Developmental Assessment Scales

Developmental assessment scales are screening instruments used to identify children at risk for developmental delay. Areas of development most commonly assessed with these tools include fine and gross motor abilities, language and communication [Page 306]proficiency, and personal and social skills. It is estimated that less than one third of children with developmental or behavioral disabilities are identified before they begin school. Because early intervention is considered vital to the treatment of children with developmental delay, the aim of most screening tools is to identify children at risk as early in life as possible.

In the earliest months and years of life, the family plays a key role in both facilitating childhood development and monitoring its progression. A comprehensive assessment of a child's development is difficult to ...