©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 10Assessment and the IFSP/IEP Process
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Assessment of Young Children
• There are six interrelated steps:– Screening– Determining eligibility– Determining services– Planning the program– Monitoring progress– Evaluating the program
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Assessment of Young Children (continued)
• Criterion-referenced assessment– A child’s progress is measured against a
preset standard.– These are helpful in planning.– The child is not compared to other children.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Assessment of Young Children (continued)
• Norm-referenced tests– A child is compared to other children of the
same age.– These are not as helpful with young children.– It is used as a screening process to begin
further testing.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Assessment of Young Children (continued)
• IQ tests– Most are norm-referenced.– The purpose is to attempt to determine how
much a child knows, how well the child solves problems, and how quickly a child can perform a variety of mental tasks.
– Scores should be used with caution.– High scores as a young child are not a
determining factor of future intelligence.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
The Process of Early Identification
• Case finding– Identifying children early to prevent further
developmental delays– Child Find
• Established in the 1960s• To publicize information to families on disability
services and where to find help
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
The Process of Early Identification (continued)
• Screening– This is a process to identify children.– It uses low-cost, easily administered tests to
identify children.– Screening tests need to be reliable and valid.– Results are not a diagnosis.– Follow-through is essential.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
The Process of Early Identification (continued)
• Partnerships with families– Listen to the parents.– Parents know their child best and usually see
a problem first.– Ignoring parents can only delay a diagnosis
and early intervention.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
The Process of Early Identification (continued)
• Cultural, ethnic, and linguistic differences– Assessment must be conducted in a child’s native
language.– Assessments must be designed for use in the native
language, not just translated.– Assessments should be given by a cultural mediator,
fluent in both languages.– Multiple forms of information should be collected.– Test items should measure a child’s strengths and
weaknesses.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
The Process of Early Identification (continued)
• Types of screening instruments– DIAL 3– Denver II– ESI-R– ASQSE
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
The Process of Early Identification (continued)
• Who does the screening?– Professionals and paraprofessionals screen.– Depending on the screening, a certain level of
training may be required.– Little training is required for the Snellen Eye
Screening, but specialized training is required for a hearing screening.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
The Process of Early Identification (continued)
• Limitations of screening– It is only a snapshot of the child at that time.– The child was probably in a new place with
new people and had difficulty focusing.– Use results to begin the evaluation process.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Teachers’ Role in Early Identification
• Teachers’ qualifications– Teachers see the children daily and
understand child development.– They are trained to notice the differences in
development.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Teachers’ Role in Early Identification (continued)
• Teacher as observer– The teacher is trained to observe all children
and record what they see.– They are able to note differences in daily
interactions as well as see problems over the long run.
– Teachers use facts when recording observations and not opinions or subjective statements.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Teachers’ Role in Early Identification (continued)
• Systematic observations– Teachers need to develop a system to collect
observation data.– All observations should include:
• Child’s name• Date and time• Setting• Initials of observer
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Types of Observations
• Checklists– This is a list of skills in which the observer
records whether the child can or cannot do a skill.
– Often this is done throughout the day, not in a contrived setting.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Types of Observations (continued)
• Frequency counts– These are tally marks collected every time a
child does a behavior.
• Duration measures– When a behavior occurs, the observer notes
the time and then notes the time when the behavior ends.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Types of Observations (continued)
• Anecdotal notes– These are short, concise notes taken about a
child while doing an activity.– These notes then are turned into recording
that a parent can read and comment on.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Types of Observations (continued)
• Running record– This is a narrative recording of everything a
child did, said, and responded to.– They involve complete concentration of the
observer on the one child.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Types of Observations (continued)
• Logs, journals, and diaries– These are similar to running records, yet not
as formal.– A teacher may use these for one-on-one
planning.– Notes to teacher not necessarily to be shared
with parents.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Types of Observations (continued)
• Time sampling– Brief, periodic observations to determine the
presence or absence of a behavior
• Language samples– Verbatim recordings of what the child says or
what sounds the child makes
• Portfolio assessment– Samples of the child’s work collected over the
year
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Types of Observations (continued)
• Cautionary notes for teachers– Avoid making diagnoses.– Avoid labeling a child.– Avoid jumping to conclusions.– Develop a good relationship with families.– Listen carefully.– Make careful judgments.– Be culturally sensitive.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Family Service Plan
• The IFSP is designed to work with families of infants and toddlers with disabilities to identify priorities, resources, and concerns.
• Family is a key component.• Services are decided, and parents are given
support to utilize these services.• A service coordinator evaluates the processes
and ensures that the IFSP is working.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Family Service Plan (continued)
• Pre-referral and case conferencing– A parent and teacher meet to discuss
concerns, both share information, and a decision is made as to whether further screening is necessary.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Family Service Plan (continued)
• Identification of needs– Children are screened to see where they are
developmentally.– Strengths as well as concerns are noted.– Family input is given into prioritizing the
findings.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Family Service Plan (continued)
• Non-intrusiveness– The law protects families’ privacy by not
allowing professionals to ask questions that invade their cultural beliefs and practices.
– Families should not feel like they are in the hot seat through this process.
– They should instead feel like a vital member of the team.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Family Service Plan (continued)
• IFSP evaluation– It must be evaluated at least once a year.– Changes are made to goals that have been
met, and goals not met are re-evaluated for the new year.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Family Service Plan (continued)
• Service coordination– The service coordinator aligns all the services
and serves as the mediator between the professionals and the parents.
– Their job is also to help a parent find transportation to services needed by the child.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Family Service Plan (continued)
• Parents as service coordinators– Parents should be praised if they want this
role.– Training is required.– Leadership is a needed skill to help their child
in the future, so encourage parents to take this step now.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Family Service Plan (continued)
• Program-to-program transition– The law requires that planning for a new
program is written into the child’s IFSP.– It should be as smooth as possible, and
parents should have input.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Education Program
• IEP is the educational plan for students once they reach the school system.
• It looks more at the academic component than any other developmental domain.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Education Program (continued)
• The IEP team– Made up of professionals from various
disciplines– Parents– Child’s teacher– An IEP team—multidisciplinary,
transdisciplinary, or interdisciplinary
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Education Program (continued)
• Requirements of the IEP– Based on developmentally valid,
nondiscriminatory assessment information.– List child’s present level of functioning.– Identify short-term objectives and long-term
goals.– Specify the services to be provided and dates.– Ensure accountability.– Identify where and when services will be
provided.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Education Program (continued)
• Assessment– Must be done over a period of time– Must include more than one assessment
showing a disability– Is used as a piece of the puzzle to identify
areas of need for the child
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Education Program (continued)
• Long-term or annual goals– These are broad goals to accomplish
throughout the year.– They are specific to that child.
• Short-term objectives– These are the ministeps that will be taken to
achieve the long-term goals.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Education Program (continued)
• Specific services to be provided– Any specialized services that the child will
need are listed here.– They may be a PT, OT, SLT.– It should also list where the services will take
place.• Pull out• Naturalistic intervention
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Education Program (continued)
• Projected dates for service– The dates that the child will begin receiving
services is noted.– Also the ending date or re-evaluation date is
included.– It is required that a child be re-evaluated to
determine whether services are still needed or whether a change in services is needed.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Education Program (continued)
• Discipline– A child with a disability cannot be suspended
from services for more than ten days.– If behavior is an issue, a functional behavior
plan can also be developed as part of the IEP.
©2012 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.
Individualized Education Program (continued)
• Evaluation– At least once a year a child’s IEP needs to be
evaluated and new goals written for the new year or old goals revised.
– Every three years the child is re-evaluated to determine if services are still necessary.