Solutions.
What are the three main reasons child care programs observe and screen children?
- Answer 1. Facilitate growth and development of every child
2. Detect early signs of developmental delay or disability
3. Identify signs of child abuse or neglect
Define: Assessment - Answer Assessment is a process whereby an agency or
organization gathers and reviews multiple sources of information about a child's
suspected or confirmed developmental delay or disability, and uses that information
to improve a child's outcomes.
Define: Evidence - Answer Documented evidence refers to written data collected by
the program. For example, there may be a file note stating when a child could stand
on one foot.
Define: Developmental Domains - Answer Categorize children's skills and abilities.
They include Physical Development, Cognitive Development and General
Knowledge, Language and Communication, Social and Emotional, and Approaches
to Learning.
Define: Evaluation - Answer Evaluation is a process that determines a child's
eligibility for federal, state, and local programs and services.
Define: Natural Environment - Answer Refers to places the child would typically be,
such as home, the child care program, school, a place
of worship, or the homes of family and friends rather than a director's office,
doctor/therapist's office, or similar places.
Define: Observation - Answer An ongoing process in which child care professionals
recognize and document identifiable developmental milestones as they appear,
using tools such as checklists, anecdotal records, and running records.
Define: Screening - Answer Is an ongoing process in which child care professionals
use specialized observation and documentation tools to identify, document, and
monitor typical development or possible developmental delay.
Give examples of professional groups that perform each of these four activities:
observation, screening, assessment, and evaluation. - Answer Observation: child
care professionals monitor a child as he or she demonstrates identified skills or
abilities within a developmental domain or domains.
Assessment: child care professionals refer families to the Florida Diagnostic and
Learning Resource System's Child Find for assessment, which may result in them
being referred to Children's Medical Services for evaluation of a delay or disability.
Evaluation:Children's Medical Services performs assessment and evaluation
processes to determine eligibility for programs and services under the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
, BOSR DCF Study Guide With Complete
Solutions.
Screening: child care professionals or other medical professionals
Relate the four guidelines for observations and screenings that take place in child
care settings. - Answer 1. Be informed
2. Be objective and accurate
3. Be honest and fair
4. Be focused
Name characteristics seen in effective child care professionals who observe and
screen children. - Answer Objective, follow directions, accurate/relevant
documentation, ethical, honest, fair, information seeker
Describe best practices used by skilled practitioners to obtain valid and usable
results. - Answer Review appropriate general information immediately prior to an
observation or screening session. This includes:
1. Developmental domains and milestones
2. Information about the child's abilities and unique needs
3. Study the child's file
4. Know how to use the observation or screening tool before attempting to use it.
5. Ensure observation and screening results do not reflect personal feelings. Set
aside personal beliefs and consider only facts.
6. Document all relevant information
7. Ensure documentation is correct and complete.
8. Document children's development over time.
9. Observe and screen when children are at their best.
10. Conduct sessions in the child's natural setting with familiar staff
11. Never observe or screen with the intent of confirming a suspicion of delay,
disability, abuse, or neglect.
12. Allow enough time.
13. Observe or screen one child at a time.
14. Pay attention to small differences and details, because it is in those one can see
emerging trends and patterns of growth and development, the earliest signs of delay
or disability, and subtle signs of abuse or neglect. If signs of child abuse or neglect
are observed, you must, by law, report them to the Abuse Hotline.
15. Work methodically and thoughtfully. To work methodically, professionals are
organized, systematic, and deliberate
List characteristics shared by quality screening instruments. - Answer 1. Easy to use.
2. Accurate.
3. Affordable.
4. readily available.
5. sensitive in regards to ethnicity, culture, and linguistics.
6. reliable.
7. have specific components.
8. endorsed by individuals, agencies, and organizations that are respected within the
early education or early intervention communities.
9. Quality screening instruments using technology should be user-friendly, meet
accessibility requirements, and fit the program's needs.