4 Choose your approach: Plans A, B, and C

In advance of your assessment, once you have learned about the child, make an initial plan for direct assessment. It is always best to not make any presumptions about what the child can do. That is, presume that the child in front of you will be able to demonstrate their skills and abilities when given appropriate accommodations for their motor and sensory impairments. When we approach a child in this way, they are most likely to show us the full measure of their ability. Use Plan A (standardized assessment tools) whenever possible and as a first choice in most cases. Be ready to flexibly move between plans during your assessment as you learn about the child. Details on Plans A, B, & C are available in the upcoming chapters.

Plan A: Standardized assessment tools: Standardized IQ tests are designed to compare children to a normative group of their same aged peers. For children with severe disabilities, their scores may be near the “floor” of the test. Thus, the IQ test will not necessarily identify the personal strengths and challenges of children with severe disabilities. However, IQ tests have a role to play, primarily as they are often required in order to support the child’s access to appropriate supports and services at school or in the community. Plan A assessments with children with multiple, severe disabilities involve carefully evaluating the test requirements and matching those to the child’s capabilities. The following sections will discuss various tests. Plan A assessments may include accommodations which do not change the underlying concept being measured.

Plan B: Out of age range measures: Sometimes it is appropriate to choose a measure which is developmentally appropriate but not age-appropriate for the child. For example, this would include using a measure of early childhood development (e.g., Bayley-4) in an older child with severe disabilities. When using out of age range measures, raw scores can be translated into age equivalent scores which can sometimes be helpful as a component of your broader assessment. The limitations of age equivalent scores are discussed along with the use of out of age range measures in a separate chapter.

Plan C: Non-standardized assessment/observation: Taking a different approach to assessment may be necessary when a child is not capable of participation in standardized measures, even those designed for younger children. Moreover, non-standardized assessment can be a useful addition to your regular assessment tools (Plans A and B), particularly for identifying strengths and next steps in development.

Often, some combination of the above is the most appropriate.