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The FAMILY Assessment

The FAMILY Assessment was started by the Colorado School for the Deaf & the Blind's Colorado Home Intervention Program (CHIP), which serves families who have a young child (Birth to age 3) with a hearing loss. The FAMILY Assessment is a multi-disciplinary assessment tool used to evaluate the abilities of the child as the child interacts with family members and peers. The assessment data is used in several ways: to identify present skills; to plan learning objectives for each child and as a valuable database for research. The FAMILY Assessment helps the parents to effectively guide their child's development.

How the FAMILY Assessment Works:

The videotape:

After a family has chosen to have an assessment, a consultant videotapes the parents and child at play for 30 minutes.

The parent-completed protocols:

The parents and their early intervention specialist complete a number of checklists when the videotape is made. These checklists measure:

Functional auditory skills
motor skills
language and communication skills
speech skills
play skills
family needs

The computerized and objective scoring:

The videotape is sent to coders at the University of Colorado at Boulder . The coders have been specially trained to score areas measuring:

child speech
child communication
child language
parent-child communicative interaction

The report of skill levels:

All of the assessment information is provided to the family and to the consultant. The summary report describes current skills, strengths and progress. The report also recommends the next steps the parent can take to stimulate the child's development.

Questions and Answers

What does the FAMILY Assessment measure?

The protocols describe a child's language, speech, and auditory skills are reported, as well as level of play, gross and fine motor skills, and functional vision skills. Important characteristics of parent-child interaction are summarized.

How are the results shared with the family?

All of the protocols are summarized and shared with family members. The results are explained in writing and through discussion. The discussion occurs in the family's 'home.

Who pays for the cost of the evaluation?

Different agencies are paying for the evaluation: The Colorado Home Intervention Program (CHIP), The Colorado Department of Education, and the Department of Speech/Language/Hearing Sciences at The University of Colorado-Boulder. The total cost is $250 for a complete multi-disciplinary assessment. There is no cost to the family.

How does the family benefit?

The family will obtain a detailed developmental profile of their child. The development of the child is based on norms established for all children. Based on this assessment, the family can ask questions about the development of their child. They can request consultative services. Direct services are guided by this assessment information.

What One Family has to say about the Assessments:

"I have three children; my middle child and youngest child are hearing impaired. Both children had their first assessments at three months of age and have been regularly assessed since. The assessments are a valuable tool. They help me to have an objective view of how my children are doing and how I am doing. The assessments show in what areas my children are doing well, and in what areas my children need work. When the assessments come back, my children's service providers and I are able to update our goals and decide if we need to change our plan of action. The assessments are a good motivation for me. If the results aren't as good as I would like, I'm motivated to work harder because I know my children are capable of doing better, but they need my help. If the results are as good as I expected, I'm motivated because it's so rewarding to see how good intervention pays off. If a fundamental part of language acquisition is missed early on, it will have life long consequences. The assessments help to make sure our team isn't missing anything." - Jeannene Evenstad

For more information Contact your regional Colorado Hearing Resource Coordinator (CO-Hear Coordinator). The number for this coordinator is listed on page 21 . You may also call the director of the Colorado Home Intervention Program (CHIP), Arlene Stredler Brown:303-492-3037 or email her at Arlene.Brown@colorado.edu

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