CIP targets eight areas of development:

• Cognitive–Verbal
• Perceptual Motor
• Gross Motor
• Speech and Expressive Language
• Hearing
• Vision
• Social/Affective Behavior
• Medical History


The Comprehensive Identification Process (CIP) is a screening program which identifies children between the ages of 2 and 6 1/2 years of age who may need special medical, psychological, or educational assistance to function at their highest possible level upon entering school. It offers an efficient means of identifying these children and helps meet the Child Find Requirements of PL99-457. CIP is built on research which indicates that early detection and treatment can prevent small challenges from developing into major ones.

Children do not receive numerical scores when a CIP screening is completed. The screening is designed to generate results that lead to alternative recommendations, such as a vision test or a complete medical examination. By making alternative recommendations, CIP:

• prevents the labeling of a child before a complete evaluation
• prevents the comparison of children’s scores
• permits the consideration of overall behavior rather than the consideration of one or two scores

CIP may be administered in the home or at a central location. Screenings can be done by trained paraprofessionals as long as early childhood professionals provide supervision. Suggestions for dealing with diverse populations are included.