Expanding the Repertoire of Tools and Techniques for Assessing the Communication Skills of Infants and Toddlers

Abstract

In recent years, professionals and families alike have expressed dissatisfaction over the tools and techniques used to evaluate and assess the communication skills of infants and toddlers (Campione, 1989; Crais, 1992a, 1993; Neisworth & Bagnato, 1992; Wetherby & Prizant, 1992). These dissatisfactions are often the result of a number of features that characterize many standardized tools and the limitations inherent in their use. In addition, ideas related to the ecological framework within which assessment should take place have altered our thinking about both the context and procedures employed. This article discusses several of the issues related to the growing dissatisfaction with current assessment tools and provides an overview of tools and techniques developed within the last several years that address some of these issues.