INFANT TODDLER ASSESSMENT Mary Ann Ellis EdS Madonna University Bronfenbrenner 1979 Traditional Assessment..the strange behavior of children in strange situations with strange adults for the briefest possible periods of time. Screening Is a brief, formal assessment process where we take a quick look to see if further evaluation is needed Not to be used for eligibility or diagnostics Professional administered or parent completed 1
Types of Infant/Toddler Assessment Screening Authentic Performance Based Diagnostic Evaluation Early On Comprehensive Evaluation Recommended Screening Tools Michigan Department of Education Early On Reference Bulletin No. 11 March 24, 2011 Ages and Stages Questionnaire Child Development Inventories, The Ounce Scale Birth to Three Assessment and Intervention System 2 nd Edition (Btais-2) Screening Test of Developmental Abilities Battelle Developmental Inventory Screening test Brigance Screens Denver Developmental Screening Test II Developmental Profile 3 ESP: Early Screening Profiles Infant-Toddler and Family Assessment Devereaux Early Childhood Assessment program Modified- Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) PEDS: Developmental Milestones for children zero to eight years http://eotta.ccresa.org/files/pdf/mde_bulletins/screening_refere nce_bulletin_march_2011.pdf Authentic Performance Based Assessment Young children must be assessed individually by adults they know in realistic settings and situations that reflect children s actual performance. Inappropriate assessment can be harmful to young children. NAEYC Position Statement on Assessment: http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements/cape 2
Assessment is not about evaluation but about getting info True authentic based assessment would occur in a natural setting over a period of time by means of systematic observation The intent is to know a child s development, learning styles and skills so we can determine what the child can do and be able to provide learning experiences for the next set of skills ResultsMatter,Video library http://www.cde.state.co.us/resultsmatter/rmvideoseries.htm Early Intervention-Authentic Assessment in Early Intervention http://www.cde.state.co.us/resultsmatter/rmvideoseries_earlyintervention.htm#top Best Practice: Seeing the Child in the context of Family 3
Development is a Transactional Process Sensory processing Muscle tone Genetics EEG & GI functioning Biological Makeup Parenting Patterns Personality traits Parental reactivity Depression/anxiety Beliefs/fears/fantasies Ease with emotions Socioeconomics of the family Family Structure Home arrangements Allergens Noise levels Environs Cultural Practices View of disability Gender beliefs Child rearing customs Religious beliefs Routines Based Assessment Developed at Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Family Research Program Robin McWilliam http://www.siskin.org/www/docs/112.190/ LeeAnn Jung, Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education, University of Kentucky http://yec.sagepub.com/content/9/2/2.extract Case Example Diagnostic Evaluation Evaluation is a comprehensive procedure where specific criterion or norm-referenced instruments are used by qualified personnel to obtain a score for the purpose of identification of unique needs, diagnosis or eligibility for service Must provide a more comprehensive view of the child s functioning than Screening Must have fixed procedures of administration, scoring, standard materials and instructions 4
Early On Comprehensive Evaluation What is Early On? The delivery of services in Michigan for children from birth to three years of age who have developmental delays and or established conditions www.1800earlyon.org Michigan s comprehensive plan for Part C of Public Law 108-446 IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 http://eotta.ccresa.org/news.php?id=171 Developmental delay Established Conditions Eligibility for Early On http://eotta.ccresa.org/files/pdf/mde _Bulletins/Reference_Bulletin_10_Eligibility%20Determination.pdf Developmental Delay Children from birth through 2 years of age whose development is delayed by 20% in one or more of the following areas: 1. Cognitive 2. Communication 3. Social/emotional 4. Adaptive/Self-Help 5. Physical including vision and hearing 5
Approved Evaluation Instruments Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID II) Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of early Development Revised Infant-Toddler Developmental Assessment (IDA) Early Intervention Developmental Profile (EIDP) Hawaii Early Learning Profiles (HELP)/HELP Strands Established Conditions Children from birth through age two who have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay http://eotta.ccresa.org/files/pdf/mde _Bulletins/Reference_Bulletin_10_Eligibility%20Determination.pdf Establish Condition Categories The categories of established conditions are (but not limited to): 1. Chromosomal anomaly/genetic disorder 2. Neurological disorder 3. Congenital malformation 4. Inborn error of metabolism 5. Sensory disorder 6. Atypical developmental disorder 7. Severe toxic exposure 8. Chronic illness 9. Severe infectious disease 6
Evaluations/Reports Limited in how we follow recommended practices for Infant Toddler Assessment when we are looking for eligibility for Early On 1. Diagnostic nature requires standardization 2. Timeline of 45 days 3. Actual written law requiring formal assessment http://eotta.ccresa.org/files/pdf/mde_bulletins/reference_bulletin _7_Comp_Evaluations.pdf Early On Authentic Assessment Components Natural environment Several sources of information Parent child observation including recommended practice of parent participation in evaluation Parental input of developmental history and concerned Option of Informed Clinical Opinion (ICO) Comprehensive Evaluations/Integrative Reports Comprehensive evaluations must contain: 1. Developmental history which includes medical history 2. Parent-child observation 3. Recent health status report that is with 3 months for children 0-18 months and within 6 months for children 18 months through 2 years old 4. An appropriate formal evaluation measure. 7
Integrative Report Descriptive info re: agency, child and evaluator Referral/ Evaluation info re: who, what, where and why Developmental & Health History Observational discoveries Developmental levels & descriptions Summary Recommendations re: eligibility including parental concerns etc. Signatures and titles of evaluators Integrative Reports Template.doc Informed Clinical Opinion Informed opinion (e.g. clinical judgment)is a recommended practice authorized in the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) to (1) document the often unrecognized capabilities and subtle dimensions of the development and behavior infants and toddlers with special needs (Neisworth,Bagnato 2011) Guidelines for ICO Used for determining eligibility based on developmental delay regarding difficult to measure aspects of current developmental status and the potential need for early intervention 8
ICO is used for Children whose age is under 2 months and therefore a 20% delay is difficult to measure Children over 2 months when delay is suspected but traditional tools do not show the delay. ICO Is not a means to circumvent the eligibility criteria for Early On A multidisciplinary team must synthesize and interpret information from 1. Clinical Interview with parents 2. Evaluation of the child at play 3. Observation of the parent-child interaction 4. Information of the caregivers that spend significant time with the child 5. Neurodevelopmental and other physical examinations 6. Additional psychometric and diagnostic data ICO An ICO must: 1. Be compiled into a written integrative report 2. Identify what sources of information were used 3. Identify who provided the information 4. Identify the estimated % of delay 5. Contain recommendations related to the IFSP 6. Be attached to the IFSP(to ensure it is captured as part of the IFSP development) 9
Student Assignments/Activities to Develop Skill Base Observation of video clips to take anecdotal notes and score on sections of assessments or evaluations Observation/participation in sample assessment as a group in class including writing integrative report Developmental observational assessment or evaluation/report of a young child Play based evaluation and plan of action of a young child with unique needs in a classroom Resources WEBINAR ON ASSESSMENT RESOURCES Thank you for attending Presenter: Mary Ann Ellis EdS Infant/Toddler Developmental Specialist Madonna University Early Childhood Education maeinmaine@aol.com (734) 729-7247 For further information: Early On Training and Technical Assistance www.eotta.ccresa.org & Early on Center for Higher Education www.earlyoncenter.org Or call: 866.334.5437 10