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Developmental and psychiatric evaluation in the preschool context.
1Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Michael.Kaplan@yale.edu
Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America
|April 15, 1999
Summary
School-based developmental evaluations offer a powerful alternative to clinic-based assessments, observing children in their natural environments. This approach enhances family access to care and fosters collaboration between families and educators for at-risk children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Early Childhood Education
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Traditional clinic-based evaluations can be stressful for children and families.
- School environments offer a naturalistic setting for observing child development.
- Bridging the gap between clinical and educational systems is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document the effectiveness of school-based developmental evaluations.
- To present school-based evaluation as an alternative to traditional clinic-based methods.
- To highlight the benefits of naturalistic observation in early childhood assessment.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing naturalistic observation within the child's school environment.
- Implementing individual direct assessment in conjunction with observation.
- Employing a combination of both naturalistic observation and direct assessment models.
Main Results:
- School-based evaluations provide increased access to care for families.
- This model fosters trusting, cohesive working relationships among families and teachers.
- Children are evaluated in their familiar surroundings, reducing potential anxiety.
Conclusions:
- School-based developmental evaluations are an effective and powerful alternative.
- Evaluators can leverage strengths from both clinical and educational systems.
- This approach supports positive growth for young children at risk for developmental delays or psychiatric disorders.