Early Childhood Assessment

Parents with young children are often concerned about the pace of their development. Sometimes there are questions about a child’s early academic abilities, or about their social interactions and communication skills. Parents may also have questions about their children’s behavior, activity level, attention or emotional responsiveness. Many families have ongoing support and guidance from their preschool teachers and pediatricians, who sometimes recommend an additional evaluation to determine if there are any areas of concern that might require more specific interventions or additional services.

At CDA we offer a holistic approach to early childhood assessment. Typically, we begin with a structured interview with parents that includes a detailed developmental history to determine if the current concern had been present over time or is more recent and situational. We explore patterns of behavior and emotional reactions, speech, language and motor functioning, educational history, family and peer relationships, and any recent or past family stressors or trauma. We then schedule two to three visits with the child that includes a mix of structured interview and play situations, and when indicated, brief cognitive or pre-academic testing. After that comes a feedback session with parents to offer recommendation for home and school, and possible additional services. We also discuss whether ongoing parenting or parent-child sessions would be helpful to the family.