Putting Your Preschooler to the Test

Preschool children ages 6 and under are sometimes given tests administered by school psychologists. These instruments identify characteristics found in children with developmental delay or disabilities.

Screening instruments are first given to determine if further testing is needed. Screening tests are not indepth, and more assessments are needed to diagnose. They are given to see if there are any indicators of developmental difficulty.

Some screenings are administered by an examiner, and others are questionnaires filled out by parents and teachers. Screening tests often look at social-emotional and cognitive development. Screening instruments include: Ages and Stages Questionnaire, AGS Early Screening Profiles, First Step Screening Test for Evaluating Preschoolers (First Step), Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA), Early Screening Project (ESP), and Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS-2).

Diagnostic tests are given after a child has been screened and identified for more testing. Diagnostic tests for preschool children include adaptive behavior scales and intelligence tests, which are used to evaluate for developmental delay.

Adaptive behavior scales assess how children have mastered daily living tasks such as feeding, toileting, communication, and motor skills. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale and the Adaptive Behavior Scale School (ABS-S:2) are two adaptive behavior measures used with preschool children.

Intelligence tests for preschool children do not give a reliable IQ score, since IQ continues to develop in preschool and kindergarten. Instead, IQ tests are used with preschool children to measure learning potential. Intelligence tests for preschool children include: Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scale, McCarthy’s Scales of Children’s Abilities, Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III), Battelle Developmental Inventory, and the Bracken Basic Concept Scale Revised.

When preschool children are assessed, they are often given language tests. The Preschool Language Scale (PLS-4) and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test provide information about children's developing language abilities. The Pre-Language Assessment Survey (Pre-LAS) is often used to determine if a child requires special services.

Many children have difficulty learning if their first language is not English. When children take language tests, it is important that they take the test in the language they know best. The Pre-Language Assessment Survey (Pre-LAS), IDEA Proficiency Tests (Pre-IPT), and Woodcock-Munoz Language Survey can be given in Spanish or English.

School-age children are evaluated for achievement in school, which is important for special education placement decisions. Since pre-school children are not yet school-age, they can take an achievement test called The National Reporting System (NRS).