BOSR Referral Processes and Follow-Up 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which factor most commonly acts as a barrier to families following through on a referral?
- Too many referral options available
- Lack of transportation, cost, or understanding of the referral (Correct answer)
- The referral being written in formal language
- Having too many follow-up appointments scheduled
Correct answer: Lack of transportation, cost, or understanding of the referral
Practical barriers such as transportation, financial limitations, and lack of understanding of why the referral is needed are the most common obstacles to follow-through.
Question 2: Early Intervention (EI) services under Part C of IDEA are designed for children in which age range?
- Birth to 3 years (Correct answer)
- 3 to 5 years
- 5 to 8 years
- Birth to 6 years
Correct answer: Birth to 3 years
Part C of IDEA funds Early Intervention services specifically for infants and toddlers from birth through age 2 who have developmental delays or disabilities.
Question 3: What is the role of a service coordinator in the referral and follow-up process?
- To conduct comprehensive developmental evaluations
- To help families navigate services and ensure they access needed supports (Correct answer)
- To make final diagnostic decisions
- To administer behavioral screening tools
Correct answer: To help families navigate services and ensure they access needed supports
Service coordinators act as navigators who guide families through the service system, remove barriers, and ensure children receive appropriate supports.
Question 4: When referring a child for evaluation, obtaining a signed release of information is necessary to:
- Bill the family's insurance for screening services
- Allow communication between the screener and the receiving provider (Correct answer)
- Enroll the child in an intervention program
- Complete the original screening form
Correct answer: Allow communication between the screener and the receiving provider
A signed release of information is required under HIPAA and FERPA to legally share a child's confidential records between providers or agencies.
Question 5: What does 'lost to follow-up' mean in the context of developmental screening?
- A child who moved to a different screening program
- A child referred for services who cannot be reached for status confirmation (Correct answer)
- A child who failed the screening a second time
- A child who aged out of Early Intervention
Correct answer: A child referred for services who cannot be reached for status confirmation
Lost to follow-up refers to cases where a child was referred for further evaluation but the screener is unable to confirm whether the family accessed those services.
Question 6: A child's behavioral screen is positive, but the parent has not called the referred specialist after two weeks. What is the best action?
- Assume the family is not interested and close the case
- Contact the family to offer support and address any barriers to accessing services (Correct answer)
- Re-screen the child immediately
- Notify child protective services about parental non-compliance
Correct answer: Contact the family to offer support and address any barriers to accessing services
Proactive outreach to understand and address barriers is the best practice for improving referral follow-through and supporting the child's needs.
Question 7: Which agency typically receives referrals for children ages 3–5 who may need special education services?
- Early Intervention under IDEA Part C
- The local school district's special education department (Correct answer)
- The state child welfare agency
- A private pediatric neurologist
Correct answer: The local school district's special education department
Under IDEA Part B, children ages 3 through 21 are served by the local education agency (school district), which is responsible for evaluating and providing special education services.
BOSR Referral Processes and Follow-Up 2
Which factor most commonly acts as a barrier to families following through on a referral?