What is Assessment?

Assessment in early intervention means the initial and ongoing procedures used by appropriate qualified personnel throughout the period of a child’s eligibility for early intervention services to identify:

• the child’s unique strengths and needs;
• services appropriate to meet those needs;
• resources, priorities, and concerns of the family; and
• supports and services necessary to enhance the family’s capacity to meet the developmental needs of the child [COMAR 13A13.01.03(3)(5)].

The assessment of the child may occur simultaneously with evaluation and must include a review of the results of the evaluation, personal observations of the child, and identification of the child’s needs in each of the developmental areas.

Additionally, under Part C of IDEA, a family-directed assessment is part of the assessment process. The family-directed assessment must:

• be voluntary on the part of each family member participating in the assessment;
• be based on information obtained through an assessment tool and also through an interview with those family members who elect to participate in the assessment; and
• include the family’s description of its resources, priorities, and concerns related to enhancing the child’s development [COMAR 13A.13.01.05(F)(1)(b); 34 CFR 303.321(c).

As discussed previously with regard to evaluation, assessment must be:

• multidisciplinary,
• multidimensional,
• nondiscriminatory and
• timely.

Initial Assessment refers to the assessment of the child and the family assessment conducted prior to the first IFSP meeting [COMAR 13A.13.01.05(F)(1)(b); 34 CFR §303.321(a)(1)(ii)(B)].

Ongoing Assessment is a process that occurs periodically; formally at least at 6 month and annual intervals.  At these intervals, the family’s IFSP is reviewed.  Service providers and families are: 

• Reviewing child’s abilities and challenges related to participation in family-selected settings
• Reviewing and modifying the supports and services which promote participation in family selected activity settings
• Conducting natural observations of a child engaged in specific tasks in familiar contexts with familiar people.