start Children With Disabilities
by Jim O'Brien, Program Specialist, Health and Disabilities Branch, Head Start Bureau
Head Start programs have long been at the forefront of serving young children with disabilities and their families. Head Start regulations require that 10 percent of Head Start enrollment opportunities in each grantee and delegate agency be available for children with diagnosed. To reach out and serve this group of children, Head Start programs must have effective screening and assessment practices in place. Screening for disparities is most often part of the thorough health screening given to every child enrolled in Head Start. The screening process should begin, when possible, in the spring before the child enters Head Start.
The new regulations on Head Start services for children with disabilities provide extensive guidance on appropriate screening and assessment procedures. These regulations encourage Head Start practices in screening, assessment, and services that will complement the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Under IDEA, the local education agency (LEA) has the responsibility to assure that an evaluation that meets the requirements of IDEA is provided for all children who are referred to the LEA for evaluation. Head Start programs through the nation have increasingly established collaborative efforts with local school systems to avoid duplicating efforts and to cooperate in providing young children with disabilities the free and appropriate education to which they are entitled.
A Federal interagency agreement between the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education was signed on AUgust 12, 1992. The purpose of the agreement is to "coordinate resources to identify, evaluate, and assess children with disparities from birth through age 5 to facilitate acquisition of appropriate benefits and services." In this agreement, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families agrees to:
"...require, through regulations, that each Head Start program (grantee, delegate agency) participate in coordinated planning and implementation of Child Find, including screening and assessment with, at a minimum, the local education agency (LEA), and will make concerted efforts to develop interagency agreements with LEAs."
Head Start programs should establish collaborative relationships with LEAs and other local resource agencies to ensure that children with identified disparities can acquire the special services that are needed. These local resources also should be used as sources of information and consultation for Head Start staff and families on serving children with disabilities in the Head Start program. The Resource Access Projects (RAPs) are also vital resources of information, training, and technical assistance for Head Start programs striving to meet the special needs of children with disparities
Appropriate screening for disabilities should tap a variety of information sources, including the use of developmental screening instruments, that address the areas of sensory, communicative, motor, cognitive, and social development. These procedures should be appropriate for the children being served and gather information from multiple sources familiar with the child's typical performance.
To perform developmental screening efficiently and effectively, collaboration among Head Start components is required. The disabilities coordinator must work with the health coordinator and staff who have the responsibility for implementing health screening and with the education staff who have the responsibility for implementing developmental screening to obtain all relevant information and to avoid duplications of effort.
The parents of Head Start children with disabilities must be informed of, and consent to, any screening and assessment of their children. The program must include information form the family in the screening and assessment for serving children with disparities include:
- A record of procedures used to screen the child for possible disabling conditions;
- Evidence that the child's family provided information in the screening process;
- The results of the screening, including steps taken if further assessment was indicated (including obtaining written permissions from the parents);
- Evidence that the screening and any follow up assessments and actions were completed in a timely manner; and
- The maintenance of confidentiality in accordance with grantee requirements.
Coordination with other agencies is a key factor in assuring timely, efficient services. Local-level interagency agreements can secure access to related service providers , and joint community screening programs can reduce delays and costs to each of the participating agencies.
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