This document provides instructions for a student to complete a discussion post and two reply comments on interpreting and using assessment results for a case study on a 3-year-old boy, Roberto. The student is asked to discuss what further assessment they would recommend based on Roberto's scores on the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, limitations of screening tools, and how to link the assessment results to instruction. Two other students have provided initial discussion posts that the student must reply to with comments.

1. Kaplan University
Psychology / Applied Behavior Analysis / Early Childhood
Development
CE300: Observation and Assessment in Early Childhood
Discussion post and two replies.
Topic: Interpreting and Using Assessment Results
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TUTOR INSTRUCTIONS:
The student is required to answer the case study questions
below to make a new discussion post, then make a reply
comment to two other student's posts. So, one new original post,
and two reply comments (one comment about Student 1's post,
and one comment about Student 2's post).
References that should be used and cited for this assignment
are:
1. “Early Childhood Assessment: Why? What? and How?”;
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/early_child_asse
ss.pdf
In Part 1 (Early Childhood Assessment), you are to read
Chapter 1, titled “Introduction”; (pp. 23-30) as well as Chapter
2, “Purposeful Assessment”; (pp. 31-40).
2. Head Start Child Development and Early Learning
Framework at
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. (2010, Dec). The
Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework.
Retrieved from
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/sr/approach/elof
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Case study
Roberto is a 3-year-old boy in the childcare center where you

2. work. Your center uses the Ages and Stages Questionnaire
(ASQ-3) to screen all children in your care. Roberto scored
above the cutoff point in all areas on the ASQ-3 except for
communication, where his score was far below the cutoff point,
which indicates a need for further assessment. Please answer the
following questions (please do not read other classmate
responses until you have responded).
As early childhood professionals, we can always use additional
assessment data to form a complete assessment on a child.
1. Based on the scores on the ASQ-3, what would you
recommend for further assessment and why?
2. Please be sure to discuss the limitations of a screening
instrument such as the ASQ-3 and appropriate uses of screening
results. Further assessment indicated that Roberto had a
significant language delay, and qualified for language
intervention from a speech pathologist through the public
school system.
3. How could you as the early childhood professional in the
home childcare center link these assessment results to your
instruction?
4. Please give specific examples and be sure that these are
based on developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) and
scientifically based practice.
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Student 1's post:
“Assessment, defined as gathering information in order to make
informed instructional decisions, is an integral part of most
early childhood programs” (National Research Council (2008).
Based on the scores on the ASQ-3, what would you recommend

3. for further assessment and why?
First, I would tell Roberto’s parents how he score above the
cutoff in all areas of Gross and fine motor, problem solving and
personal social. However, we noticed that he scored below the
cutoff in the area of communication. Next, I would need to
know what language is spoken in the home. Was the test given
in the child’s first language. Are there any cultural
differences? What are the environmental factors? Has there
been something different gig on that may have affected
Roberto’s performance. I would relay this information in
private with compassion. I would remind the parents that the
screening is not a diagnosis but the need for further
assessment. I would listen to the parents input as to why this
was, discuss their concerns and offer specific examples of my
concerns. I would give them learning activities that they can do
at home and reassure them that I will be doing them here at
school so we are on the same page. Then, I would suggest that
we re-screen in 2-3 months. By doing this we can see if there is
an improvement before I refer her to their family doctor or a
community referral.
Please be sure to discuss the limitations of a screening
instrument such as the ASQ-3 and appropriate uses of screening
results. Further assessment indicated that Roberto had a
significant language delay, and qualified for language
intervention from a speech pathologist through the public
school system.
Some of the limitations would be that it depends only on the
parent’s report. It included how the child acts at home, but
what about at school. What if the child has a bad situation at
home or there is stress at home? In the Early Childhood
Assessment Why? What? and How? They state the child may
not be able to stay focused, may have difficulty responding to
situation cues and verbal directions, and young children do not

4. respond consistently when asked to do something for an adult. •
In some cultures, direct questioning is considered rude. And the
parent may be biased and does not tell the correct answer
because they are scared of having their child labelled.
How could you as the early childhood professional in the home
childcare center link these assessment results to your
instruction?
I would come up with a developmental action plan that both the
teachers and parents could work on together. Give the child
certain words to word on while doing the action. Then, add on
a word to create a two word sentence and continue adding
words.
Please give specific examples and be sure that these are based
on developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) and
scientifically based practice.
If a score is below the cutoff, I might make a referral for further
assessment in 2 to 3 months or intervention. Taking into
account certain factors that may have influenced the child’s
scores, such as setting/time of day of screening, health, and
family or cultural factors. If a score is near but not below the
cutoff (in the monitoring zone), I would talk to the parent about
their concerns and I may decide to refer for further assessment.
Otherwise, I would provide follow-up activities and plan to
screen again. If the child scores above the cutoff, I would tell
the parents how great their child is doing and provide advanced
activities to excel the child even more.
References:
National Research Council. (2008). Early Childhood
Assessment: Why, What, and How?
Committee on Developmental Outcomes and

5. Assessments for Young Children, Catherine
E. Snow and Susan B. Van Hemel, editors. Board on
Children, Youth and Families,
Board on Testing and Assessment, Division of Behavioral and
Social Sciences and
Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/early_child_asse
ss.pdf
Ages and Stages Questionnaire 2016 | Paul H. Brookes
Publishing Co.
http://agesandstages.com/products-services/asq3/
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Student 2's post:
Good Evening Professor and Classmates,
1. Based on the scores on the ASQ-3, what would you
recommend for further assessment and why?
On the Ages and Stages Questionnaire that was performed on
Roberto who is a 3 year old little boy he showed that he scored
above the cutoff point in all areas other than the communication
section in which he score below, which shows that he needs
further assessment. The further assessment I would recommend
is the diagnostic testing. According to Early Childhood
Assessment: Why, What, and How?, screening assessments
indicated a child’s performance is outside the expected range so
then further diagnostic assessment is needed to better show the
problem, to locate a cause or both. With a diagnostic testing for
a child that has delayed speech will better assist in finding out
if it is intellectual function or cognitive processing and whether
there are obvious causes as to why the child’s speech maybe
delayed. For instance how is his speech at home? Does his
parents work with him and help him use his words and sound

6. them out for him, does he have siblings who speak for him or no
not allow him to talk and just give him what he wants. He may
have even had some troubles at birth or in his growing. The
diagnostic testing will be able to dig into his speech delay even
deeper than just an assessment can.
2. Please be sure to discuss the limitations of a screening
instrument such as the ASQ-3 and appropriate uses of screening
results.
Further assessment indicated that Roberto had a significant
language delay, and qualified for language intervention from a
speech pathologist through the public school system.
The limitations that may occur with the ASQ-3 is that it
is a questionnaire that is filled out by the parents so it could not
be as accurate as a another type of assessment maybe and hence
the reason it would need to be applied with another form of
assessment. Some parents maybe in denial or may not answer
truthfully out of fear of them not wanting their child to have to
have help in certain areas and seem as if their child is not where
they should be or not as smart as other children their age. To
get an unbiased answer the assessment would get a more
accurate result if someone who has knowledge in this area
performed it.
3. How could you as the early childhood professional in the
home childcare center link these assessment results to your
instruction?
I would first talk to the parent and get to know a little more
about their home life and see if the parents have any concerns
or questions in this area. Being as the child scored below the
cut off from the answers that they parents have given I would
first have him seem someone who is more knowledgeable in this
area and give a reason as to why he is below the cut off on

7. where he should be for communication. Would also encourage
the parents to start pointing out certain items around the house
and help him try to pronounce the word and also to encourage
them to read to him daily or frequently and to speak to him in
whichever language is his more dominate language if they are a
bilingual family.
4. Please give specific examples and be sure that these are
based on developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) and
scientifically based practice.
Would have him seen by a speech therapist. After having further
diagnostic testing performed I would then sit back down with
the parents and discuss the results. If it is something that the
childcare center can help him with or if it is help that he may
need to receive outside of the center. Would still encourage the
parents to be highly involved in the process of getting his
speech to the level it should be and to stress the importance of
helping him earlier on instead of waiting till he is older.
References:
Snow, C. & Van Hemel, S (2008) Early Childhood Assessment:
Why, What, and How? URL Retrieved from
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/early_child_asse
ss.pdf