How to assess your child
Assessment is the very first step in setting up a teaching program and is, essentially, observation with the purpose of gaining information. The aim of an assessment can be any of the following:
- It helps you to decide what to teach next.
- It can show you the progress your child is making.
- It tells you when and where to change your program.
Although you know your child very well and will have a good idea of what he can do, assessments are an essential foundation of your teaching program. Relying solely on your ‘everyday’ observations carries the risk of overestimating your child’s skills (leading to a program that is too hard) or underestimating your child’s skills (leading to a program that lacks challenge).
Each of the areas of development (gross motor, fine motor…) comes with a downloadable checklist summing up a list of skills. Each skill is further explained in the relevant section on this website, which is also where you can find an explanation on how to asses that skill and what materials you will need. To assess your child, present him with a series of activities, following the method described for each item, and observe him as he completes each one. If he completes an activity to the required standard you can record a plus (+) on the checklist opposite that item. The checklists contain several columns so that you can record your results of several assessments on different dates. This will make your child’s progress very clear.
| Time spent in planning will save time during the assessment itself. Therefore, you should first plan what to assess, how to assess it and assemble any materials that are needed for the assessment |
| Remember that most children are uneven in their development. You will probably need to assess your child at a more advanced level in some areas than in others |
| Helping your child to show her best | |
| 1 | Plan short sessions. Short sessions, spread over a couple of weeks, are preferable to long sessions, which may tire your child and prevent her from showing you her best |
| 2 | Plan varied sessions. Alternate different kinds of activities – listening activities and ‘doing’ activities, tasks which use small fiddly objects and tasks which use bigger toys, and so on |
| 3 | Start and end each session on a note of success. A sense of achievement will motivate your child to keep on trying, and to try again in the next session |
| 4 | Follow a difficult task with an easier one. This will help your child to relax and get over any frustration |
| 5 | Vary the setting. Some skills are easiest to assess in a highchair or at a table. Others are easier on the floor or outside. Perhaps you could combine some gross motor assessment with a visit to the park, or assess her puzzle skills at playgroup or preschool |
| 6 | Assess self-care skills at the appropriate time of day. Your child will probably he much happier to show you how she can take off her T-shirt if there is a logical reason for doing so |
| 7 | Involve friends and family in your assessment. Take advantage of the presence of playmates and family members to observe your child’s skills and interaction with others and encourage her to try activities which don’t appeal to her |
| 8 | Memorise the items you plan to assess each day. This will allow you to give your full attention to your child. Many children are put off by being followed around by an adult with a book and a pencil |
| 9 | Be flexible. Change your plans if you see you are getting nowhere or if your child surprises you by what she can do. If you are uncertain about a result, try the skill again another time |