1. Transdisciplinary Play-based Assessment - 2
Toni Linder
University of Denver

2. Assessment Needs
Need for a flexible process, responsive to individual needs (Bagnato and Neisworth, 2004)
Information needed for intervention is not found in numbers and percentile scores (Meisels and Atkins-Burnett 2000)
Assessment needs to address interests and intentions as well as skills (Greenspan and Meisels, 1996; Cain and Dweck, 1995;
Assessment and intervention need to inform each other in an ongoing manner (McConnell, 2000)

3. Problems with traditional tests
Materials in test kits are presented regardless of experiences, background, or familiarity (Neisworth & Bagnato, 2004)

4. Problems with traditional tests
Advantage goes to the advantaged and the culture of standardization (Hanson & Lynch, 1992)
Standardized language may present an obstacle (Meisels, 1996)

5. Problems..
Traditional tests measure what has been learned, not what can be learned (Butler, 1997)

6. Problems….
Isolated assessment of discrete domains, such as “language” or “cognition,” often yields fractional, inadequate, misleading, or incomplete information.

7. Problem: “Untestable” children
Bagnato & Neisworth (1994) when child is “untestable”
- 58% parent interviews
- 44% play-based assessment
- 30% observation of natural parent-child interaction

8. Problem Summary
“Assessment of infants and preschoolers remains dominated by restrictive methods and styles that place a premium on inauthentic, contrived developmental tasks, that are administered by various professionals in separate sessions using small, unmotivating toys from boxes or test kits, staged at a table or on the floor in an unnatural setting, observed passively by parents, interpreted by norms based solely on typical children, and used for narrow purposes of classification and eligibility determination” (Bagnato, Neisworth & Munson, 1997, p. 69).

9. Changes needed…. 1) What constitutes an assessment,
2) What questions assessment of young children should examine,
3) What methods should be used to answer these questions,

10. Changes needed…
4) Who should be involved in gathering assessment data,
5) What the outcomes of an assessment should look like, and,
6) How assessment information should be used (Eisert, & Lamorey, 1996; Meisels & Atkins-Burnett, 2000; Meltzer & Reid, 1994).

11. Assessment needs to be viewed as a process not just a tool
Needed…
Assessment needs to be viewed as a process not just a tool

12. Eight critical qualities…
1) useful, providing a linkage between assessment results and intervention goals, objectives, and strategies;
2) acceptable, providing information that is mutually relevant to professionals and families;

13. Eight critical qualities
3) authentic, providing information that describes how children function in their natural environments;
4) collaborative, involving professionals and parents in a partnership beginning before assessment and through intervention;

14. Eight critical qualities
7) sensitive, providing incremental developmental sequences and observations that can differentiate small increments of progress;
8) congruent, using content, materials, and methods that match the developmental levels and individual differences of children

15. Benefits of TPBA - 2 Dynamic Functional Flexible
Sensitive to child and family differences

16. Benefits of TPBA - 2
Results in quantitative and qualitative information related to:
Skill level
Learning style
Interaction patterns
Contexts for development
Intervention objectives and strategies

17. Benefits of TPBA - 2
Natural processes such as play result in less inhibited interactions, and consequently higher levels of communication, more exploration, and increased attention and problem-solving (Meisels & Atkins-Burnett, 2002)
Play is consistent with interests and needs of young children

18. A convergent assessment model
Benefits of TPBA - 2
A convergent assessment model
Caregivers’ observations
Professionals observations
Additional testing if needed

19. Information from caregivers
Developmental, social, and health history
Routines, values
Current skills and behaviors
Contexts
Favorite toys and materials

20. Instruments Child and Family History Questionnaire (CFHQ)
Family Assessment of Child Functioning (FACF)

21. Observations of child: interactions
With caregivers
With siblings
With peers
With adults

22. Benefits of TPBA - 2
Non-directive, informal, synchronous interactions, rather than question-and-answer formats result in increased initiations and communication on the part of the child (Grisham-Brown, 2000).
More accurate picture

23. TPBA - 2 Process Involves
Observing the child’s spontaneous behaviors
Encouraging turn-taking through imitation
Responding to the child at a developmentally appropriate level

24. TPBA -2 Process Involves
Facilitating higher levels of performance through scaffolding, using more or less structure and reinforcement as needed

25. TPBA Process Involves
Providing opportunities for problem-solving and creativity
Promoting social interaction and communication

26. TPBA - 2 Process Involves
What worked during assessment?
Interaction patterns resulting in increased play and communication that can be replicated throughout the day.
Environmental modifications found to be beneficial that can be incorporated in the child’s natural environments.

27. TPBA - 2 Collaborative team
Discipline roles
TPBA Roles
Parent/family roles

28. TPBA - 2 Overview Obtaining Preliminary Information
Conducting the assessment
Analyzing the data
Discussing and integrating all information
Writing the report
Follow-up

29. TPBA - 2 Content Sensorimotor development and vision
Emotional and social development
Language and communication development and hearing
Cognitive development

30. TPBA - 2: Sensorimotor Domain Sub-categories
Functions Underlying Movement
Gross Motor Ability
Arm and Hand Use
Motor Planning and Coordination
Modulation of Sensation
Motor Contributions to Self-Care Activities
Vision

31. TPBA - 2: Emotional and Social Domain Sub-categories
Emotional Expression
Emotional Style
State and Emotional Regulation
Behavioral Regulation
Sense of Self
Emotional Themes of Play
Social Relations

32. TPBA - 2: Communication Domain Sub-categories
Language Comprehension
Language Expression
Pragmatics
Articulation/Phonology
Voice
Fluency
Hearing

33. TPBA - 2 Cognitive Domain Sub-categories
Attention
Memory
Problem-Solving
Social Cognition
Complexity of Play
Science and Math Concepts
Emerging Literacy

34. Specifics of TPBA - 2

35. Questions for planning TPBA What are the referral questions?
Family concerns, priorities?
What skills and behaviors do the parents report seeing at
home?
What risk and protective factors are evident from the
Child and Family History Questionnaire that may have an impact on the TPBA, the analysis of data, or intervention needs?
Are there other assessment questions of interest to the team?

36. Observations of child: Engagement
Toys, materials:
-sensory materials
-manipulatives
-construction toys
-fine and gross motor
-art materials
-dramatic play
-books
Routines

37. Theme Boxes Doctor Doctor’s kit Ace bandage Eye chart Otoscope
Stethoscope
Doctor’s hammer
Real band aids/ box
Blood pressure gauge
Cookout/ Picnic
Plates/ dishes
Placemats
Table cloth/blanket
Frying pan
Play watermelon
Spatula
Thermos/ bottle
Grill
Blocks for briquettes or sticks for fire
Bakery
Bowl
Cake pan
Measuring spoons
Cupcake tins
Apron
Liquid & solid measuring cups
Oven mitts
Veterinarian
Stuffed animals
Doctor kit
Bandages
Sack of “dog food”
Leash
Small cage
Weighing scale
Animal bed
Medicine bottles
Rubber gloves
Thermometer

38. Child-Caregiver Interactions
As parent feels comfortable
As child needs
Observations in play, routines, informal interactions
Child’s response when interacting, not interacting, with separation

39. III. Problem-solving guidelines
III. A. What behaviors indicate understanding of causal reasoning skills or problem-solving (executive function)?
III. B. Can the child identify and plan a solution to a problem?
III. C. How well is the child able to organize, monitor, and evaluate progress toward a goal and make corrections?
III. D. How quickly can the child analyze a problem situation and respond?
III. E. How well can the child generalize information from one situation to another?

40. Problem-solving Strengths
Has causal understanding and age appropriate problem-solving skills with
objects
people
situations
all of the above
Emerging causal understanding and problem-solving skills with
Can identify age appropriate solutions to problems
Knows there is a problem, but need assistance to identify a play
Can organize actions toward a goal
Can monitor and correct self at an age appropriate level
Makes corrections with assistance

41. Problem-solving Concerns
Delayed understanding of problem
Reduced problem-solving skills
Reduced organization skills
Reduced ability to monitor and alter plans

42. Problem-solving: Ready For….
Try alternative actions
Organize a series of actions
Choose strategies based on situation
Modify attempts based on based on results of actions

43. 18 MO.
* knows functions of objects (12-18 mo)
* recognizes & points to body parts
* uses spatial concepts , such as “up, down” (12-18 mo)
* can place circle and square in puzzle
* carries books around while walking (12-18 mo)
* holds book open with help (12-18 mo)
* gives book to adult to read (12-18 mo)
* shows familiarity with the text upon seeing illustration (says some of words in text)
WRITING
* scribbles spontaneously (13-18 mo.)
21 MO.
* Understands and uses:
-agents (e.g., mama)
- actions (e.g., run)
- objects (e.g., cup)
- recurrence (e.g., more)
- cessation (e.g.., stop)
- disappearance (e.g., all gone) (18-20 mo.)
* matches familiar objects (e.g., picks out spoons from all silverware)
* makes collections of things that are alike in some way (puts toys with wheels together)
* knows location (e.g., “there”) (18-20 mo.)
* nests objects (relates sizes)
* puts circle, square, triangle shapes in puzzle (18 to 24 mo.)
* one-to-one correspondence with two objects
READING SKILLS
* points to a picture and asks, “What’s that?” or indicates that a label is requested (13-20 mo)
* notices print rather than just pictures, may point to labels under pictures when pictures are named (15-20 mo)
* shows empathy for characters or situations depicted in books (16-20 mo)
* makes associations across books
WRITING SKILLS
* begins to draw vertical and horizontal lines
* continues to scribble
24 MO.
* points to & names body parts (13-24 mo)
* distinguishes living and non-living things
* have knowledge of basic-level categories, such as plants, animals, and people
* knows “more” (18-24 mo)
* compares & matches form, size, color, (18-24 mo)
* enjoys a variety of interactive books (12-24 mo)
* engages in reading behavior by verbalizing while looking at books (12-24 mo)
* performs an action shown or mentioned in a book (12-24 mo)
* sits for several minutes looking at a book (12-24 mo)
* takes books off shelf and replaces them (12-24 mo)
* may accidentally tear pages, decrease in intentional tearing (12-24 mo)
* carries books around the house (18-24 mo)
* may use book as transitional object (18-24 mo)
* recites parts of well known stories, rhymes, songs (18-24 mo)
* distinguishes print from non-print (18-24 mo)
* identifies objects in a photograph (18-24 mo.)
* hand dominance emerges (18-24 mo.)
* explores making marks with pencil or crayon (18-24 mo)
* imitates vertical strokes (18-24 mo.)
* imitates circular scribble (20-24 mo.)
* draws zig-zags, lines, and loops during scribbling

44. Facilitation Strategies
Following the child’s lead
Observation of spontaneous behaviors
Imitation of child
Modeling new behaviors
Turn-taking

45. Facilitation Strategies: Verbal
Commenting
Self talk
Parallel talk
Open-ended questions
Wait time!!

46. Facilitation Strategies: Verbal
Imitation
Modeling of sounds, words gestures, signs, sentence structure
Modeling affect

47. Facilitation Strategies
Scaffolding with varying amount of structure and reinforcement
Gestural
Verbal
Physical
Environmental

48. Facilitation Strategies: Environmental Modification
Positioning materials
Positioning child
Modifying materials
Using assistive technology
Modifying sensory input

49. DISCUSSION WITH FAMILIES
What skills does the child exhibit spontaneously, without support?
What skills can be elicited with scaffolding or support?
What strategies resulted in higher levels of behavior or performance?
What abilities or difficulties are indicated?
What may be contributing to the abilities or disabilities?

50. Analysis and Discussion
Soon after observation
Review assessment questions
Parent perceptions
Team perceptions
Summary of skills and contexts for highest skills
Translate into intervention recommendations

51. DISCUSSION WITH FAMILIES
What skills does the child exhibit spontaneously, without support?
What skills can be elicited with scaffolding or support?
What strategies resulted in higher levels of behavior or performance?
What abilities or difficulties are indicated?
What may be contributing to the abilities or disabilities?

52. DISCUSSION WITH FAMILIES
What follow-up is recommended if the child is not eligible for services?
What are the developmental priorities for intervention if the child is eligible for services?
What strategies are recommended for each priority? For home? For school?
What special services or activities will best meet these needs? (Where? By whom, with what intensity, for how long?)

53. Development of Program and Intervention Plans
Identification and placement
IFSP/IEP development
Priorities for intervention
Specific developmental objectives
Intervention planning within routines and contexts of individual family
Resource problem-solving

54. TEMPLATES FOR WRITING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TPBA
Think: What is he or she doing now and what skills or experiences is the child ready for—and WHY? Give specific examples for home and/or school.

55. He is currently doing…. And therefore he is ready to …..
RECOMMENDATIONS
He is currently doing…. And therefore he is ready to …..
OR he is ready for more….
(Vertical or horizontal)
In order to develop….she will benefit from…..
Activities to encourage….include……
Adaptation of …will allow her to…..
Stimulation of …..using….will…..

56. Transdisciplinary Play-based Assessment
Results in quantitative and qualitative information related to:
Skill level
Learning style
Interaction patterns
Contexts for development
Intervention objectives and strategies

57. Transdisciplinary Play-based Assessment - 2
Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
brookespublishing.com

58. TPBA Research
Summary References

59. Traditional Validity & Ecobehavioral Validity
Content validity
Concurrent validity
Social validity
Ethnic validity
Treatment validity

60. Research on TPBA
Interrater, test-retest reliability, concurrent validity, Friedli (1994)
Social validity, Myers, McBride, & Peterson (1996)
Interrater reliability, Al-Balhan (1998)

61. Level of Training Child One¹ Sensorimotor % agreement
Research on TPBA:Interrater Reliability
Level of Training
Child One¹
Sensorimotor
% agreement
(mild to moderate)
Child Two²
Communication
(moderate)
Child Three³
Emotional/
social
(mild)
Child Four*
Cognitive
(typical-at-risk)
All
areas
2-day training
(professionals)
State A
*N = 9
.88
N= 10
.90
N= 11
1.00
.80
.89
State B
*N = 8
.75
N= 8
.875
.843
2- follow up training
N = 23
.95
N=23
20 hour
training
(students)
N = 9
Experts
N = 4
Teams
N = 10
.975

62. Research on TPBA
Construct validity, Linder, Goldberg, and Goldberg, unpublished)
Concurrent validity (DeBruin, 2006)
Reliability (Linder, unpublished)

63. Research on TPBA
Concurrent validity (Kerr, 1998; Kelly-Vance, Needelman,Trioa, Ryalls, 1999; Myers, McBride, & Peterson, 1996)

64. Eight critical qualities…
5) convergent, pooling information from various sources to be integrated and compared;
6) equitable, providing for flexibility in materials, procedures, and assessment techniques to meet children’s individual needs;