Formal Assessments for Toddlers and Infants
As I was doing research for this part of my assignment, I felt like I hit the jackpot when I found this pdf document, https://www.unf.edu/uploadedFiles/aa/fie/resource.pdf, entitled Birth to Three Screening and Assessment Resource Guide. I highly suggest you use this document as a resource when it comes to assessments. The document is 120 pages long. It goes through numerous types of birth to 3 assessments. It has a child screening and assessment matrix that gives the name of the instrument and its author(s), the ages that the assessment is for, and a brief description. It also gives the page number(s) of the pdf document that you can read even more information about each assessment. This document is very well laid out and easy to read. Use the table of contents on page 2 of the pdf to guide yourself to the types of assessments you want to learn more about. For example, there are developmental screening instruments, child assessment instruments, and multi-function child assessment instruments. In the table of contents, they list each assessment discussed individually, so you can easily find the one you would like to learn more about.
Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Again, I am going to provide a link for you to look at for this part of the assignment. The website is http://www.behavior-consultant.com/aut-dx-devices.htm. This site is from Reinforcement Unlimited: Clinical and Behavioral Consultants. There are 51 assessments described on this website. Assessments can be found under these categories: Diagnostic Assessment, Developmental Assessment, Adaptive Assessment, Communication Assessment, Infant/Toddler Assessment, Standardized Tests of Intelligence, Tests of Nonverbal Intelligence, Academic Screening, Behavior Assessment, Family Assessment, and Other Assessment Options.
I like the following video because if you have never worked with children that are on the spectrum, the two ladies on this video describe what they are looking for when assessing a child. It is only 5 minutes long, and I think it is worth a look.
Providing Services - IFSP
An IFSP stands for Individual Family Service Plan. These plans are integrated for children ages birth to 3 children that have been verified with a disability. Essentially, it is an IEP for very young children. According to the website, http://www.specialeducationguide.com/early-intervention/the-who-what-why-of-an-individual-family-services-plan-ifsp/, "The IFSP takes a family-based approach to services, due to the central concept that supporting a child’s family lends itself to supporting the child. This means that the IFSP is developed with input from the child’s entire family, and it includes features that are designed to support the entire family."
While an IFSP is a federally mandated program, each state has different criteria of when and how it should be implemented. According to the site, http://www.ifspweb.org/legal.html, in the state of Nebraska, services must be provided through an IFSP within 30 days of the parent giving consent for those services.
Components of the IFSP, as far as what is part of the written plan, include the people involved: family and service providers, the current level of functioning of the child: assessment results, family information, services that will be provided, and outcomes or goals for the student that the team will help him/her reach.
Sometimes there is confusion about the difference between an IEP and an IFSP, an I think the following video does a great job of explaining this in under 2 minutes.
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