Child Assessment Child Assessment Cognitive & Language Cognitive & Language

DevelopmentDevelopment

The options are in 2 major The options are in 2 major categoriescategories

 1)Parent report (e.g. PARCA)

2)Researcher administered (e.g. BAS, Bracken WPPSI)

CHILD DEVELOPMENT – TED MELHUISH & JAY BELSKY

SURE START EVALUATION

 1) Predictive validity not as good as

researcher administered assessments

1) Biases related to parental education (and possibly ethnicity) resulting in differential validity

Parent report measures Parent report measures have 2 major have 2 major

disadvantages:disadvantages:

Researcher Administered Researcher Administered Assessment – AlternativesAssessment – Alternatives

British Ability Scales (BAS): Verbal, Nonverbal and General Cognitive

Bracken Basic Concepts Scale (BBCS): Verbal reception and Nonverbal

WPPSI: Verbal Nonverbal and General Cognitive

BPVS (EPVT): Verbal reception

This is a selection from the range of instruments available

NESS Currently UsesNESS Currently UsesBritish Ability ScalesBritish Ability Scales 

4 subtests:1) Block Building – Visuo-Motor2) Picture Similarities – Visual Concepts3) Naming Vocabulary – Verbal Production4) Verbal Comprehension – Verbal Reception

These 4 subtests can be combined to give: Verbal Score NonVerbal Score Total Score – General Cognitive Ability

Which Assessment to Which Assessment to Use?Use?

Once you decide on researcher administration several assessments are available and all have good reliability and validity.

 Choice depends on: Cost Ease of training Which are the most important constructs

to measure (i.e. subtests)