Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Nov 23;42(4):e401-e411.
doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdz179.

Birth characteristics of children who used early intervention and special education services in New York City

Matthew L Romo  1 , Katharine H McVeigh  1 , Phoebe Jordan  2 , Jeanette A Stingone  3 , Pui Ying Chan  4 , George L Askew  1
Affiliations

Birth characteristics of children who used early intervention and special education services in New York City

Matthew L Romo et al. J Public Health (Oxf). .

Abstract

Background: Early intervention (EI) and special education (SE) are beneficial for children with developmental disabilities and/or delays and their families, yet there are disparities in service use. We sought to identify the birth characteristics that predict EI/SE service use patterns.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using linked administrative data from five sources for all children born in 1998 to New York City resident mothers. Multinomial regression was used to identify birth characteristics that predicted predominant patterns of service use.

Results: Children with service use patterns characterized by late or limited/no EI use were more likely to be first-born children and have Black or Latina mothers. Children born with a gestational age ≤31 weeks were more likely to enter services early. Early term gestational age was associated with patterns of service use common to children with pervasive developmental delay, and maternal obesity was associated with the initiation of speech therapy at the time of entry into school.

Conclusions: Maternal racial disparities existed for patterns of EI/SE service use. Specific birth characteristics, such as parity and gestational age, may be useful to better identify children who are at risk for suboptimal EI use.

Keywords: disabled children; early intervention (education); health status disparities; infant; newborn; special education.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Lipkin PH, Okamoto J. The individuals with disabilities education act (IDEA) for children with special educational needs. Pediatrics. 2015;136:e1650–62. - PubMed
    1. NYC Department of Education The IEP. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/special-education/the-iep-process/the-iep. (1 November 2019, date last accessed).
    1. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene The New York City early interevention program for babies and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities; 2019. https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/earlyint/earlyint-policy-m... (12 November 2019, date last accessed).
    1. Zwaigenbaum L, Bryson SE, Brian J et al. Stability of diagnostic assessment for autism spectrum disorder between 18 and 36 months in a high-risk cohort. Autism Res. 2016;9:790–800. - PubMed
    1. Hebbeler K, Spiker D, Bailey D et al. Early intervention for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families: Final report of the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study (NEILS); 2007. https://www.sri.com/sites/default/files/publications/neils_finalreport_2... (28 May 2019, date last accessed).

Publication types