Infant Toddler Development Training
Module 3, Lesson 1
Read the letter from Jean Bury, a parent of a child with a disability. The letter is in the Resource Bank under the title The Philospohy Behind Assessment: What is it that we really want? Ms. Bury challenges professionals to consider the way they view a disability. She stresses how important it is to consider the child within the context and culture of the family. Ms. Bury emphasizes, as professionals, "it is important for us to consider the compromises and supports needed to enhance the child's quality of life, his group membership and his personal sense of competence."
- Consider how you view an infant and toddler with a disability.
- What do you think that the author means about "interventions always have both a positive and negative impact on the family"?
- Think about how an Infant Toddler Developmental Specialist (ITDS) can support a child's membership, quality of life and personal sense of competence.
Read the section of the Early Steps Service Delivery Policy and Guidance: Delivering Service in the Routines and Daily Activities of Children with Disabilities and their Families related to evaluation and assessment of infants and toddlers in the state of Florida. This document can be found in the Resource Bank.
While you are reading, consider the following questions:
- What is the difference between evaluation and assessment?
- What instruments are used in screening, evaluation and assessment?
- What procedures are followed during First Contacts?
An issue in the assessment of young children with disabilities is the evaluation and assessment of children and their families from different cultures and children for whom English is their second language.
Read the article Implications of Culture on Developmental Delay by Rebeca Valdivia
As you are reading the article,
- consider the impact that culture has on the evaluation and assessment process of young children with disabilities and their families, and
- consider how children from diverse cultures may be labeled as having a developmental delay but in reality the delay may be situated in the belief and child rearing patterns of the family whose beliefs and cultural values differ from the majority culture.
Lesson 1 Highlights
In this lesson you have thoroughly reviewed the Early Steps Service Delivery Policy and Guidance: Delivering Service in the Routines and Daily Activities of Children with Disabilities and their Families. Through reading the document and the lesson content you should have an understanding of the purposes of the evaluation and assessment process. In addition several opportunities and challenges were highlighted with particular emphasis on assessment issues in relation to children from diverse cultures.
Department of Health (2005). Early Steps Service Delivery Policy and Guidance: Delivering Service in the Routines and Daily Activities of Children with Disabilities and their Families. Florida Department of Health-Children's Medical Services-Early Steps. Tallahassee, FL.
McLean, M. (2004). Assessment and its importance in early intervention/early childhood special education. In M. McLean, M. Wolery, & D. B. Bailey, Jr. (Eds.), Assessing infants and preschoolers with special needs (3rd ed) (pp. 1-20). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Mindes, G. (2003). Assessing young children (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill
Overton, T. (2003). Assessing learners with special needs: An applied approach (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River: NJ: Merrill.
Salvia, J. & Ysseldyke, J. (2001). Assessment (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.
Valdivia, R. (1999). The implications of culture on developmental delay. Eric Digest #E589. ED438663. Eric Clearing House on Disabilities and Gifted Education. Reston, VA.
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