Preschool Assessment: Principles and Practices

by Marla R. Brassard PhD, Ann E. Boehm PhD

Overview

Comprehensive and user friendly, this ideal professional reference and graduate text provides a developmentally informed framework for assessing 3- to 6-year-olds in accordance with current best practices and IDEA 2004 guidelines. The authors are leading clinician-researchers who take the reader step by step through selecting appropriate measures, integrating data from a variety of sources, and using the results to plan and evaluate effective interventions and learning experiences. Coverage encompasses screening and assessment of cognitive, linguistic, emotional, and behavioral difficulties, including mental retardation and autism. Case studies illustrate key facets of assessing diverse children and families; appendices offer concise reviews of over 100 instruments.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781606234181
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	06/08/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	658
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Marla R. Brassard, PhD, Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program at Teachers College, Columbia University, has been assessing preschool children and their families in research settings, public schools, and university clinics for over 25 years. Her research focuses on psychological maltreatment of children--its assessment, the emotional/behavioral injuries that result, and contextual factors that moderate the effect of maltreatment (particularly the role of schools, teachers, and peer relationships). Dr. Brassard has published four books and numerous articles and chapters, and cochaired the task force that wrote the Guidelines for the Psychosocial Evaluation of Suspected Psychological Maltreatment (American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, 1995). She also studies psychological aggression in teacher-student and peer relationships, and its impact on children’s functioning, in a longitudinal study of secondary school children.

 

Ann E. Boehm, PhD, Professor Emerita in the School Psychology Program at Teachers College, Columbia University, is well known for her groundbreaking work in identifying the importance of young children’s knowledge of basic relational concepts to their understanding of teacher and text directions. She has developed two widely used early childhood tests to assess this knowledge, and currently is working on editions for children with visual impairments. She has written extensively on assessment issues at the early childhood level and cosponsors an annual conference and teaches a graduate course entitled "Observing and Assessing the Preschool Child." Dr. Boehm's research interests include cross-cultural development of relational concepts used in different direction formats, the role of comprehension in direction following, and intergenerational literacy.

Table of Contents

1. A Framework for Preschool Assessment
2. A Multifactor Ecocultural Model of Assessment and the Assessment Process
3. Technical Concerns
4. Observation of the Child
5. Observation of Environments
6. Screening Practices and Procedures: A Focus on Developmental Screening
7. Assessment of Early Academic Learning
8. Family Assessment
9. Assessment of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Preschoolers: Increasing Culturally Sensitive Practices
10. Assessment of Language Development
11. Cognitive Assessment, Susan Vig and Michelle Sanders
12. Assessment of Mental Retardation, Susan Vig and Michelle Sanders
13. Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorders
14. Assessment of Emotional Development and Behavior Problems

Interviews

Graduate students and practicing school and clinical psychologists, special educators, and others involved in assessing 3- to 6-year-olds. Serves as a core text in such courses as Preschool Assessment, Early Childhood Assessment, Early Childhood Special Education, and Child Clinical Psychology.

Editorial Reviews

Brassard and Boehm have crafted an excellent reference on state-of-the-art practices in the preschool assessment arena. Their perspective is grounded in evidence-based inquiry, rooted in an ecocultural model, appreciative of the sociopolitical climate in which assessment practices have evolved, and reflective of a strong developmental focus. This unique text will be useful to clinicians-in-training and working practitioners."—Richard A. Weinberg, PhD, University of Minnesota
 

"Drs. Brassard and Boehm have done a masterful job compiling information on child, parent and family, and environmental assessment scales and procedures. This book will doubtless become the most-used resource on preschool assessment by both students and practitioners. I anticipate it will be adopted for many different kinds of testing classes at both the master's and doctoral levels."—Carl J. Dunst, PhD, Research Scientist, Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute, Asheville, North Carolina

From the Publisher

"This book is a valuable resource.....The bibliography is extensive....Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above."

Choice

Reviewer: Gary B Kaniuk, PsyD (Cermak Health Services)
Description: This book presents a developmental approach to the assessment of preschool children, combining research with federal law and clinical practice, along with multicultural considerations. The appendixes include a review of over 100 assessment instruments.
Purpose: The authors designed the book "to be a primary text in courses on preschool/early childhood assessment and a manual for clinical practice," noting, it "focuses on how to think about assessment issues, select appropriate measures and procedures (extensive test reviews are presented), and integrate diverse information for use in decision making; there is less emphasis on how to administer tests."
Audience: According to the authors, the book is intended "both for graduate students and for practicing assessors, including school and child clinical psychologists, early childhood and special educators, learning disability specialists, and speech-language specialists." Both authors are from the school psychology program at Teacher's College, Columbia University. Dr. Brassard is Associate Professor and has been involved in the assessment of preschool children for over 25 years. Dr. Boehm is Professor Emerita and has developed two childhood tests: the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (for grades K-2) and the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (for preschool).
Features: This comprehensive overview of the assessment of preschool children includes a framework for preschool assessment; a multifactor ecocultural model of assessment and the assessment process; assessment of linguistically and culturally diverse preschoolers: increasing culturally sensitive practices; assessment of emotional development and behavior problems. It is easy to read and provides a step-by-step approach to the assessment process. An example is chapter on screening practices and procedures, where the authors outline nine detailed steps. They also include case examples. The numerous figures/tables help to elucidate the material. Many of the chapters include appendixes, reviewing assessment measures discussed in the chapter.
Assessment: This book is excellent. Both the seasoned veteran and novice assessor will gain important insights. The publisher has a good reputation for publishing books that help current and future clinicians learn more about assessment and therapy. This is another wonderful book in that tradition.

Doody's Review Service