Assessments of Infants and Toddlers.

When assessing school age children we assess skills such as: reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary and receptive and expressive language skills in some cases. When assessing an infant or toddler we have to assess early developing milestones such as visual tracking and attending skills. Fisher Price has a visual tracking tube on the market to assess this skill. If an infant develops along a normal continuum they will visually attend to objects and track the objects as they are moved in space. Auditory localization skills is another early developing milestone when a baby hears a sound if the baby is developing along a normal continuum he or she will demonstrate a startle reflex if a loud noise is presented and he or she will localize to the sound of a voice. One way to assess auditory localization skills in an infant or toddler is to stand behind them and present a sound like a bell from left to right. If the baby has this milestone they will localize to the sound. Cause and effect skills should be assessed when assessing a baby or toddler. One way that this skill can be assessed is to use a toy that requires something to be done to the toy for an action to occur. Fisher Price has great developmental learning toys to assess cause and effect skills. For example there is a piano that can be placed on the floor or in a crib under a baby’s feet and the baby has to kick the piano to produce the music. Object permanence should be assessed when assessing a baby. If you show a baby or toddler an apple in your hand and then hide the apple behind your back is the baby aware that the apple is not gone. This skill has been referred to as out of sight out of mind. A normally developing toddler will know that the object is still there and he or she will look behind your back for the able. Means to end is another skill that needs to be assessed does a toddler know that they can use another object to get to an object that is out of reach. One assessment that is on the market is The Preschool Language Scale-4(PLS-4). Is a norm-referenced assessment nad it assesses attending skills, vocal, geatural and interaction skills. This portion of the assessment is for infants and toddlers from the ages of birth-2.11 years. The assessment includes a kit of toys that consists of a ball. Soft cloth, blocks, spoons, bowls, squeaky toys,cups, cars, rattles, wind up toys and a teddy bear. The toys are very appropriate for assessing some of the skills that were mentioned above as well as eliciting some vocalizations form a baby ot toddler.