DepEd Order 23: Child Find Policy for Learners with Disabilities Towards Inclusive Education

In the Philippines, children with disabilities often skip or never attend school due to the restrictions of their conditions. Their parents/guardians may face difficulties in finding educational institutions that accommodate learners with disabilities or developmental delays. That’s why the Department of Education (DepEd) launched a Special Education Program for these learners to ensure those living with disabilities will receive applicable and sufficient services to complete their studies. The department also issued DepEd Order 23, series 2022, to assist in locating learners with disabilities and provide fair and accessible education.

Also Read: Brigada Pagbasa Program

Apart from that, DepEd mandates its personnel and teachers to administer the comprehensive Child Find implementation. The policy also revised the DO 72, s 2009, also known as the Inclusive Education as Strategy for Increasing Participation Rate of Children, DO, 3 s 2018, the Basic Education Enrollment Policy, and DO 27, 2019, or the Guidelines on the Yearly Collection of Data/Information Requirements and Validation Processes). Therefore, all concerned should conform to the guidelines specified in this policy to assist learners with disabilities.

DepEd Order 23 Child Find Policy for Learners with Disabilities Towards Inclusive Education

What is DepEd Order 23

The Department of Education issued the DepEd Order (DO) 23, series (s.) 2022, on May 25, 2022, titled the “Child Find Policy for Learners with Disabilities Towards Inclusive Education.” In compliance with the Republic Act (RA) 10533 Section 8, known as the Enhanced Basic  Education Act of 2013, DepEd adopts inclusiveness to address the Child Find Policy for Learners with Disabilities (LWDs) Towards Inclusive Education.

It articulates the processes to ensure learners with disabilities are recognized, discovered, and assessed to streamline their inclusion in the Child Find Process implementation. The advocacy of this policy is to promote collaboration among stakeholders within communities for children with disability and developmental delays. It will also guide DepEd personnel and teachers in implementing the comprehensive Child Find program.

Also Read: List of Attached Agencies under DepEd

Scope

DepEd Order 23, series 2023, covers children aged 5 to 24 years old who are observed to exhibit developmental delays or are diagnosed with disabilities and require special education and other related services in public and private schools that offer basic education, including learners in the Alternative Learning System (ALS), Muslim Education Program, Indigenous Peoples Education, community learning centers (CLCs), and Out of School Youth/Children.

Child Find Policy for Learners with Disabilities Towards Inclusive Education

Procedures

Child Find Program

The Child Find Program is a process of locating and gathering basic data on children at risk or those with disabilities. It aims to streamline registration and attendance at school. Also, schools should administer the program before the early enrolment registration. To conform with the Early Enrollment Policy of DepEd, schools must strive to register and encourage Out of School Children and Youth (OSCY) to actively partake in the community, identified as disadvantaged and marginalized learners, including those who are living:

  • With disability/ies, difficulty/ies, or living in an off-grid/far-flung community
  • Barangay without a school or in a geographically isolated area
  • Displaced due to natural disaster
  • Armed conflict areas or with high levels of criminality/drug abuse
  • With chronic illness or nutritional problems
  • Victims of child abuse or economic exploitation
  • Stateless/undocumented
  • In conflict with the law
  • Living on the streets
  • No longer in school but interested in returning to their study

Also Read: Physical Education (PE) in Schools and Its Importance

Attending school but not receiving adequate educational and social services

Child Find Activities

1. Disability Advocacy Campaign

a. Inter-agency Coordination

DepEd acknowledges that a family will require support, healthcare access, targeted allied health/rehabilitative services, and social care for Children and Youth with Disabilities (CYWDs) and developmental delays. Inter-agency coordination with national and local counterparts involved in health, social welfare, development, other service providers, and non-government organizations is vital for implementing Child Find activities.

b. Raising Awareness

Under the Child Find program, DepEd will continue activities promoting a positive view of disability. Thus, schools should implement activities on disability awareness and motivate partner LGUs and organizations to enact initiatives that will benefit children with disabilities.

2. Locating 

To boost the participation and inclusion of all learners, especially those with disabilities in public schools, teachers should locate children who have never been to school by coordinating with the Barangay in conducting home visits or implementing school visits of the parent/guardian and child during enrollment. Meanwhile, teachers of children already in school but having difficulties should endorse and prepare a short report for the concern about the learner. Also, teachers should list the located children and adhere to the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173) when handling enrollment data and screening of learners.

3. Screening

If the child exhibits any disability or developmental delay, learners should undergo screening to confirm their diagnosis. It will also help verify their medical condition and apply appropriate intervention for school-age children. Based on DO 29, s 2018 (Policy on the Implementation of the Multi-Factored Assessment Tool), MFAT should be utilized for screening. It can help determine the learner’s developmental delays, strengths, and weaknesses.

DepEd Order 23 Child Find Policy for Learners with Disabilities Towards Inclusive Education

Enrolment Data Management

The following are the classification of learners in the Learners Information System (LIS):

A. For learners diagnosed by licensed medical specialists:

  • Visual Impairment
  • Hearing Impairment
  • Learning Disability
  • Intellectual Disability
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Emotional-Behavioral Disorder
  • Orthopedic/Physical Handicap
  • Speech/Language Disorder
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Special Health Problem/Chronic Disease
  • Multiple Disabilities

B. Learners without Medical Diagnosis but exhibit the following disabilities as per the International Classification of Functioning (ICF):

  • Difficulty in Seeing
  • Difficulty in Hearing
  • Difficulty in Basic Learning and Applying Knowledge
  • Difficulty in Remembering, Concentrating, Paying Attention, and Understanding
  • Difficulty in Applying Adaptive Skills
  • Difficulty in Displaying Interpersonal Behavior
  • Difficulty in Mobility (Walking, Climbing, and Grasping)
  • Difficulty in Communicating

DepEd Order 23 Full Memo Download

To access and download the complete PDF of DepEd Order No. 23, series of 2022, a direct link is available on this page. By clicking the download button below, you can easily obtain a copy of DepEd Order 23 in PDF format.

Full PDF DepEd 23 memo file: https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/DO_s2022_023.pdf

Summary

Despite the challenges encountered by parents and guardians of children with disabilities and developmental delays, DepEd Order 23, series 2022, will make it possible for all learners to access basic education for free, regardless of their life and health conditions. These guidelines can help public schools implement the Child Find Program and its activities to ensure learners who require special education and other essential services can access them and actively join the enrolment and attendance. It will also raise awareness in the community, making it easier to locate, screen, and endorse learners.

 By issuing this policy, each governance level in public schools can follow these guidelines to effectively implement the Child Find program and activities, ensuring children aged 5 to 24 are diagnosed or exhibit developmental delays. These learners require special education and related services for educational programs under the K to 12 Basic Education Program. DepEd Order 23, series 2022, also adheres to DepEd Order 6, 2006, titled the Policies and Guidelines for Special Education at the Secondary Level. Hence, Filipino learners living with disabilities and exhibiting developmental delays will benefit from this policy.

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