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Child Find: Before the Screening

How Do I Know If My Child Needs to Be Screened?

Identifying potential problems early and addressing these concerns can be a very effective way to avoid later educational problems. Having a concern about a child's development or behavior is a sufficient reason to have a screening completed. However, the following list of behaviors are warning signs of potential problems that might help parents decide if their child needs to be screened or if a preschool should refer parents to Child Find. It is important to remember that many typical children display these behaviors, so after reviewing these behaviors answer the questions that follow.

Skills and Behaviors:

Difficulty interacting appropriately with peers and/or adults--Avoids playing with other children, or interacts in negative ways with others - the child stays away from other children, always plays alone, leaves a group during activities, bites, hits, bullies, does not accept direction, is considered "hard to manage," destroys materials or toys deliberately, and/or has temper tantrums.

Difficulty understanding language-- the child does not seem to understand others, has trouble following directions, turns away while others are talking and seems uninterested.

Difficulty using language-- the child has difficulty expressing his/her ideas or the child has difficulty putting words together to express a complete thought or idea.

Repetitive behavior-- the child repeats unusual movements or words over and over, and cannot stop this behavior on his/her own.

Restless; excessive activity level-- short attention span; unable to concentrate, the child moves around constantly, fidgets, does not seem to move with a purpose, may disrupt activity of other children. The child is not able to concentrate long enough to complete an activity.
Important - Child Find cannot diagnose Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD). These are medical diagnoses.

Speech difficulties-- the child has difficulty making clear speech sounds, is unable to speak to be understood, has difficulty with the flow of speech, uses an unusually loud, soft, high, or low voice, chooses not to speak, and/or echoes others' speech without using the words in a meaningful way.

Temperamental, overly sensitive, sad, or irritable - the child seems moody, depressed, unhappy, or shows extreme emotions and feelings.

Delays in reaching major developmental milestones- the child does not sit, crawl, walk, talk, etc. at the expected time. Please refer to the Chart of Typical Child Development since concerns about these skills are related to the age of the child.

Questions: Please use the following questions with the above list of skills and behaviors (or other concerns) to help you determine the nature and extent of the problem:

• Do the child's behaviors or skills differ significantly from his/her peers?
• Does the child's problem behavior occur frequently and persistently?
• Has the child's behavior occurred over a long period of time?
• If you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, you may want to call Child Find to schedule an appointment for a developmental screening.

Who Can Be Screened by Fairfax County Preschool Child Find?

Children who:

• are between the ages of 20 months (and will turn 2 by no later than September 30th) and 5 years
• reside in Fairfax County or Fairfax City
• have parents with concerns about their development

If your child is younger than 20 months and/or will not turn 2 by no later than September 30th: Call Infant and Toddler Connection (Early Intervention Services 703-246-7121)

If your child will turn 5 between March 1st and September 30, or is older than 5 years: Call your base elementary school principal.

Click here for further information regarding developmental warning signs to help decide whether to have a child screened

Where do I have my child screened?

Preschool Child Find has two centers in Fairfax County where screenings are completed. The Devonshire Child Find is located in Falls Church, Virginia. Lorton Child Find is located in Lorton, Virginia . If you are unsure which center to contact, use the map to determine closest site to your home.

Devonshire Preschool Child Find:
2831 Graham Road
Falls Church, Virginia 22042
(703) 876-5244

Directions to Devonshire Preschool Child Find:
1. I-495 to Rt. 50 East
2. Turn left on Graham Rd. Proceed for 0.8 mile.
3. Turn right into Devonshire Center Child Find.
4. The Child Find office is located in Room 20.
map to Devonshire Preschool Child Find.

Lorton Child Find:
8101 Lorton Road
Lorton, Virginia 2279
(703) 446-2100
map to Lorton Child find

Directions to Lorton Preschool Child Find:
From I-95 South
1. I-95 South
2. Take the exit to Lorton Rd, Exit 163.
3. At the bottom of the exit ramp, drive straight across Lorton Rd. into the Child Find parking lot next to a red brick school building.

Traveling East on the Fairfax County Parkway from Fairfax:
1. Traveling East on the Parkway, take the exit for Hooes Rd.
2. At the first traffic light at the top of the exit ramp, take a right on Hooes Rd.
3. Turn left on Silverbrook Rd.
4. Turn left on Lorton Rd.
5. Turn right into the Child Find parking lot immediately after turning onto Lorton Rd. before going under the I-95 overpass.

Traveling West on the Fairfax County Parkway from Springfield:
1. Traveling west on the Parkway, take the exit for Hooes Rd South.
2. At the first traffic light at the top of the exit ramp, take a left on Hooes Rd.
3. Turn left on Silverbrook Rd.
4. Turn left on Lorton Rd.
5. Turn right into the Child Find parking lot immediately after turning onto Lorton Rd. before going under the I-95 overpass.

From Rt. 1:
1. Traveling south on Rt. 1, turn right on Lorton Rd.
2. Continue under train overpass where the road narrows to one lane, and under I-95 overpass.
3. Turn left into the Child Find parking lot located next to a red brick school building.

How do I get an appointment to have a child screened?

Parents with concerns about a child may call Child Find to schedule an appointment. Preschool staff who have concerns about a child must discuss this with the parents, and then encourage the parents to call.

If you reside in Fairfax County and would like to make an appointment for a free screening for your child, locate which location would be closer to your home. Then, call the Child Find office listed below that serves your area:

Appointments are scheduled for a 1 hour 15 minute period, Monday through Friday. Appointments are offered beginning at 8:45 a.m.

What if my child has a current evaluation from another agency?

If your child has a current developmental evaluation from another agency (such as another school system or a program serving infants and toddlers), call the Child Find offices listed below to find out which one serves your location. Staff will be able to provide you with appropriate information regarding forwarding testing results and reports and other procedures.