The Office collects and analyzes data to monitor the extent of children with special healthcare needs and to review needs and gaps in services. Data analysis is necessary for developing evidence-based programs and to evaluate their effectiveness.

Data sources include: the Census, national and Rhode Island survey data, hospital discharge data, focus groups, and other program data.

Who are Children with Special Healthcare Needs in Rhode Island

The Maternal and Child Health Bureau defines children with special healthcare needs as “children who are at risk for ongoing physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional disorders that require healthcare services beyond those needed by children without such conditions.” According to the 2001 SLAITS National Survey on Children with Special Healthcare Needs, children with special healthcare needs make up 14.1% of Rhode Island’s child population. Based on this percentage, it is estimated that there is currently about 35,000 children with special healthcare needs in Rhode Island.

This estimate is reinforced by Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education data. According to this data, there were 33,632 children age’s 3-21 receiving special education services during the 2002/2003 school year (21% of the total student population). The following table represents a breakdown of these children by their primary disability.

Primary Disability	Number of Children	Percentage of Special Education Population
Emotional Disturbance	3,102	9.2%
Mental Retardation	1,242	3.7%
Autism	605	1.8%
Health Impairment	3,933	11.7%
Learning Disability	15,387	45.8%
Speech Disorder	7,325	21.8%
Developmental Delay	1,176	3.5%
Other	862	2.5%
Total	33,632	100%

Children with special healthcare needs in Rhode Island are a heterogeneous group, varying by the type and severity of their chronic disease or disability. Needs vary based on the age of the child, as well as by differences in the population at large – such as family income, race, ethnicity, primary language, and parents’ educational level.

Children with chronic or disabling conditions are more likely to have limitations in physical, social, emotional or behavioral functioning in comparison with peers of the same age. In Rhode Island, youth with special needs are less likely than their non-disabled peers to finish high school, go on to post-secondary education, find employment, earn an adequate wage, and live independently.

For a more detailed analysis of children with special healthcare needs in Rhode Island, see:

Children with Special Healthcare Needs in Rhode Island May 2008