Summary: Access to Services for Children with Special Needs
Learn More About Access to Services for Children with Special Needs
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- Access to Services for Children with Special Needs
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- Preventive Care Visits, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Dental Care Visits, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Usual Source of Sick Care, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Difficulty Getting Needed Referrals for Children with Special Health Care Needs (California & U.S. Only)
- Receipt of Needed Specialist Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs (California & U.S. Only)
- Treatment or Counseling Services for Children with Special Health Care Needs with Behavioral or Mental Health Conditions (California & U.S. Only)
- Early Intervention or Special Education Services, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- School Provides Services for Students with Special Needs (Staff Reported)
- Unmet Health Care Needs, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Characteristics of Children with Special Needs
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- Children with Special Health Care Needs
- by Age Group (California & U.S. Only)
- by Sex (California & U.S. Only)
- by Income Level (California & U.S. Only)
- by Race/Ethnicity (California & U.S. Only)
- by Race/Ethnicity and Income Level (California & U.S. Only)
- by Receipt of SSI Benefits (California & U.S. Only)
- by Type of Condition (California & U.S. Only)
- by Number of Conditions (California & U.S. Only)
- by Complexity of Need (California & U.S. Only)
- by Type of Health Insurance (California & U.S. Only)
- Prevalence of Special Health Care Needs Among Children, by Type of Health Insurance (California & U.S. Only)
- Children with Behavioral or Mental Health Conditions, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Children's Weight Level, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Children with Adverse Experiences (Parent Reported), by Number and Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Children Who Are Resilient (Parent Reported), by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Prevalence of Special Education Disabilities Among Students, by Disability Type
- Children with Major Disabilities
- Children with and without Major Disabilities, by Health Insurance Coverage Status
- Active California Children's Services (CCS) Enrollees, by Age Group
- Children Who Have Received a Developmental Screening
- Children with Special Health Care Needs
- Student Demographics
- Children's Emotional Health
- Impacts of Special Health Care Needs on Children and Families
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- Children with Special Health Care Needs Whose Conditions Consistently Affect Their Daily Activities (California & Other States Only)
- School Days Missed Among Children with Special Health Care Needs (California & U.S. Only)
- Repeated Grades in School, by Special Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Overnight Hospital Stays Among Children with Special Health Care Needs (California Only)
- Children with Special Health Care Needs Whose Families Spend 11 or More Hours per Week Providing Care (California & Other States Only)
- Children Whose Parents Feel Aggravation from Parenting, by Special Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Children with Special Health Care Needs Whose Family Members Avoid Changing Jobs to Maintain Health Insurance (California & U.S. Only)
- Children with Special Health Care Needs Whose Health Impacts Family Members' Employment (California & U.S. Only)
- Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenses for Children with Special Health Care Needs, by Type of Health Insurance (California & U.S. Only)
- Children with Special Health Care Needs Whose Conditions Cause Family Financial Problems (California & Other States Only)
- Quality of Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs
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- Receipt of Care in a Well-Functioning Health System, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Adequacy of Health Insurance Coverage, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Consistency of Health Insurance Coverage, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Shared Decision-Making Between Providers and Families, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Receipt of Care Within a Medical Home, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Receipt of Family-Centered Care, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Receipt of Needed Care Coordination, by Special Health Care Needs Status (California & U.S. Only)
- Dental Care
- Health Care
- Why This Topic Is Important
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Nearly 1.4 million California children, and more than 15 million children nationwide, have or are at increased risk for a chronic health condition—physical, developmental, mental, or behavioral—and require care and related services of a type or amount beyond that required by children generally (1). As advances in technology and medicine continue to improve and extend the lives of children with special health care needs (CSHCN), these numbers are expected to grow (2). Over the next decade, for instance, it is estimated that the number of children with medically complex conditions will double (3).
When compared with children who do not have special health care needs, CSHCN are more likely to be limited in their ability to function and participate in daily activities, and to experience social, academic, and other life challenges that can complicate their medical care (2, 4, 5). As a result, CSHCN often rely on a range of services from multiple sectors, and their parents and family members often face higher caregiving burdens and experience more stress and difficulties with employment and finances when compared with other families (6).
Obtaining timely, appropriate, and affordable care is a major problem for many CSHCN families (4, 5). Statewide and nationally, around 9 in 10 CSHCN do not receive care in a well-functioning system of services—one meeting federal standards for receipt of care within a medical home, preventive services, adequate health insurance, access to needed care, and family engagement (7). Major barriers to care, especially in California, include a fragmented system of services and an inadequate, shrinking workforce of pediatric subspecialists (2, 3, 4, 5). Beyond service system barriers, social factors and practices—such as poverty and discrimination (e.g., on the basis of race/ethnicity or ability)—influence access to care, and, as a result, health outcomes. For example, CSHCN of color and those in low-income families are more likely to have unmet health needs and limited access to high-quality care when compared with their more affluent and white peers (8).For more information, see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section or visit Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health.
Sources for this narrative:
1. Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health. (n.d.). 2022 National Survey of Children's Health data query: Percent of children, ages 0 through 17, with special health care needs (CSHCN). Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative & U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from: https://www.childhealthdata.org/browse/survey/results?q=10025&r=1&r2=6
2. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2023). The future pediatric subspecialty physician workforce: Meeting the needs of infants, children, and adolescents. National Academies Press. Retrieved from: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27207/the-future-pediatric-subspecialty-physician-workforce-meeting-the-needs-of
3. Kelly, E., & Layton, K. (2023). California's children need access to pediatric subspecialists. Children's Specialty Care Coalition. Retrieved from: https://lpfch.org/resource/californias-children-need-access-to-pediatric-subspecialists
4. Kuo, D. Z., et al. (2022). Access to services for children and youth with special health care needs and their families: Concepts and considerations for an integrated systems redesign. Pediatrics, 149(Suppl. 7), e2021056150H. Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/149/Supplement%207/e2021056150H/188217/Access-to-Services-for-Children-and-Youth-With
5. Brown, T. W., et al. (Eds.). (2022). Blueprint for Change: A national framework for a system of services for children and youth with special health care needs. Pediatrics, 149(Suppl. 7). Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/issue/149/Supplement%207
6. Sellmaier, C. (2022). Physical and mental health of mothers and fathers caring for children with special health care needs: The influence of community resources. Journal of Family Issues, 43(11), 2815-2840. Retrieved from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0192513X211035580
7. Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health. (n.d.). 2022 National Survey of Children's Health data query: Percent of children with special health care needs (CSHCN), ages 0 through 17, who receive care in a well-functioning system. Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative & U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from: https://www.childhealthdata.org/browse/survey/results?q=10026&r=1&r2=6
8. Houtrow, A., et al. (2022). Health equity for children and youth with special health care needs: A vision for the future. Pediatrics, 149(Suppl. 7), e2021056150F. Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/149/Supplement%207/e2021056150F/188222/Health-Equity-for-Children-and-Youth-With-Special - How Children Are Faring
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In 2022, an estimated 82% of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) ages 0-17 in California had received a preventive health check-up in the previous year, while 91% of CSHCN ages 1-17 had seen a dentist or other oral health professional in the previous year—this compared with 68% and 83%, respectively, for California children without special health care needs. In addition, a larger share of California CSHCN ages 0-17 (80%) had a usual source of sick care—a doctor's office or health care setting other than a hospital emergency room—in 2022 than their non-CSHCN peers (69%).
Still, the estimated share of California CSHCN with unmet health care needs, among those needing care in the previous year, was nearly four times higher (8%) than the corresponding share of non-CSHCN in California with health care needs in the previous year (2%).
Across CSHCN subgroups, there is variation in access to services by income, race/ethnicity, and type of health insurance coverage. California and U.S. CSHCN covered by public health insurance only, for example, are less likely to receive preventive care or to have a usual source of sick care than their counterparts covered by private insurance only.
Statewide and nationally, more than 30% of CSHCN ages 0-17 who needed health care referrals in the previous year had difficulties getting or were not able to get the referrals they needed, according to 2022 estimates. Among CSHCN ages 3-17 with one or more provider-diagnosed behavioral or mental health conditions—attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety problems, behavioral or conduct problems, or depression—more than 60% received treatment or counseling in the previous year. - Policy Implications
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Children with special health care needs (CSHCN), like all young people, need ready access to appropriate physical and mental health care, educational opportunities, and, sometimes, social services and other support (1). CSHCN, especially those with more complex conditions, frequently encounter obstacles to obtaining timely access to pediatric subspecialty providers and receiving comprehensive, coordinated, high-quality health care (1, 2). They also are more likely than children without special needs to experience psychosocial problems, difficulties with school, and other life challenges (1). Their families, too, often face significant caregiving burdens and economic, employment, and personal stress in excess of families without CSHCN (1, 3). While most CSHCN do not receive all aspects of quality health care, inequities in access to care and other resources are especially pronounced for children of color and low-income children (4).
Systems serving CSHCN can be strengthened through comprehensive, equity-focused programs and policies at the local, state, and national levels. Frameworks such as the national Blueprint for Change aim to improve service access and financing, reduce disparities, and enhance the lives of children and families (1, 4). Achieving equity in access to care and health outcomes for CSHCN requires addressing the root causes of disparities, such as poverty and discrimination, and overcoming cross-sector challenges involving resources and financing, system coordination, and workforce development and training (4).
Strategies to promote equitable access to care for CSHCN and their families should address:- Equity-focused systems change: Leaders recommend a paradigm shift towards systems that are simplified, centered on equity, proactive instead of reactive, and based on needs rather than diagnoses, eligibility thresholds, insurance authorization, or other factors. Removing administrative barriers, aligning eligibility processes, and supporting families in navigating services can streamline access to care and prioritize the needs of CSHCN and their families (1, 2, 5).
- Comprehensive and consistent health care coverage: CSHCN need comprehensive insurance that provides adequate coverage for medical and mental health care, access to specialty care providers, care coordination and integration, and long-term supportive services (1, 2). These children also need consistent coverage, without gaps that can cause delays in needed care. Appropriate reimbursement, especially by Medicaid (Medi-Cal), is critical to ensuring that high-quality services are available from an adequate network of providers (2, 4, 6).
- Early and frequent screening: Regular screenings for special health care needs beginning early in a child's life have the potential to reduce long-term consequences of some chronic conditions, highlighting the urgency for equitable access to early identification and intervention services (7).
- Family-centered care: CSHCN tend to have better health outcomes when they receive family-centered care—from providers who engage with families, include them as partners in decision-making, and prioritize their needs, values, and goals (1, 8). Concerted efforts are needed to address family-centered care disparities for CSHCN, particularly by family socioeconomic status (1, 8).
- High quality, well coordinated, integrated services: CSHCN benefit from evidence-based health care services provided in the context of a medical home, which assures high quality, well-coordinated care, including integrated physical, oral, mental, and behavioral health care and collaboration across community, school, and home-based support services (2, 5). Delivery of this type of care is uneven, and often is connected to insurance reimbursement policies (4).
- Place-based care: Telehealth and other innovative methods of care—such as co-management (in which subspecialists and other providers actively coordinate)—can increase access to services for CSHCN families facing geographic or other barriers (2, 4, 5).
- Educational inclusion: Providing CSHCN with access to high-quality support services at school and ensuring their full inclusion with other children in general education settings is critical to their development and can maximize their social and academic outcomes (9).
- Adequate subspecialty workforce: CSHCN with complex conditions need access to pediatric subspecialty providers who are able to focus on specific health care needs. The shortage of pediatric subspecialists warrants revamped recruitment and retention efforts, along with increased collaboration between specialty and primary care providers (2, 6).
- Cultural responsiveness: A health care workforce that reflects the cultural and linguistic diversity of CSHCN could help reduce disparities and improve health outcomes (1, 2). All sectors serving CSHCN, including medical subspecialties, should have a diverse workforce trained on culturally responsive practices (4).
- Continuity across service sectors: CSHCN often must move across service sectors, such as from the pediatric to adult health care system as they age. Continuity and support across systems and sectors should be prioritized, along with minimizing new hurdles to accessing services (4).
- Robust investments in financing reform: A complicated web of service systems with dueling eligibility criteria and confusing payment policies can result in delayed or denied services for CSHCN and financial hardship for families (1). Current financing systems disincentivize equity, promote fragmentation, and impede reform (4, 5). Public investments are needed to transform financing models in ways that support integrated, comprehensive care, minimize hardship for families, and address structural discrimination (1, 4). This includes adequate state and federal funding for public systems serving CSHCN (2, 6).
For more information, see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section or visit Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health.
Sources for this narrative:
1. McLellan, S. E., et al. (2022). A Blueprint for Change: Guiding principles for a system of services for children and youth with special health care needs and their families. Pediatrics, 149(Suppl. 7), e2021056150C. Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/149/Supplement%207/e2021056150C/188225/A-Blueprint-for-Change-Guiding-Principles-for-a
2. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2023). The future pediatric subspecialty physician workforce: Meeting the needs of infants, children, and adolescents. National Academies Press. Retrieved from: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27207/the-future-pediatric-subspecialty-physician-workforce-meeting-the-needs-of
3. Sellmaier, C. (2022). Physical and mental health of mothers and fathers caring for children with special health care needs: The influence of community resources. Journal of Family Issues, 43(11), 2815-2840. Retrieved from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0192513X211035580
4. Houtrow, A., et al. (2022). Health equity for children and youth with special health care needs: A vision for the future. Pediatrics, 149(Suppl. 7), e2021056150F. Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/149/Supplement%207/e2021056150F/188222/Health-Equity-for-Children-and-Youth-With-Special
5. Kuo, D. Z., et al. (2022). Access to services for children and youth with special health care needs and their families: Concepts and considerations for an integrated systems redesign. Pediatrics, 149(Suppl. 7), e2021056150H. Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/149/Supplement%207/e2021056150H/188217/Access-to-Services-for-Children-and-Youth-With
6. Kelly, E., & Layton, K. (2023). California's children need access to pediatric subspecialists. Children's Specialty Care Coalition. Retrieved from: https://lpfch.org/resource/californias-children-need-access-to-pediatric-subspecialists
7. Meurer, J., et al. (2022). Improving child development screening: Implications for professional practice and patient equity. Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, 13. Retrieved from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/21501319211062676
8. Morgan, P. L., et al. (2022). Disparities in family-centered care among U.S. children and youth with special healthcare needs. Journal of Pediatrics, 253, 297-303.e6. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10635424
9. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2023). Closing the opportunity gap for young children. National Academies Press. Retrieved from: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26743/closing-the-opportunity-gap-for-young-children - Research & Links
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- Websites with Related Information
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- Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP)
- California Dept. of Health Care Services: California Children's Services
- Catalyst Center. Boston University School of Social Work.
- Center for Parent Information and Resources. Statewide Parent Advocacy Network.
- Children's Regional Integrated Service System (CRISS)
- Disability Rights California
- Family Voices
- Got Transition: Resources and Research. National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health.
- Health Affairs. Project HOPE.
- Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health: Program for Children with Special Health Care Needs
- Maternal and Child Health Bureau: Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
- Mathematica: Disability
- National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)
- Support for Families of Children with Disabilities
- Key Reports and Research
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- A State Multi-Sector Framework for Supporting Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs. (2018). Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. Child Trends.
- Access to the Medical Home among Children with and without Special Health Care Needs. (2018). Pediatrics. Lichstein, J. C., et al.
- Blueprint for Change: A National Framework for a System of Services for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs. (2022). Pediatrics. Brown, T. W., et al. (Eds.).
- Building Systems that Work for Children with Complex Health Care Needs. (2018). Pediatrics. Agrawal, R., & Stille, C. (Eds.)
- Children with Special Health Care Needs Face Challenges Accessing Information, Support, and Services. (2020). Child Trends. Abdi, F. M., et al.
- Children with Special Health Care Needs: NSCH Data Brief. (2020). Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
- Confronting Inequities in California’s Funding of Services for Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Sobering View of Our Current Standpoint. (2020). Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. Public Counsel.
- Fulfilling the Promise of IDEA. (2018). American Institutes for Research.
- Fundamentals of Financing the System of Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) (2019). Catalyst Center. Comeau, M., et al.
- Immigrant Families, Children with Special Health Care Needs, and the Medical Home. (2016). Pediatrics. Kan, K., et al.
- In Their Own Words: Improving the Care Experience of Families with Children with Special Health Care Needs. (2015). Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health & University of California San Francisco. Hughes, D.
- Keeping Medicaid’s Promise: Strengthening Access to Services for Children with Special Healthcare Needs. (2019). Manatt Health, et al. Mann, C., et al.
- Medicaid and CHIP: A Tutorial on Coverage for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN). (2022). Boston University School of Social Work. Catalyst Center.
- Opportunities for Improving Programs and Services for Children with Disabilities. (2018). National Academies Press. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
- Patient- and Family-Centered Care Coordination: A Framework for Integrating Care for Children and Youth Across Multiple Systems. (2018). Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics, Council on Children with Disabilities & Medical Home Implementation Project Advisory Committee.
- Standards for Systems of Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs: Version 2.0. (2017). Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, et al.
- The 2020 Federal Youth Transition Plan: A Federal Interagency Strategy. (2015). Federal Partners in Transition Workgroup.
- County/Regional Reports
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- Santa Monica Youth Wellbeing Report Card. Santa Monica Cradle to Career.
- More Data Sources For Access to Services for Children with Special Needs
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- Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health. Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative.
- National Survey of Children's Health. Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative.
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