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B O O K R E V I E W
Edited by Cordelia Robinson, PhD, RN, 13121 E. 17th Avenue C234, Aurora, CO [email protected]
The authors of this book present work done in the context ofan Office of Special Education Programs funded Early ChildhoodResearch Institute on Measuring Growth and Development. Thecharge of this funding was “to develop and validate a growth anddevelopment measurement system capable of improving individualchildren’s results that could fill the gap between assessment andintervention in early childhood assessment.” (p. 9). The fundingwas in response to the charge for all programs to develop measuresof accountability under the Government Performance and ResultsAct of 1993.
The authors have built upon this initial impetus for devel-oping Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs) byapplying them in Response to Intervention (RTI) processes. Theauthors have developed and established reliability and validity datafor five IGDIs for Infants and Toddlers, including the Early Com-munication Indicator (ECI), Cognitive Problem Solving Indicators(EPSI), Early Movement Indicator (EMI), Early Social Indicator(ESI), and Indicator of Parent–Child Interaction (IPCI). Foreach indicator, they provide background on the conceptualizationand elements of the indicator as well as specifics of the observation,recording, and graphing strategies. Use of the IGDIs is supportedat the IGDIs website: http://www.igdi.ku.edu The authors viewIGDIs as an appropriate system for monitoring progress and iden-tifying critical areas for targeted intervention for all early interven-tion programs including Head Start, childcare, and special-needsprograms.
Using IGDIs contains a great deal of detailed informationabout the development and use of these indicators; however, it is
clear that it will require a substantial investment by a programto effectively use them. Staff will need to become certified intheir administration, and programs will need to obtain specifiedmaterials. Although the IGDI website offers considerable sup-port for the indicators’ use, programs will need to commit sig-nificant personnel resources to implementing the system. If per-sonnel are not already familiar with concepts and conventions ofgraphing performance, there will be a need for training in thesefundamentals.
While this book probably has a limited audience, it is a mustfor programs willing to commit to using IGDIs. A secondary usemight be as a requirement in preparation of personnel from any dis-cipline as a basis for improvement of observation and assessmentskills. As someone trained in standardized assessment, I was notconvinced that IGDIs offer significant advantages over systematicuse of criterion-referenced assessment as a strategy for measuringprogress. While the authors have presented a compelling case forthe need for monitoring all children’s progress, I am not sure thatthe current state of IGDIs makes them a practical strategy for thisrecommendation.
REFERENCE
Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/npr/library/misc/s20.html.
INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Vol. 33(1), 107 (2012)C© 2012 Michigan Association for Infant Mental HealthView this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com.DOI: 10.1002/imhj.20313
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