Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia 1 Determining Child Status and Progress Sandi Harrington, MA Program Supervisor/Educator Norfolk Infant Development

Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia 1

Determining Child Status and Progress

Sandi Harrington, MAProgram Supervisor/EducatorNorfolk Infant Development

Program


BenefitsRequires us to talk about functional behaviors, not test itemsIncorporates the parents as active and knowledgeable participantsLooks at all settings and situationsBridges the gap between assessment tools and real life


Benefits

Is more meaningful to familiesPrepares the family for setting IFSP outcomes – thinking about skills they want their child to have to function in their daily family lifeGuides us towards discipline-free, contextualized goals


Talking with FamiliesDetermining child progress requires we use the family’s expertise and knowledge of their child across settings and situations.Our discussion becomes inclusive with the family as an equal source of information for assessment purposes.


Talking with Families

One of the biggest shifts in practice, for many systems, was the move to compare the children in Part C to their same age peers.


Talking with Families

Looking at children in the frame of same age peers allows us to have authentic, honest discussions with families about their child’s strengths and needs. We need to be comfortable with reporting strengths AND areas of delay, while being family friendly.


Thinking Functionally

Not just…Know how to make eye contact, smile, and give a hugKnow how to imitate a gesture when prompted by othersUse finger in pointing motionShow a skill in a specific situation

But does he/she…Initiate affection toward caregivers and respond to others’ affectionWatch what a peer says or does and incorporate it into his/her own playPoint to indicate needs or wants

Use a skill in actions across settings and situations to accomplish something meaningful to the child

8

The Three Child Indicators


Children have positive social relationshipsInvolves:

Relating with adultsRelating with other childrenFor older children- following rules related to groups or interacting with others

Includes areas like:Attachment/separation/ autonomyExpressing emotions and feelingsLearning rules and expectationsSocial interactions and play


Questions to ConsiderHow does the child communicate her/his feelings? How does the child interact with parents, grandparents, siblings, other children, childcare workers, etc? Consider progression of social development Smiles – holds out arms to be picked up - Likes to look at faces - laughs aloud - distinction of strangers – parallel play – interest in other kids – associative play Consider relationship with primary caregivers Soothed by caregiver - varying cries – reliance on primary caregiver – stranger anxiety


Children acquire and use knowledge and

skillsInvolves:

ThinkingReasoningRememberingProblem-solvingUsing symbols and languageUnderstanding physical and social worlds

Includes:Early concepts – symbols, pictures, numbers, classification, spatial relationshipsImitationObject permanenceExpressive language and communication


Questions to ConsiderHow does the child learn? Consider progression of how children learn about their environment Mouthing toys – eyes explore toys – hands explore toys – child interact with the toys to produce noise – books / pointing to pictures – points and indicates - “what’s that” question – imitation Consider progression and complexity of imitation How willing is the child to imitate, do you see the child acting out everyday events in their own play?


Children take appropriate action to

meet their needs

Involves:Taking care of basic needsGetting from place to placeUsing toolsIn older children, contributing to their own health and safety

Includes:Integrating motor skills to complete tasksSelf-help skills (e.g., dressing, feeding, grooming, toileting, household responsibility)Acting on the world to get what one wants


Questions to ConsiderHow does child let caregiver know what she/he wants? How does child get to his/her toys? What does the child do to participate in her/his own care? Consider motor skills

How does child get to toys – rolls, crawls, walks, climbs, runs How does child use hands to manipulate toys & food – raking, pincer grasp

Consider self-help skills to take care of her/himself Dressing – helps with dressing, takes off some clothes, puts/attempts to put some clothes on Toileting – tells when wet/soiled, attempts to use the toilet Feeding – finger feeding, spoon dexterity

Consider communication skills How does the child tell the caregiver when she/he is hungry, thirsty, needs changing


Determining a RatingTo determine a rating, we must first understand what would be considered age appropriate development across all 3 indicatorsOnce we have a pictures of that in our mind, we can use the decision tree to come to a conclusion


Using Evaluation/Assessment Information to Inform

the Rating

Evaluation/Assessment information can assist in deciding how close a child’s functioning is to typicalEvaluation/Assessment information should be used to inform the rating decision, but needs to be placed in proper context


Using Evaluation/Assessment Information to Inform

the RatingExample:

A child learning to sign will not “pass” items related to speaking

If the child can sign to accomplish the same outcome one might through speaking (e.g., take action to meet needs), the fact that the child “fails” some assessment items is not relevant and should not enter the rating.

Key point: Evaluation/Assessment results are how a child performs on a selected set of items. No more. No less.


Decision Tree

The decision tree is the tool that will help us to make determinations of each child’s status and progress – if we use the decision tree correctly, we will be able to have a high degree of consistency across IFSP teams


Decision Tree

Go to www.infantva.orgVirginia’s System for Determination of Child ProgressClick on “Decision Tree”


Indicator Ratings

The team determining the rating needs to reach consensus on a number between 1 and 7.

Descriptions are given for numbers 7 – Completely5 – Somewhat3 – Emerging1 – Not Yet

Score 2, 4, or 6 if the child’s functioning is “in between”. That is, the child functions with more skill than the lower number, but not quite as described in the higher number.


Determining a Rating

A few things to keep in mind:There are many different ways that children can function effectively Effective functioning that takes forms that are less common should not receive low ratings, unless the pattern of behavior relied on may interfere with future development


The Take Home Message

Indicators are not primarily about data.It is about doing good things for children and families,And using data as a tool to help programs and providers know whether what they are doing is making a difference


For More Information

www.the-eco-center.org

Note: Many of the slides and handouts were Note: Many of the slides and handouts were developed developed from information on this Early from information on this Early Childhood Outcome Childhood Outcome (ECO) Center Website.(ECO) Center Website.

Documents

Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia 1 Determining Child Status and Progress Sandi Harrington, MA Program Supervisor/Educator Norfolk Infant Development