Facilitating coordination between medical and educational systems to improve access to pediatric therapies for preschool children with developmental delays and disabilities.

Introduction: A large portion of preschool-age children with developmental delays and disabilities (PCw/DD) do not receive recommended therapeutic services, including legally mandated school-based therapies. This study examines the feasibility of a community-clinical linkage using virtual patient navigation and a medical-educational care plan called Preschool and Me (PreM) to connect clinical settings serving historically marginalized communities with early childhood special education (ECSE) services.

Method: Parents of PCw/DD attending an urban pediatric clinic from January to March 2022 were enrolled to receive PreM which included navigation support for ECSE, overcoming barriers accessing ECSE, and health care provider communication.