EARLY CHILDHOOD
ASSESSMENT
Chapter Thirteen
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
UNDERSTAND
•
•
•
•
The importance of early childhood assessment
Legal foundations for assessment procedures
The challenge of early childhood assessment
Working with the family in early childhood
assessment
• Early childhood assessment
Early Childhood Assessment
• Early childhood intervention (a.k.a. early
intervention) is a very important part of the special
education process.
• The goal of early intervention is to derive
information to facilitate decision making with
respect to that individual.
• One problem is that many special educators have
limited, if any, training with the birth to five year
old population.
Six Standards of Assessment Materials
for Use with Young Children
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Authenticity
Convergence
Collaboration
Equity
Sensitivity
Congruence
Legal Foundations for
Assessment Procedures
• PL 94-142: The Education for All
Handicapped Children’s Act
• PL 99-457: Amendment to 94:142
• PL 101-476: re-titled 94:142 to Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
• PL 105-17: IDEA ‘97
The Challenge of
Early Childhood Assessment
Development
• Developmental- having to do with the steps
or stages in the growth of a child
• Factors that can influence a child’s early
developmental course:
– Quality of mother’s or father’s verbalization
– The toys or variety of activities available in the
environment
– The restrictiveness of discipline
– Freedom from danger
Eight Fundamental Goals
1. Determine the eligibility for services and the
appropriateness of alternative environments
2. Identify developmentally appropriate and
functional intervention goals
3. Identify the unique styles, strengths, and
coping strategies of each child
4. Identify parents’ goals for their children and
their needs for themselves
Eight Fundamental Goals
5. Build and reinforce parents’ sense of
competence and worth
6. Develop a shared and integrated perspective
on child and family needs and resources
7. Create a shared commitment to intervention
goals
8. Evaluate the effectiveness of services for
children and families
FIVE STAGES
1. Casefinding/child find
2. Screening
3. Assessment for diagnosis and
determination of eligibility
4. Program planning
5. Program evaluation
IFSP
• Individualized
• Family
• Service
• Plan
SERVICE MODELS
•
•
•
•
•
Home and community-based visits
Facility or center-based visits
Parent-child groups
Family support groups
Group development intervention
Working with the Family in Early
Childhood Assessment
Interview the parents/caregivers- often done
during a home visit.
10 Practical suggestions for special educators
when conducting parent interviews in early
intervention.
Early Childhood
Assessment Measures
• Bayley Scales of Infant Development- 2nd
Edition (BSID-II)
• Preschool Language Scale- 3 (PLS 3)
• Metropolitan Readiness Test – 6th Edition
(MRT-6)
• Boehm Test of Basic Concepts- Revised
(BTBC-R)
• Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS)
Early Childhood
Assessment Measures
• The Preschool Evaluation Scales (PES)
• Kindergarten Readiness Test (KRT)
• DeGangi-Berk Test of Sensory Integration
(TSI)
• The Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI)
• Columbia Mental Maturity Scale (CMMS)
• McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities
(MSCA)
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
UNDERSTAND
•
•
•
•
The importance of early childhood assessment
Legal foundations for assessment procedures
The challenge of early childhood assessment
Working with the family in early childhood
assessment
• Early childhood assessment
THE
END