Enierging Issues in the Assessment of Young Children With Disabilities: The Expanding Role of School Psychologists

Abstract

The traditional roles of school psychologists have included the tasks of assessment, consultation, intervention, and program planning and evaluation. These roles have focused primarily on service delivery to school-aged children and youth. With the new focus on early intervention, school psychologists must expand their roles to include service delivery to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in order to effectively identify and treat the special needs of these young children and their families. This article offers an overview of the current issues impacting service delivery to preschoolers and their families, such as assessment, intervention, and training. Finally, several role functions pertinent to the emerging profession of preschool psychology are presented.