As a companion survey to the National Immunization Survey (NIS), the National Survey of Children with Special Healthcare Needs (NS-CSHCN) provides estimates of the number and characteristics of children with special health care needs at a state and national level.  Sponsored by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau and coordinated through the National Center for Health Statistics, the NS-CSHCN was a seven-quarter survey that began in April, 2005 and ran through February, 2007.  Final data and documentation were delivered in May of 2007.

The survey screened over 360,000 children for special health care needs and completed nearly 41,000 interviews with families of CSHCN, covering a minimum of 740 CSHCN under the age of 18 in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, approximately 6,000 interviews were conducted in a national referent sample. Interviews were conducted with parents or guardians who reported themselves knowledgeable about the selected child's health care.  Interviews were conducted in English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Data were collected through the State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey (SLAITS) mechanism, which takes advantage of the extensive work required by the NIS to screen households to identify the small number with NIS age-eligible children.  The SLAITS interview was conducted once the NIS interview was complete or upon determination that the household was ineligible for the NIS.

In March of 2008, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau released the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs Chartbook 2005-2006, which provides both national and state-level data on children with special health care needs.

Findings include:

• 10.2 million children in the United States have special health care needs; that number represents 14 percent of all U.S children.
• More than a fifth of U.S households with children have at least one child with special needs. Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) are defined as having or being at risk for chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions that have lasted or are expected to last at least 12 months.
• 16 percent of CSHCN are reported to not receive all the services they need;
• More than 94 percent of CSHCN have a regular source of care when they are sick. For 78 percent this is a private doctor's office; for 13 percent it is a clinic or health center; and for almost 4 percent it is another setting.
• 12 percent of families required mental health care or counseling related to the child's medical, behavioral or other health conditions; and
• 24 percent of families reported that a parent had to stop working or cut work hours to care for their children.
  
  

To request a copy of the chartbook, please contact the HRSA Information Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-HRSA or 703-442-9051 or visit the website at http://ask.hrsa.gov.