Introduction to Assessment

Dr. Joan B0bb-Ward

Objectives
1. Understand the purposes of assessment in early
childhood
2. Understand different meanings of the term
assessment
3. Understand the history of tests and measurement
in early childhood
4. Develop an awareness of issues in testing young
children
What is Development?
• Development specifies maturation of functions. It is related to the
maturation and myelination of the nervous system and indicates
acquisition of a variety of skills for optimal functioning of the
individual.
• It is the qualitative and quantitative changes and acquisition of a
variety of competencies for functioning optimally in a social setting.
What is Assessment?
• Assessment is the process of gathering
information about children from several
forms of evidence, then organizing and
interpreting that information.
What does Developmental Assessment
Include?
• Developmental assessment includes:
• Early identification of problems through screening and surveillance
• More definitive assessment include standardized and non-standardized
measures, and integration of information from the developmental,
social, and family history and the medical history and examination.
Goal of Developmental Assessment
• To generate a diagnosis
• To analyze the pattern of strengths and weaknesses in the child,
family, and available developmental, educational, and social support
systems, in order to direct treatment.
• The maturation of central nervous system is characterized by
coordination of motor activity and as infants grow, they respond to
their environment in a purposeful manner with the help of special
senses (acoustic and auditory inputs), integrity of labyrinthine,
vestibular and musculoskeletal systems.
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
Assessment Concerns In Early
Childhood
• Developmental change in young children is rapid
• We need to assess whether development is
progressing typically
• Assessment methods must be matched with the
level of mental, social, and physical development
at each stage
• The maturation of central nervous system is characterized by
coordination of motor activity and as infants grow, they respond to
their environment in a purposeful manner with the help of special
senses.
How do they develop?
• Children achieve neuro-motor milestones of development at predictable
ages within a narrow range of few weeks or months
• Development is dependent upon interaction between innate genetic
potential and environmental factors like emotional security, love and
attention, stimulating home environment, optimal nutrition, ethnic and
cultural factors.
• Neuro-motor retardation may occur due to gestational immaturity,
perinatal hypoxia, birth trauma, metabolic disorders (inborn errors of
metabolism), hypoglycemia, kernicterus, intrauterine infections,
postnatal CNS infections, hypothyroidism, developmental and
chromosomal disorders.
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
Principles of Development
• It is the most distinctive attribute of childhood and is a continuous
process from conception to maturity.
• Development is intimately related to the maturation of central nervous
system.
• The sequence of development is identical in all children but the rate of
development varies from child to child.
• The child with odd-looking face does not necessarily have associated
mental sub normality.
• The attributes like creativity, future potentiality, IQ and mental superiority
cannot be predicted in an individual child by developmental assessment.
Value of Development Assessment For
Parents
• If previous pregnancy miscarriage or stillbirth or proved have mental
or physical disabilities.
• If there was any antenatal problem or difficult delivery.
• Family history of mental challenges, cerebral palsy or other challenge.
For Paediatric Nurse
• When faced with sucking and swallowing problem in neonate, or child
with unusual appearance or behaviour.
• Early diagnosis of defects of hearing or vision.
• Effect of treatment of metabolic disorders, exposure to toxic
substances, convulsions, meningitis.
Appropriate Assessment
• Purpose 1: Assessing to promote children’s
learning and development
• Purpose 2: Identifying children for health and
social services
• Purpose 3: Monitoring trends and evaluating
programs and services
• Purpose 4: Assessing academic achievement
to hold individual students, teachers, and
schools accountable
Some Developmental Assessment Tools
• 1. Gessel Development Tool
• 2. Amiel-Tison Method of Assessment
• 3. Vineland Social Maturity Scale
• 4. Bayley Scales of Infant Development
• 5. Brazelton Neonatal Behaviour Scale
• 6. Vojta Technique
• 7. Denver Developmental Screening Test
• 8. Trivandrum Developmental Screening Chart.
• 9. Baroda Developmental Screening Chart.
• 10. Seguin Form Board
 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)
 Early Childhood
Assessment Measures
• 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)
Developmental Screening
• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children be
screened for developmental delays and disabilities during regular well-
child doctor visits at: 1. 2. 3. 9 months 18 months 24 or 30 months

• Additional screening might be needed if a child is at high risk for

developmental problems due to preterm birth, low birth weight, or
other reasons.
Developmental Screening Developmental
delay
• Occurs in up to 15% of children under 5 years of age.
• speech and language development,
• motor development,
• social-emotional development
• and cognitive development.
• About half of the children with developmental problems are detected before
they begin school.
• Parents are usually the first to see signs of possible developmental delay. They
should always be taken seriously.
• However, the absence of parental concern does not necessarily mean that all is
well.