The Importance of Conducting Evaluation and Assessment in Natural Settings
Conducting evaluation and assessment in natural settings ensures that the process is authentic and functional. Natural settings include:
- all settings where the child spends time
- activities identified by the family as priorities or areas of concern
- activity settings in which skills to be assessed occur: activity settings are the many different experiences and opportunities children participate in as part of daily living, child and family routines, family rituals, special occasions, and other events that, across time, constitute the life experiences of a developing child. (Dunst, 2005, p. 5)
Professionals and family members are:
- observing a child’s skills in his/her real life setting – conducting natural observation
- observing how multiple factors influence a child’s functioning (e.g., environmental, cultural, biological, developmental factors)
- observing how a child integrates multiple skills across areas of development in order to function, or gain a critical effect
- using multiple methods to collect assessment information (e.g., criterion referenced measures, norm referenced measures, observation, parent interview)
- collecting information about how a child interacts with others and learns in a natural and familiar context and responds to various input.
- exercising informed clinical opinion
Observing children in natural settings is critical to determine the child’s functioning in everyday activities and routines and to determine the child’s strengths and needs in relation to the three early childhood outcomes (developing positive social-emotional skills, acquiring and using knowledge and skills, and using appropriate behaviors to meet needs). This in turn allows for the development of robust, functional IFSP outcomes.
 |
Darnell is an 8 month old boy who loves his toy cars and hates eating. Consequently, he has been diagnosed with failure-to-thrive. The multidisciplinary evaluators selected to address his parents’ primary concern (not eating) were an occupational therapist and an early childhood special educator. The evaluators used a criterion referenced tool to document Darnell’s self-help skills and other developmental levels, but felt it was more important to observe Darnell during one of the many snacks his mother offered to entice him to eat. In the context of a daily routine, Darnell was able to demonstrate not only his behaviors and skills regarding eating, but also his functional abilities related to the three early childhood outcomes.
Darnell first turned his head away when his mother presented him with a spoon full of applesauce. His brother then gave him a toy car to play with on his high chair tray and presented him with pieces of a banana. Darnell smiled and put a piece of banana in his mouth, mashing it with his tongue and swallowing it. He then squished several pieces of the banana between his fingers and smiled. When his mother tried to hand a spoon to him, Darnell pushed the small bowl of applesauce away and put the spoon down with a bang. |
The evaluators were able to observe:
- Darnell’s social/emotional responses to eating and interacting with his mother and older brother. This gave them information about how he was able to interact socially with family members during snack time (Outcome #1).
- Darnell’s cognitive abilities anticipating snack time and other strategies he used to distract his mother from his snack; and his understanding and expression of language to communicate his desires and reactions related to the opportunity to eat and socialize. This gave them information about how he was able to use skills and concepts and language by exercising his cognitive and language skills during snack time (Outcome #2).
- Darnell’s sitting posture; how he brought food to his mouth, chewed, and swallowed; and used his hands to hold the food. This gave them information about how he was able to take action to meet his own needs by eating during snack time (Outcome #3).
