Editorial: “Promising Practices, Models, and Research in the Early Identification of Young Children with Disabilities"

Editoria

Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children: What are Salient Development and Research Factors to Consider?

Early childhood professionals are increasingly pressed to use evidence-based measures when assessing young children. Professional time and resources to investigate research is limited, and takes time away from the delivery of direct services. The literature review is to describe the progression of a widely used curriculum-based assessment (CBA), the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children (AEPS). In addition to sharing the development of this early childhood measure, we identified 19 studies from the available research found in various databases that have investigated the evidence supporting the use of this measure. Findings have implications for the validity, reliability, and utility of the AEPS

Authentic Assessment For Children With Language Considerations: Early Identification and Connection to Services

Early identification of delay or disability is critical in the early years when children are developing. Yet practices for early identification are often rife with challenges for the families of young children. Part C of the Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Program of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) was authorized almost 40 years ago, mandating that children with developmental disability or developmental delay be identified and fairly assessed to obtain high quality early intervention services. An overview of the components of Fair Assessment and legal requirements are highlighted in this article. An outline for recommended practices and considerations for culturally and linguistically diverse students is presented

Parent and Professional Collaboration in the Assessment Process

Partnering with families to administer and interpret assessments for preschool children with disabilities is a cornerstone of effective early childhood practice. Parent-professional partnership in the assessment process encourages effective intervention practices, including targeting of appropriate goals and using strategies based on family cultural and daily practices. An assessment approach that focuses on collaborative practices between professionals and parents of young children with cognitive and other developmental delays is presented. Two strategies shown to provide a common language for parent and professional communication and facilitate cooperation between professionals and parents are described. Parent-completed developmental screening tests and parent assistance with completion of curriculum-based assessments are also discussed in the context of a tiered approach to intervention. A case study is presented to illustrate these strategies in practice

An Exploratory Investigation of Frequently Cited Articles From the Early Childhood Intervention Literature, 1994 to 2005

The authors explored frequently cited articles across four peer-reviewed journals in early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE). The Social Science Citation Index was used to examine journal articles from 1994 to 2005 in: Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Infants and Young Children, Journal of Early Intervention, and Topics in Early Childhood Special Education. Results for the most frequently cited EI/ECSE journal articles are reported

Content Validity Analyses of Qualitative Feedback on the Revised Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children (AEPS) Test

Early childhood assessment practices, procedures, and tools can lay the foundation for an effective intervention program. The purpose of this article is to report the results of a content validity study conducted on a revision of Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for infants and children (AEPS®) Test, a widely used early childhood assessment/evaluation instrument. A panel of early childhood and early childhood special educator experts was assembled and asked to provide qualitative feedback on the content of the revised AEPS Test. Experts were asked to address five specific questions about item content, developmental sequences, and if assessment items represented quality teaching targets for young children. Qualitative results were used to modify items, developmental sequences, and area content

LINK Virtual Forum on Authentic Assessment for Early Childhood Intervention: Interdisciplinary & International Consensus

The LINK Virtual Forum on Authentic Assessment for Early Childhood Intervention: Interdisciplinary & International Consensus was orchestrated through a series of virtual focus-groups during the pandemic in 2021-2022. This new strategy for conducting a more robust national/international consumer social validity study gathered practice-based evidence from the field using national and international expert panel focus groups and an expert panel forum to survey Authentic Assessment experts and users. Uniquely, these deliberations relied upon the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) among participants to reach consensus decisions and Qualtrics survey results. The decision-making process addressed types of assessment measures that address early childhood intervention purposes best, but also, what specific processes and procedures best engage parents, professionals, and young children in a developmentally-appropriate and ecological assessment using best practice competencies and standards in the field to fulfill diverse ECI purposes. The central organizing feature of the Focus Groups and the Forum was the use of seven disciplinary focus groups (n=56) with membership selected by a disciplinary chairperson and the authors consisting of the following interdisciplinary professional groups: Early Childhood Educators/Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Educators; Speech/Language Specialists; Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists; Psychologists; University Faculty Representatives, and International Experts. We recruited a national and international representative sample of interdisciplinary participants (n=56) from the US, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Holland, China, Colombia, Korea, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, for two major LINK activities: (1) LINK Expert Panel Focus Groups (n=7); and (2) a cross-disciplinary LINK Expert Panel Forum. The process and outcome data on best practices in AA for ECI from the LINK Forum were based on the consensus of interdisciplinary and international experts in the ECI field. Keywords: authentic assessment; early childhood intervention; recommended practices; best practices; international; interdisciplinar

Authentic Assessment for Early Childhood Intervention: In-Vivo & Virtual Practices for Interdisciplinary Professionals

Abstract The pandemic has exposed the many glaring difficulties inherent in implementing effective assessment and intervention for young children with neurodevelopmental delays and disabilities in our respective countries, but, especially in the US. The urgency for innovative models of assessment linked to interdisciplinary services and supports in both remote and in-vivo settings became prominent. Yet, the commitment to developmentally-appropriate practice (DAP), assessment linked to intervention, is the hallmark of ECI, whether virtual or in-vivo. However, interdisciplinary professionals have rallied during these challenging times by displaying creativity, compassion, and superb clinical judgment in providing responsive services via both virtual and in-vivo platforms to families and young children with special needs in rural and urban regions. Virtual service delivery has required judicious changes in our professional practices using more responsive and less scripted postures. Our family-centered approaches enabled us to engage with parents as partners in assessment and intervention and to plan and deliver supports that were more tailored. We believe that our “lessons learned” from the pandemic about implementing authentic assessment for early childhood intervention (AA for ECI) among parents and interdisciplinary professionals will make our ongoing partnerships with families and other professionals stronger and more enduring. We hope that this article and the step-by-step model that we have offered will help you in your own professional lives to maintain the outlook that emphasizes the importance of both authentic assessment methods & processes, whether in-vivo or virtual, for undercovering each child’s hidden and true capabilities and needs and by adhering to our enduring commitment to protect children’s inherent human rights. Keywords: authentic, assessment, best practices, virtual, remote, early childhood interventio

Authenticity of Assessment in Inclusive Spaces

Barriers related to assessment may prevent high quality transition practices from occurring. Traditionally, assessment of young children involves table top testing where an assessor asks a child to perform standardized tasks that are often lacking developmental appropriateness with unfamiliar materials, in unfamiliar environments like a sterile clinical setting, and/or with people who are unfamiliar to the child. True skills may not be observed under such conditions as a traditional assessment. Alternatively, professionals today across multiple sectors use authentic assessment to measure child outcomes that can be used to better understand children’s development and learning during the transition from preschool to kindergarten process. Authentic “real-life” assessments measure skills that are functional rather than contrived, discrete tasks. This research-to-practice article shares practical application for authentic assessment leading to high quality transitions for children and families from preschool to kindergarten

What are Convergence and Divergence in How Parents and Educators Interpret Child Development When Preschoolers Transition to Kindergarten?

This study investigated the interrater agreement between parents of young children and the early childhood professionals working with their family as they transition from preschool to kindergarten. The goal of this research is to identify clusters of greatest congruence and divergence. We examined clusters of agreement between 24 parent and educator dyads from  rural Head Start programs in the Midwest. Differences in parent and professional assessment are represented, as well as areas where there are strong convergence. Results draw attention to the items where parents and professionals have greatest difference in the assessment. This study has implications for co-production of services for children and their families with professionals