Growth Abnormalities, Identification, and Evaluation in Early Childhood
EDSP 5335
PPCD
Under IDEA “eligible” children with disabilities, ages 3-21, are entitled to receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). The public school program for young children, ages 3-5, is called the Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD).
An Admissions, Review and Dismissal (ARD) meeting will be held to determine a child qualifies for special education services. The ARD committee – which includes school administrators, other school professionals, diagnosticians, teachers and the child’s parents – considers the following:
*aptitude and achievements tests,
*parent input
*teacher recommendations
*health conditions (including vision and hearing)
*social or cultural background
*adaptive behavior.
If your child is eligible for public school and his or her third birthday falls during the school year, services will begin the day your preschooler turns three. If your child’s birthday falls during the summer, the ARD committee may decide to implement the IEP through Extended School Year (ESY) services (which is similar to “summer school”) or wait until the beginning of the next school year.
More information on the PPCD program can be found at:
An Admissions, Review and Dismissal (ARD) meeting will be held to determine a child qualifies for special education services. The ARD committee – which includes school administrators, other school professionals, diagnosticians, teachers and the child’s parents – considers the following:
*aptitude and achievements tests,
*parent input
*teacher recommendations
*health conditions (including vision and hearing)
*social or cultural background
*adaptive behavior.
If your child is eligible for public school and his or her third birthday falls during the school year, services will begin the day your preschooler turns three. If your child’s birthday falls during the summer, the ARD committee may decide to implement the IEP through Extended School Year (ESY) services (which is similar to “summer school”) or wait until the beginning of the next school year.
More information on the PPCD program can be found at:
Disabilities in Early Childhood
Sensory Registration and Processing Disorders:
Children with sensory integration problems have trouble organizing and interpreting sensory information. Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) covers disorders with auditory, tactile, proprioception, vestibular, visual, gustatory, and olfactory issues.
Cerebral Palsy:
A group of non-progressive disorders of movement and posture that result in activity limitations, caused by a disturbance to the developing brain before birth or during infancy. More information can be found at this link.
Traumatic Brain Injury:
The leading cause of death and disability in children in the United States. The most common causes of TBI are motor vehicle accidents, falls, and abuse. In general children experience difficulties in 3 major areas: physical, cognitive, and behavioral-emotional. More information can be found at this link.
Spina Bifida:
Also known as Myelodysplasia, spina bifida is a type of neural tube defect that includes an incomplete closure of the fetus's spine during early fetal development. This can lead to hydrocephalus which can cause bowel and bladder incontinence issues or have full or partial paralysis. More information can be found here.
Duchenne's Muscular Distrophy:
One of the most common neuromuscular disorders. It is inherited through the mother and affects mostly males. It is a degenerative disorder that can be noticed when a child begins to lose skills that they had previously accomplished. More information can be found here.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy:
An inherited autosomal recessive disorder that affects the anterior horn cell of the spinal cord which is the area that send impulses to the muscles. When there are no electrical impulses to the muscles, they will atrophy. More information can be found here.
Down Syndrome:
A genetic disorder that results from a chromosomal abnormality causing a number of physical and cognitive anomalies. Children with Down Syndrome usually have low muscle tone, short stature, and an intellectual disability. More information can be found here.
Autism Spectrum Disorders:
Deficits in communication and social interactions are the main signs that a child may suffer from an autism spectrum disorder. Many sensory issues can occur in conjunction with autism spectrum disorders and can range from severe to very mild. More information can be found here.
Hearing and Visual Impairments:
Hearing and visual impairments can affect many children. Specialized services are available to children with these disorders. More information on visual impairments and hearing impairments can be found at the links.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:
Some children suffer from an inability to focus themselves and have an increase in energy that is more than other children. These children may suffer from ADHD.
Children with sensory integration problems have trouble organizing and interpreting sensory information. Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) covers disorders with auditory, tactile, proprioception, vestibular, visual, gustatory, and olfactory issues.
Cerebral Palsy:
A group of non-progressive disorders of movement and posture that result in activity limitations, caused by a disturbance to the developing brain before birth or during infancy. More information can be found at this link.
Traumatic Brain Injury:
The leading cause of death and disability in children in the United States. The most common causes of TBI are motor vehicle accidents, falls, and abuse. In general children experience difficulties in 3 major areas: physical, cognitive, and behavioral-emotional. More information can be found at this link.
Spina Bifida:
Also known as Myelodysplasia, spina bifida is a type of neural tube defect that includes an incomplete closure of the fetus's spine during early fetal development. This can lead to hydrocephalus which can cause bowel and bladder incontinence issues or have full or partial paralysis. More information can be found here.
Duchenne's Muscular Distrophy:
One of the most common neuromuscular disorders. It is inherited through the mother and affects mostly males. It is a degenerative disorder that can be noticed when a child begins to lose skills that they had previously accomplished. More information can be found here.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy:
An inherited autosomal recessive disorder that affects the anterior horn cell of the spinal cord which is the area that send impulses to the muscles. When there are no electrical impulses to the muscles, they will atrophy. More information can be found here.
Down Syndrome:
A genetic disorder that results from a chromosomal abnormality causing a number of physical and cognitive anomalies. Children with Down Syndrome usually have low muscle tone, short stature, and an intellectual disability. More information can be found here.
Autism Spectrum Disorders:
Deficits in communication and social interactions are the main signs that a child may suffer from an autism spectrum disorder. Many sensory issues can occur in conjunction with autism spectrum disorders and can range from severe to very mild. More information can be found here.
Hearing and Visual Impairments:
Hearing and visual impairments can affect many children. Specialized services are available to children with these disorders. More information on visual impairments and hearing impairments can be found at the links.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:
Some children suffer from an inability to focus themselves and have an increase in energy that is more than other children. These children may suffer from ADHD.
Assessment in Early Childhood
Assessment is defined as, "a process designed to to deepen understanding of a child's competencies and resources, and of the caregiving and learning environments most likely to help a child make fullest use of his or her developmental potential. Assessment should be an ongoing, collaborative process of systematic observation and analysis. This process involves formulating questions, gathering information, sharing observations, and making interpretations in order to form new questions."
Stages of Assessment:
Stage I: Early Identification
Identification in early childhood can occur at any point from conception through the first years of schooling. Increasing public awareness through ChildFind help communities to conduct comprehensive and coordinated activities in order to identify as early as possible any children who need early intervention services. Another way to identify children early is through Screening. The screening process helps to identify any children who have a delay or disability that warrants further attention or monitoring or to identify children who are eligible for specific programs or who are ready for a comprehensive evaluation.
Stage II: Comprehensive Evaluation
At this stage, the purpose of the assessment changes from early identification of possible needs and concerns to determining whether or not a significant problem exists. A good comprehensive evaluation seeks to:
*advocate for the child
*clarify the referral questions and concerns
*generate hypotheses regarding what may be going on with the child and gather data using assessment instruments that are psychometrically sound and sensitive to individual differences
*synthesize the information that has been collected to provide a better understanding of the child's unique profile of strengths and weaknesses
*determine the nature and extent of any problems that might be preset
*provide a clear link to stage 3...
Stage II: Program Planning and Implementation
Provides the information needed to discuss optional setting for a child to develop relevant goals for an IEP or IFSP. This is then translated into a plan of action for the preschool teacher and related personnel to help the child achieve these goals.
Stage IV: Program Evaluation
This stage measures the effectiveness of the intervention program and the progress of the child. The goals for this stage are to:
*reassess the current developmental levels of the child
*to monitor progress related to developmental goals established by the team and family members for the IEP or IFSP
*to determine the need for adjustments and modifications in the child's intervention program.
Most commonly, a Response to Intervention model is used for children in early childhood.
Stages of Assessment:
Stage I: Early Identification
Identification in early childhood can occur at any point from conception through the first years of schooling. Increasing public awareness through ChildFind help communities to conduct comprehensive and coordinated activities in order to identify as early as possible any children who need early intervention services. Another way to identify children early is through Screening. The screening process helps to identify any children who have a delay or disability that warrants further attention or monitoring or to identify children who are eligible for specific programs or who are ready for a comprehensive evaluation.
Stage II: Comprehensive Evaluation
At this stage, the purpose of the assessment changes from early identification of possible needs and concerns to determining whether or not a significant problem exists. A good comprehensive evaluation seeks to:
*advocate for the child
*clarify the referral questions and concerns
*generate hypotheses regarding what may be going on with the child and gather data using assessment instruments that are psychometrically sound and sensitive to individual differences
*synthesize the information that has been collected to provide a better understanding of the child's unique profile of strengths and weaknesses
*determine the nature and extent of any problems that might be preset
*provide a clear link to stage 3...
Stage II: Program Planning and Implementation
Provides the information needed to discuss optional setting for a child to develop relevant goals for an IEP or IFSP. This is then translated into a plan of action for the preschool teacher and related personnel to help the child achieve these goals.
Stage IV: Program Evaluation
This stage measures the effectiveness of the intervention program and the progress of the child. The goals for this stage are to:
*reassess the current developmental levels of the child
*to monitor progress related to developmental goals established by the team and family members for the IEP or IFSP
*to determine the need for adjustments and modifications in the child's intervention program.
Most commonly, a Response to Intervention model is used for children in early childhood.
Response to Intervention (RTI)
Types of Assessments
Formal Assessment - primarily standardized tests that are selected with a specific purpose in mind.
Informal Assessment - any observations, checklists, rating scales, or work samples
Norm-Referenced Assessment - measures how one child compares with other children of the same chronological age. This is a frequently used strategy in early childhood assessment.
Criterion-Referenced Assessment - focuses on the degree to which a child demonstrates certain skills in comparison to a specific performance standard.
Curriculum-Based Assessment - assessment based on current skills and to monitor progress according to a school's specific program objectives. This is a type of criterion-referenced assessment.
Standardized Assessment - examiners adhere to a fixed set of specific guidelines regarding test content, the manner in which to administer each task, scoring criteria, and interpretation of test results. The strict guidelines of standardized tests ensures that error variance is minimized and the ability to attribute a child score to his or her actual knowledge or skill level is maximized.
Adaptive-to-Disability Assessments - in this type of assessment examiners are able to modify testing materials to a child's individual disability in order to create a more level playing field for them.
Direct Assessment - the examiner works face to face with the child.
Indirect Assessment - interviews of parents, teachers, and anyone who has information about the child without assessing the child directly.
Naturalistic Observations - observing a child in their natural environment under routine circumstances.
Clinical Observations - when a child is observed in a clinical setting
Product-Oriented Assessment - obtaining a child's performance level on a battery of tests and procedures to establish initial developmental or instructional levels for programming.
Process-Oriented Assessment - examine how a child learns and interacts with the environment
Informal Assessment - any observations, checklists, rating scales, or work samples
Norm-Referenced Assessment - measures how one child compares with other children of the same chronological age. This is a frequently used strategy in early childhood assessment.
Criterion-Referenced Assessment - focuses on the degree to which a child demonstrates certain skills in comparison to a specific performance standard.
Curriculum-Based Assessment - assessment based on current skills and to monitor progress according to a school's specific program objectives. This is a type of criterion-referenced assessment.
Standardized Assessment - examiners adhere to a fixed set of specific guidelines regarding test content, the manner in which to administer each task, scoring criteria, and interpretation of test results. The strict guidelines of standardized tests ensures that error variance is minimized and the ability to attribute a child score to his or her actual knowledge or skill level is maximized.
Adaptive-to-Disability Assessments - in this type of assessment examiners are able to modify testing materials to a child's individual disability in order to create a more level playing field for them.
Direct Assessment - the examiner works face to face with the child.
Indirect Assessment - interviews of parents, teachers, and anyone who has information about the child without assessing the child directly.
Naturalistic Observations - observing a child in their natural environment under routine circumstances.
Clinical Observations - when a child is observed in a clinical setting
Product-Oriented Assessment - obtaining a child's performance level on a battery of tests and procedures to establish initial developmental or instructional levels for programming.
Process-Oriented Assessment - examine how a child learns and interacts with the environment
Planning Strategies for Early Childhood
Instructional planning for early childhood children with disabilities should be based upon the eventual assessment that the children will be expected to complete. For this to work, teachers must follow certain guidelines when designing their tests:
1. Determine instructional objectives
2. Construct a table of specifications (What will be covered on a test and to what extent the student will be expected to perform to demonstrate mastery of the objectives)
3. Design formative and summative evaluations to go along as the children learn
4. Design learning experiences that meet the objectives
5. Design correctives and enrichment activities to support the learning of the objectives
1. Determine instructional objectives
2. Construct a table of specifications (What will be covered on a test and to what extent the student will be expected to perform to demonstrate mastery of the objectives)
3. Design formative and summative evaluations to go along as the children learn
4. Design learning experiences that meet the objectives
5. Design correctives and enrichment activities to support the learning of the objectives
Professional Organizations for Special Educators
Council for Exceptional Children is the largest organization dedicated to improving the educational success of people with disabilities and/or gifts and talents.
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The National Association of Special Education Teachers is a professional organization dedicated to supporting and assisting those preparing for or teaching in special education.
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The Autism Society is dedicated to supporting and improving the lives of all affected by autism.
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Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education is a professional organization that provides support to those who administer and support special education programs.
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Advocating Change Together is an organization where people with disabilities and their allies come together to make friends, share stories, and advocate change.
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