Evaluating Child Behavior Change in Natural Settings

Abstract

Documenting change in young children receiving special education services requires the appropriate use of data collection methods. Asking the right questions and matching the data collection procedures to the specific question is at the heart of successful documentation. The task is not an easy one for practitioners. The nature of early intervention, including a holistic view of the child and the move toward delivery of services in natural settings, often makes the task appear impossible, or at least impractical. This article proposes methods for asking analytic and systemic questions and using quantitative and qualitative data for documenting child behavior change. The goal is to develop a portrait of the child, capturing a full view of change in context. Suggestions are provided for developing data collection protocols that are valid but that are also manageable in practice.