Children With Special Health Care Needs in Context

This book uses the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) to report on recent findings on children with special health care needs (CSHCN) in the United States. The NSCH provides a unique view of CSHCN in the context of where they live, play and go to school. It also allows comparisons to children without special health care needs. Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) are defined in the National Survey of Children's Health as those who have one or more chronic physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional conditions for which they require an above routine type or amount of health and related services. Based on this definition of CSHCN, as set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), recent data show that 14-19 percent of children in the United States have a special health care need, representing over 1 in 5 households with children. The 2007 NSCH is a national, parent-reported telephone survey sponsored with funding and direction from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau and conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. The survey, also conducted in 2003 and again in 2011, provides a consistent source of data on the health, community and family related experiences of children with and without special health care needs in the nation and in each state. The 2007 version of the NSCH represents the most recent national and state representative data about CSHCN and children without special health care needs (non-CSHCN). All of the estimates presented here are based on parents' reports, and only those differences that are statistically significant are included. A technical description of the survey methodology is available at www.childhealthdata.org. Children with special health care needs come from all racial and ethnic groups, ages, and family income levels. CSHCN encompass a wide variety of health conditions, with most children having more than one condition. All CSHCN require special health care services for one or more ongoing health conditions. However, these children naturally vary in their functional abilities. Nearly all CSHCN experience some type of functional difficulty. Yet, many are nonetheless able to participate in daily activities like other children their age, while others are significantly affected by their conditions.