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“An assessment instrument is a systematic tool (test, checklist, scale, observation protocol, or interview) designed to measure an individual’s skills, abilities, behaviors, or developmental status in a reliable and valid way.”

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Key characteristics (3–5 features every good instrument must meet)

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Key characteristics (3–5 features every good instrument must meet)

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Validity: measures what it claims to measure (content, criterion, construct).

Reliability: produces consistent scores across time, raters, or items. Standardization: uniform administration & scoring so results are comparable to norms.

Relevance/Practicality: meaningful for the target question and feasible to use in context (time, resources).

Cultural fairness / appropriateness: norms and items must suit the child population being assessed.

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“Common assessment areas for early childhood: cognitive, motor (gross & fine), language (receptive & expressive), socio-emotional/adaptive, and sensory.”

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Standardized tests / norm-referenced (e.g., formal scales with norms)

Screening questionnaires / parent checklists (rapid detection of risk)

Observational tools / behavior coding (structured observations)

Developmental scales (profile of skills across domains)

Interviews (caregiver/clinician) (structured or semi-structured)

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Example 1 — Bayley Scales of Infant & Toddler Development (Bayley-4)

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Example 1 — Bayley Scales of Infant & Toddler Development (Bayley-4)

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Area: Global developmental domains (Cognition, Language, Motor, Social-Emotional, Adaptive)

Age / Target: Infants & toddlers (approx. birth to ~42 months depending on edition).

Description (2–3 lines): A clinician-administered, norm-referenced developmental scale providing composite scores, percentiles and developmental age estimates. Used to identify developmental delays and to plan early intervention.

Example use in early stimulation/child psychology: Administered before/after a stimulation program to measure cognitive and motor gains and to target individualized therapy goals.

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Example 2 — Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3)

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Example 2 — Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3)

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Area: Multi-domain screening (communication, gross & fine motor, problem solving, personal-social)

Age / Target: Parent-completed screens for 1 month to 5½ years (age-specific questionnaires).

Description (2–3 lines): A widely used parent-completed screening system for early identification of developmental concerns; quick, low cost, and validated with large samples.

Example use in early stimulation/child psychology: Regular ASQ screening in a pediatric clinic or early intervention program to decide which children need further diagnostic testing or referral to services.

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Example 3 (optional extra) — Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS-2 / PDMS-3)

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Example 3 (optional extra) — Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS-2 / PDMS-3)

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Area: Motor development (fine & gross motor skills)

Age / Target: Birth through preschool years (varies by edition, commonly up to 5 years).

Description (2–3 lines): A standardized motor assessment with subtests (reflexes, locomotion, grasping, visual-motor integration, etc.) used to diagnose motor delay and to guide motor interventions.

Example use: Use PDMS subtest scores to design targeted occupational or physiotherapy tasks for motor stimulation.

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APA — “Testing, assessment, and measurement” (American Psychological Association). APA

Sullivan, G.M. — “A Primer on the Validity of Assessment Instruments” (NCBI/PMC). PMC

ECTA/Catalog — “Assessment Instruments for Young Children” (early childhood tool catalog / best-practice summary). escneo.org

Bayley Scales — Book chapter / overview (NCBI Bookshelf: Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development). CNIB

ASQ-3 Technical Report / User’s Guide (Squires et al.).