Do I need Child Find services?

Child Find Decision Guide

The intent of Child Find is that all children from birth through age 21 with delays or disabilities are identified, located and evaluated to receive the supports and services they need. Below is a list of signs to look for (broken up into 3 categories), to possibly identify an individual that may need services provided by this school district and/or Arizona Early Intervention Program.

Birth - 3 Years

  • Physical 1: Find in gross developmental lag 2: Sensory difficulties;

  • Cognitive: developmental lag regarding thinking/solving skills;

  • Language/Communication Lag: Regarding skills in receiving information (receptive) and expressing information (expressive);

  • Social/Emotional: internal and external adaptation to environmental stimuli;

  • Self-help: adaptive development to complete basic needs.

3 - 5 Years

Thinking/Cognitive Skills

  • Unable to remember shapes, colors, or numbers

  • Not able to match objects or colors

  • Appears unaware of or unable to anticipate what comes next regarding a familiar event or daily routine

  • Difficulty with simple problem-solving

Physical/Motor Development

  • Unsteady gait and difficulty maintaining balance

  • Unable to climb

  • Muscles too hard, too soft or often twitching

  • Trouble doing activities such as play-dough, or puzzles

Vision

  • Prefers to be too far or too near to objects or tasks

  • Tips head to be able to see things

  • Frequently blinks

  • Tearing or red swollen eyes.

Hearing

  • Does not respond to sound or appears to tune out noise

  • Pulls on ears or has drainage from ears

Social/Emotional/Adaptive Behavior

  • Unable to adjust to new situations and people

  • Demanding and unable to be redirected

  • Exhibits many fears and prefers to play alone

  • Unable to do simple self-care tasks such as: drinking from a cup; eating with a spoon; caring for own toilet needs; washing hands and dressing self

Speech/Language Development

  • Unable to verbalize simple needs and wants

  • Unable to ask who, what, when, and where questions

  • Unable to follow simple two to three word directions

  • Unable to say or sing simple nursery rhymes and songs

  • Speech that is not understood by an unfamiliar listener

Kindergarten - 21 Years

Vision

  • Holds printed materials very close or very far away

  • Tilts head or squints when looking at print or distance objects

  • Unable to see at distances others can see

  • Unable to locate objects on a table

  • Rubs eyes, complains of headaches

  • Eyes red, asymmetrical dilation, or other physical differences

Hearing

  • Unable to hear sounds others hear

  • Does not respond to loud or voice range noises

  • Repeated hits self on side of the head

  • Complains of ringing, buzzing

  • Drops sounds out of words (doesn't pronounce s, c, etc.)

  • Speaks in a very loud voice

Communication

  • Does not pronounce words completely or correctly

  • Unable to repeat directions

  • Mistakes sounds: can not distinguish between pen and pin, get and got, ilk and elk

  • Uses whole sentences when could use one word

  • Uses only one or two words to communicate

  • Unable to follow multi-step directions

  • Unable to talk about actions or behaviors

Academics

  • Difficulty understanding key content

  • Extreme difficulty learning to read, write or do mathematics

  • Extreme difficulty understanding what is read or how to apply mathematics

  • Lack of memory for skills from day-to-day

  • Difficulty with abstract reasoning

  • Extreme difficulty with organizing self in time and space, understanding time

  • Lack of work completion

Social/Emotional Behavior

  • Inability to develop positive relationships with peers or adults

  • Aggressive behavior

  • Ritualistic or bizarre behaviors

  • Extreme sadness or anxiety

  • Extreme inattention/off-task behaviors

  • Lack of response to typical discipline

Physical Development

  • Difficulty holding a pencil, tying shoes, or doing puzzles

  • Difficulty catching a ball, throwing a ball, or kicking a ball

  • Difficulty standing up or sitting down

  • Difficulty with walking, running, skipping or hopping

  • Weakness in arms or legs

  • Unable to bend at any natural joint (elbow, knew, waist, etc.)