Authors: Warshaw, Stephanie Parks
Year of Publication: 2010 (2nd ed)
Publisher: VORT Corporation
Type of Assessments:
Non-standardized
Criterion-referenced
Curriculum-based
Cost: $164.50 for HELP 0-3 Essential Set | $169.50 for HELP 0-3 Recommend Companion Set
How to Access: https://shineearly.store/collections/help-0-3-years-hawaii-early-learning-profile
Age: Birth - 3 yrs
Diagnoses: children with developmental delays/disabilities
Setting: Early Intervention, Home Health, Outpatient, Preschools, Early Childhood Education Programs, Hospitals
comprehensive, ongoing, family-centered curriculum-based assessment process for infants, toddlers & their families to identify needs, outcomes, strategies, and activities to determine next steps and track growth & development over time
Regulatory & Sensory Organization
Cognitive
Learning
Play
Problem-solving
Language
Receptive
Expressive
Gross & Fine Motor
Social-emotional
Self-Help/Adaptive
Sleeping
Eating
Dressing
Time: 30-90 mins (depends on completed subsections)
Group/Individual: Individual
Subtests: 7 domains: regulatory/sensory organization, cognitive, language, gross motor, fine motor, social-emotional, & self-help
Instructions: Administration begins with a family-centered interview with the child's caregiver(s). This information will be used to review and collaborate with other professionals (given permission). Once releases and therapy prescriptions are received, the examiner will choose the most appropriate HELP assessment recording form.
Examiner will highlight the skills above and below the child's developmental age
The examiner will then record the child's responses to situations/observations of parent-child interactions, and score accordingly.
The examiner will continue the assessment until the child loses motivation, attention, or cannot complete the higher-level tasks
Observations will be reviewed to determine the approximate developmental levels within the major domains
In collaboration with the family, examiner will develop outcomes statements that reflect their concerns and priorities
Necessary services and strategies will be determined to meet the child's needs to achieve outcomes
Materials: No specific items -- preferred or useful toys/items can be utilized to assess the desired skills
User Qualifications: No specific certification requirement but examiner should have knowledge of the manual & procedures
Certified professionals in relevant fields are highly recommended
How to Score: Each skill is rated to determine the child’s current developmental level based on the examiners observation of the child's performance of a given skill
+ = skill is mastered/consistent
+/- = skill in emerging but inconsistent
- = skill is not yet observed/absent
A = atypical or dysfunctional behavior concerns that interfere with development
A+ = hyper-responsive atypical sensory response
A- = under-responsive atypical sensory response
O = family concerns
Basal: when 2 or more consecutive skills have good quality (+), earlier skills are assumed to be mastered
Ceiling: if two consecutive skills are missed (-), higher-level skills are not assessed further
Score Indications: Identify the highest mastered skills in each domain to find the developmental age level (DAL)
Ex. If the cluster of mastered skills falls within the 12-15-month level in fine motor, that is the fine motor DAL
DALs may vary across domains if skills are inconsistent
Target emerging skills for interventions and goals.
Review patterns of strengths and needs across domains
Consider skill performance quality
N/A - Non-standardized
Strengths:
Available in Spanish
Include at-home handouts for caregivers' reference of skills within each corresponding category, offering ideas on ways to help the child integrate these new skills
Family-centered and collaborative
Completed in the child's natural environment - gather info on child's development within familiar settings and interactions
Encourages collaboration with multidisciplinary team members
Multiple versions available for specific age groups
Assist in IFSP development (aligns with IDEA part C federal requirements)
Emerging skills can be utilized as bases for targeted interventions and form direct, measurable, and developmentally appropriate goals
Can be utilized to track progress over time
Weaknesses:
Not-standardized - cannot compare results to normative data
Time-consuming
Li, Z., Gooden, C., & Toland, M. (2018). Reliability and validity evidence for the Hawaii Early Learning Profile, Birth-3 years. Journal of Early Intervention, 41(1), 62-83. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053815118810235
Kentucky Partnership for Early Childhood Services. (2016). "The Administration of the Hawaii Early Learning Profile for Birth-3 Years." HDI Learning. https://www.hdilearning.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/02/HELP-Course-Handout.pdf
Keany Associates. (n.d.). The Hawaii Early Learning Profile (HELP). https://www.keanyassociates.com/programs/hawaii-early-learning-profile
VORT Corporation. (2023). "HELP 3-6 Assessment Manual" (2nd ed.). Shine Early Learning. https://shineearly.store/products/help-3-6-assessment-manual-2nd-ed
Warshaw, S.P. (2007). Guidelines for determining appropriate DALs from the HELP Strands: Developmental age levels (DALs). Shine Early Learning. https://documents.shineearly.store/Guidelines_for_Determining_Approximate_DALs_for_HELP_Strands.pdf