What Do I Do Now? Seeking Healthcare and Therapeutic Services for Your Child with Special Needs (Healthcare‪)‬

Nationwide, more than 13.5 million children have special healthcare needs and with increases in the prevalence and diagnosis of developmental disabilities, this number can be expected to increase in the coming years (1). With advances in the frequency and scope of newborn screening, many conditions are identified at birth or shortly thereafter. There is currently an effort to develop national standards for newborn screening. The goal of this effort is to assure that every newborn in the United States is screened for the same panel of disorders, regardless of the state in which he/she is born. The American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) and the March of Dimes (MOD) currently recommend screening for thirty disorders, for which effective treatment is available. Despite these advances in newborn screening and early identification of developmental disabilities and genetic/health conditions, many families recognize that their child has difficulties at an early age but years may pass until they receive a formal diagnosis. In response, there is also an intensive effort by organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to screen for developmental disorders such as autism within the first two years of life. There is also increasing emphasis on early intervention for children with cognitive, language, and motor delays, regardless of whether or not a child has a formal diagnosis.