§ 2542 — Comprehensive child find system and public awareness program

§ 2542. Comprehensive child find system and public awareness program.\n1. The commissioner shall develop a comprehensive child find system that\nensures that eligible children in the state are identified, located,\nreferred to the early intervention official and evaluated. Such system\nshall:\n (a) require early intervention officials to identify and locate\neligible children within their municipality;\n (b) be coordinated with efforts to identify, locate and track children\nconducted by other agencies responsible for services to infants and\ntoddlers and their families, including the efforts in (i) part B of the\nfederal individuals with disabilities education act, including early\nchildhood direction centers, (ii) the maternal and child health program\nunder title V of the federal social security act, including the infant\nhealth assessment program, (iii) medicaid's early periodic screening,\ndiagnosis and treatment program under title XIX of the federal social\nsecurity act, and (iv) the federal supplemental security income program;\nand\n (c) provide for the identification, tracking and screening of children\nat risk of developmental delay, using resources available through the\nprograms, identified in paragraph (b) of this subdivision and such other\navailable resources as the commissioner shall commit to this purpose.\n 2. The commissioner shall develop, implement, and maintain a public\nawareness program to inform the general public and the professional\ncommunity of the availability of the early intervention program and the\nbenefits of services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their\nfamilies. The program shall include materials which describe the normal\ndevelopmental achievements of young children, identification and\nprocedures for referral of children with disabilities, and how to gain\naccess to early intervention services.\n 3. The following persons and entities, within two working days of\nidentifying an infant or toddler suspected of having a disability or at\nrisk of having a disability, shall refer such infant or toddler to the\nearly intervention official or the health officer of the public health\ndistrict in which the infant or toddler resides, as designated by the\nmunicipality, but in no event over the objection of the parent made in\naccordance with procedures established by the department for use by such\nprimary referral sources, unless the child has already been referred:\nhospitals, child health care providers, day care programs, local school\ndistricts, public health facilities, early childhood direction centers\nand such other social service and health care agencies and providers as\nthe commissioner shall specify in regulation; provided, however, that\nthe department shall establish procedures, including regulations if\nrequired, to ensure that primary referral sources adequately inform the\nparent or guardian about the early intervention program, including\nthrough brochures and written materials created or approved by the\ndepartment.\n 4. The commissioner shall provide each early intervention official\nwith a list of all approved evaluators and service coordinators in the\nmunicipality or geographic area proximate to such municipality or, with\nrespect to the city of New York, subdivisions of the city as prescribed\nby the commissioner.\n Such list of approved evaluators shall be updated at least annually\nand shall describe the specific areas of expertise of each qualified\nevaluator, if known.\n