Development occurs in a sequence, and individuals develop at different rates
Prior stages of development need to be completed successfully to advance to the next stage
Focuses on mastery of skills & adapting appropriately
Techniques include interviews, observations, review of records, projective techniques, tests, & collaboration with caregivers to assess for disrupted or ceased development
Assesses:
Developmental progression
Gross, fine & oral motor skills
Visual perceptual skills
Cognitive skills
Sensory skills
Social skills
Battelle-3 (BDI-3)- an assessment designed to measure mastery of developmental milestones in children from birth to 7 years 11 months. Evaluating a child's achievement level across several key global domains helps to assess from a very early age a child's readiness and eligibility for special education resources, as well as assists in the development of individualized family service plans (IFSP's) and individualized education programs (IEP's).
Bayley Scales of Infant & Toddler Development 4th edition (Bayley-4)-
the most comprehensive assessment tool for determining developmental delays in children (ages 16 days to 42 months). Subtests include cognitive, receptive/expressive communication, fine/gross motor, social-emotional, social-emotional sensory processing, adaptive behavior, interpersonal relationship socialization, & play/leisure socialization scales
Peabody Developmental Motor Scales Third edition (PDSM-3)- an early childhood motor development program that provides both in-depth assessment and remediation of gross and fine motor skills. The assessment measures interrelated motor abilities that develop early in life for children ages 0-5 years, 11 months. Core subtests include body control, body transport, object control, hand manipulation, & eye-hand coordination with supplemental subtests in physical fitness.
Sensory Processing Measure Second edition (SPM-2)-
a norm-referenced assessment tool with substantial normative data, allowing for evaluation of sensory integration (SI)/ sensory processing, modulation, praxis, and social participation. It provides a complete picture of the impact of sensory integration and processing difficulties on occupations & routines in multiple environments for individuals ages 4 months - 87 years.
Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST)- an assessment tool designed to identify developmental delays in young children by evaluating a child's developmental progress across several key areas: personal-social, fine motor-adaptive, language, and gross motor skills. It involves observing and interacting with the child to assess their abilities in various tasks appropriate for their age group structured to gauge the child's milestones and developmental achievements.
Hawaii Early Learning Profile (HELP)-
consists of two criterion-referenced assessment instruments for use with children between birth and 6 years old. These instruments are used to track progress in the domains of cognitive, language, gross motor, fine motor, social-emotional, and self-help skills for the purposes of tracking intervention process.
Cole, M. B., & Tufano, R. (2020). Applied theories in occupational therapy: A practical approach. SLACK Inc.
Morin, A. (2025). Common assessments: Psychodynamic & developmental FORs. [PowerPoint slides]. Microsoft PowerPoint. https://kodiak.wne.edu/d2l/le/content/118453/viewContent/1740322/View