In this 60-minute webinar, you’ll learn how your program can use the SEAM to reliably assess social-emotional development in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers at risk for delays or challenges and monitor social-emotional development over time.
Jane Squires and Misti Waddell, two of the SEAM developers, will introduce this revised tool and show samples of the two-part assessment (SEAM and SEAM Family Profile). They will also
• highlight the 10 benchmarks on the SEAM
• outline administration procedures
• describe the research behind the tool
• discuss how SEAM results can be used to focus intervention efforts
• share how the SEAM Family Profile can be used to assist practitioners in identifying areas where additional guidance may be needed to help parents support their child’s social-emotional development
5. Assists practitioners in
• prevention and early identification of
social-emotional difficulties and
behavior disorders
• development of
functional, meaningful, measurable, high-quality goals
and intervention content for children and caregivers
• optimizing positive parent-child interactions in the first
years of life.
7. SEAM
SEAM with Ages
SEAM Family Profile
Environmental Screening
Questionnaire (ESQ)
8. 3 Developmental Intervals:
• Infant (2-18 months)
• Toddler (18-36 months)
• Preschool (36-66 months)
10 Benchmarks included in each interval
• 3 - 8 items per benchmark
Completed by caregiver or by professional through
interview with caregiver
9.
10.
11. 1. Demonstrates healthy interactions with others
2. Expresses a range of emotions
3. Regulates social-emotional responses
4. Shows empathy for others
5. Shares attention and engagement
6. Demonstrates independence
7. Displays a positive self-image
8. Regulates attention and activity level
9. Complies with daily routines & requests
10. Shows a range of adaptive skills
12. Allow caregiver to:
• rate child’s performance on developmental items
• indicate whether item is a concern
• select item as a focus area (i.e., intervention goal)
13. Benchmarks
1.0 Toddler participates in healthy interactions.
(4)
2.0 Toddler expresses a range of emotions. (4)
3.0 Toddler regulates her social-emotional
responses. (3)
4.0 Toddler begins to show empathy for others.
(3)
5.0 Toddler shares attention and engages with
others. (5)
16. 1. Prepare with the caregiver for the SEAM
assessment process
2. Complete the SEAM
assessment
3. Review results
17. Identify administration procedure that meets
family preferences and program requirements.
Possible administration methods include:
• Home visit
• Parent/child group
• Send home with family
• Parent/teacher conference
Explain assessment purpose and procedures
(see following slides)
18. The SEAM
is a tool that provides a way to take a close look at a
child’s social-emotional development.
focuses on skills children need to learn in order to get
along well with others, regulate their own emotions and
behaviors, and develop a positive self image.
Helps to identify and
support your child’s
social-emotional
development
19. Read each item, consider the examples, and think
about your child’s behavior before selecting an answer.
For some items, you may want to observe your child
before selecting your response.
Remember, examples are there just to give you ideas
about how the behavior might look. Your child may
display the skills in a slightly different way.
Explaining SEAM procedures to
caregivers
20. Response Options:
There are four options for rating your child’s behavior:
• Very True (Consistently or most of the time)
• Somewhat True (Sometimes, though not consistently)
• Rarely True (Only once in a while)
• Not True (Doesn’t yet show skill)
Answer based on your personal experiences and what you know
about your child.
There is also a place for you to indicate if any particular item is a
concern for you or if you would like it to become a focus area or
intervention goal.
21. The SEAM and SEAM
Family Profile can be
completed by caregiver
Interview format is
recommended
Include family members
/ friends if desired
Tailor caregiver
participation to match
individual needs and
desires
Explain SEAM
interval’s
developmental range
and omit questions
developmentally
irrelevant or culturally
inappropriate
22. Review information with the parent/caregiver
Explore differences between
teacher and parent perceptions
Discuss concerns
Identify possible resources
and strategies
Administer SEAM Family Profile
23.
24. Using the SEAM results:
1. Summarize Andrew’s strengths
2. Identify two possible intervention goals
using the SEAM
27. Andrew’s Strengths
• Andrew is curious and active and enjoys playing.
• Andrew is affectionate and talks and plays with
others.
• Andrew is a happy child; he smiles and laughs.
• Andrew likes attention from his family and
engages in activities with them
• Andrew seems to feel good about himself and his
accomplishments
• Andrew looks at books and listens to stories that
are read to him
• Andrew eats a variety of foods
• Andrew cooperates with requests
29. Intervention goals identified from caregiver-selected
SEAM Toddler focus areas:
After getting upset or engaging in exciting activity, Andrew will learn to calm
himself within 5 to 10 minutes.
While at the childcare center, Andrew will make a smooth transition between
activities (e.g. going from to outdoor play to circle time).
After a bedtime story and good-night hug and kiss from his mother and/or
father, Andrew will learn to fall asleep and remain asleep throughout the night.
Each morning when his mother drops Andrew at the childcare center, Andrew
will separate with minimal upset after she gives him a hug and says good-bye
30.
31. Assessment items address
adult knowledge and
behaviors that foster
social-emotional
development in children
Assessment identifies areas where caregivers /
parents need support and resources in order to
provide a safe and responsive environment for
their children.
32. Uses caregiver-friendly
language
Allows caregivers to:
• rate their understanding of,
and ability to foster their
child’s development in,
several developmental areas
• indicate whether they need
more information about an
assessment item
• select assessment items that
are “focus areas” or areas of
concern
33. Benchmarks
1.0 Responding to my child’s needs.
2.0 Providing appropriate type and level of
activities.
3.0 Providing predictable schedules/routines.
4.0 Providing a safe home and play environment.
35. Check the “Not sure/need more info” box if the caregiver
needs resources or more information from a professional.
Check the “Focus Area” triangle next to an item if the
caregiver(s) would like to target the content addressed in
the item.
Consider cultural appropriateness of each item and omit
items that caregivers may find intrusive, disrespectful, or
inappropriate.
Follow-up with the Environmental Screening
Questionnaire (ESQ) if needed.
36. • To develop family outcomes
• To gather new information
41. SEAM
Interval
DECA
2-12 months
ITSEA
12-36 months
ASQ:SE
3-36 months
Total score Compliance Negative
Emotion
Pro-social Total score
Infant .754** .628** -.415* .651** -.557**
N 13 27 26 24 860
Toddler NA .564** -.261** .652** -.516**
N 119 120 120 162
* p < .05, Pearson two-tailed. ** p < .01, Pearson two-tailed.
42. Age in months N M r
SEAM for infants 235 .35**
0-6 49 84.32
7-12 153 93.49
13-18 33 97.61
SEAM for toddlers 56 .39**
19-24 20 82.39
25-30 19 86.83
31-36 17 92.59
43. N = 339
Average time to complete: 9.38 minutes
Parents agreed or strongly agreed with
statements:
• Questions were appropriate: 92.6%
• Questions were useful: 95.3%
• Items were clear: 90.6%
• Alerted to skills caregiver was unsure about:
59.2%
44. From Parents:
• “The SEAM allowed me
to put my thoughts out
there.”
• “(Our conversation) felt non-judgmental because of
the tool.”
• “If there is a concern it can be a helpful way to bring a
parent on board.”
45. From Providers:
• “I liked having a tool to build from…”
• “The SEAM helped me explain what to expect.”
• “It felt more like a discovery tool than judgment.”
• “Using the SEAM took out the emotions and allowed
us to be objective—it brings the parent up to the
‘expert’ level.”
• “The SEAM makes it easier for the professional to ask
the right questions.”
46. SEAM™
Items are all competence skills (i.e., skills we want
children to learn or develop)
Non-judgmental assessment (i.e., does not “identify”
children)
Can promote conversations with parents focused on
social-emotional development
Can be used to develop goals and monitor progress
Includes Family Profile that allows parents/caregivers to
identify areas of strength as well as areas of needed
support
Each benchmark has a specified number of items as shown in the parenthesis.
SEAM with Ages includes ages for each of the item examples. SEAM with ages can:assist practitioners in providing general guidance to caregivers about the ways in which children of different ages may be expected to exhibit target skills and behaviorsassist practitioners in understanding and explaining to caregivers the developmental progression of social-emotional skills and behaviors and where a child’s development fits on the continuum of skill acquisitionAges were determined by using empirical data found in the literature and information from other existing tests. These age indices provide general guidelines and may not represent the skill ranges and variability of individual children.
10.2 – He’s still adjusting to going to child care.
Lists each item for the SEAM and the SEAM Family Profile. SEAM benchmarks are identified with a (C) and SEAM Family Profile benchmarks are indicated with a (F)For each item, there is a space to indicate:If an item is a strength (Items marked “Very True” for SEAM and “Most of the time” for SEAM Family Profile)If an item is a concern and requires monitoringIf an item is selected as a focus areaA numerical score if programs choose to convert response options to numerical values (0, 1, 2, 3)