DCF BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATION AND SCREENING (BOAS) WITH VERIFIED COMPLETE SOLUTIONS|GUARANTEED SUCCESS

Observation Is when a child care worker recognizes and notes and identifiable performance or behavior and uses instruments such as checklists, anecdotal records and running records. The instruments are used to measure progress against a standard and to share results with assessment experts. Screening Means an instrument intended to identity and monitor normal development or possible developmental delay. Screening programs are not diagnostic, and are not based on whether a child has passed a certain curriculum. Brainpower 0:04 / 0:15 Why do we need this course? This course is required by Florida statue 402.305 which describes "licensing standards, child care programs." Key benefits of developmental screening - early detection of problems allows for timely referral for invention. - the caregivers attention can be focused on activities that strengthen the child's skills. - Increased volume and quality of information available to the parents regarding "in-the-home" activities that support normal development. - provides a common reference point and basis for interaction for parents, child care workers, and child development specialist. Proper screening Leads to sound assessment so that early detection of potential developmental delays will determine the correct referral and intervention. Why do we use the analogy of a window window when we discuss brain development? When a window is open, air and other things have free access to the space within, but when the window is closed, nothing can get through the window. Principles if child development - development in young children occurs rapidly and typically progresses in spurts. - all children develop at their own rates because each child is unique. Heredity and environment work together to make each child special and different from all others. Together, these factors account for the individual variations you see in children. Six developmental domains 1. Physical health 2. Motor development 3. Cognitive development & general knowledge 4. Language & communication 5. Approaches to learning 6. Social & emotional Physical health Refer to the changes in body shape and proportion. It includes change in weight, height, and etc. Motor development Refers to a child's ability to make about and control body parts such as grasping, rolling over, hopping, etc. Cognitive development and general knowledge Refers to a child's intellectual or mental abilities. It involves finding processing and organizing information and using it appropriately. Discovering interpreting, sorting, classifying, and remembering information. Language and communication Refers to child's ability to express himself verbally and to receive and understand the verbal communication of others. It involves vocabulary, grammar, reading, writing, and ability to understand things around them. Approaches to learning Refers to how skills and knowledge are acquired through the three qualities eagerness and curiosity, persistence and creativity, and problem solving Social and emotional Focuses how children feel about themselves and their relationships with others. Refers to individual behavior, responses to play and work activities, attachment to parents and relationships with siblings and friends. Age-level expectancies Represent a range (rather than an exact point in time) when specific skills will be achieved. Activity: • laughing and show pleasure at interaction - 8 to 18 months • digs through sand to find hidden toys - 24 to 36 months • inspects own hands and feet - birth to 8 months • repeat words over and over - 18 to 24 months Tools for recording observations of children - check lists - anecdotal records * facts: - record only facts - record every detail, don't leave out anything - take brief notes throughout the day, but fill in the details as soon as possible - use action words that describe but do not judge - record the facts in the order they occur Observation skills - the observer must be totally objective - do not try to observe more than one child at a time - do not influence the child's responses by your presence - make sure there is adequate space for the observation - make sure that distractions are kept to the minimum - use an area that is familiar to the child - make sure you build a relationship with the child and the parents Observation definition - participant observation: allows you to one interact with children directly and ask them certain things - overt observation: you do not hide the fact you are observing a child's actions - non-participant observation: the observer is concealed behind a screen or a 2-way mirror and does not interact with the child - convert observation: when the children are not told they are using observed Developmental screening - the screening process can not confirm a disability - screening helps to identify children that could be benefit from childhood intervention programs - most screening instruments are divided into the categories of physical, cognitive, language, and social/emotional - the social/ emotional developmental domain is more difficult to test The main purpose if any good screening tool Is to identify children who are in need of further evaluation to determine whether they are candidates for early intervention services • screening program should be: - easily - accurately - affordable Screening programs - developmental screening instruments: focuses on observation and provides initial information that can facilitate learning - achievement tests: measure knowledge or skills a child has learned - social-emotional/ behavioral screening tests: brief test that target social-emotional issues - readiness test: brief achievement test geared to show whether a child is ready to benefit from a specific program - instructional assessments: based on children's work in the classroom