Assessing ASD 2 part

The information after reviewing class notes and the video presentations, has given me a better perspective involving how involved ASD assessments are. Assessing individuals with ASD is extremely complex. There are many factors to consider when making an assessment that will ultimately benefit the educator, family members and most importantly, the child.

A Review of assessment:

 When conducting a team assessment it is important for educators to remember that this is not diagnosis.  As assessors, we look at the needs of the individual child and review collaboratively as a team with the goal of enhancing the child’s curriculum and learning opportunities. However, though we do not diagnosis, I strongly feel that we need to be aware of ASD symptoms in order to complete an accurate and successful assessment. In addition, because of the high demand for effective and collaborative results by team members, it is important to know the full diagnosis of the child one may be working with.

Tools:

 When setting up an assessment, there are many tools to consider. First, is having a reliable assessment team member. The team members can comprise of:  family, care provider, teacher, doctor, ABA specialist, occupational therapist, and speech therapist, etc.  Having reliable team members with different duties is important when making an assessment. Because other team members may look at something in a different way or have other suggestions, it is helpful for the team to share opinions/ideas that can lead into a successful turnout.

When setting up an assessment team, it is important for the team to know of any other SPED information the child may be involved with. By having an outside diagnostic evaluation, it can be a helpful start in determining a child’s eligibility. Parents, as well, need clear and easily understood information to understand in order to work effectively with their child.

Another tool mentioned throughout the videos is standardized testing. There were many standardized tests that are helpful in assessing. However, there are some tests that do not work for all children, especially younger children.  

Another concern and problem with standardized assessment is that a child can technically do well in an assessment test because they have had time to review the questions and process that is being asked of them. However, if you put the child in its everyday environment they may not be able to completely understand, which may result in false hope. Even though it is important to use various assessment data, I do believe the most important tool is the evaluator.

More helpful information on assessment:

Other important factors to consider when assessing an individual, as Patricia Schroder and Kristine Strong mentioned, involves executive functioning and how it has a high impact on ASD individuals. This can be extremely challenging with the child’s curriculum because of the difficulty they experience with organizing and gathering daily information. Some of the assessment tools mentioned for executive functioning, as the BRIEF, seemed very beneficial. I liked the idea of the BRIEF because it looks at the naturalistic observations as well as having a teacher/parent interview when assessing.
Other concerns mentioned that can impair an ASD individual daily functioning is sensory-motor and communication. I found it interesting when Patricia Schroder mentioned communication skill issues with a child who has ASD. For instance, a child might have vocabulary but cannot necessarily use it in the right content or ask for needs and wants. It is important to remember that just because a child uses words, it does not mean they are aware of how they are responding to instructions, or even when asking for help.

There truly is so much involved with an assessment, which can definitely be overwhelming.  And because assessing is not a one- person job, it is important to work together with a variety of and trained team members. This is one of the many important steps with changing and improving a child’s life through successful intervention.