The Use of Developmental Test Data for Documenting Handicapped Children's Progress: Problems and Recommendations

Abstract

Strategies for documenting progress of young handicapped children are summarized and discussed, with emphasis on the use of developmental test data for documentation of program impact. As small treatment effects are often the rule rather than the exception in educational programs for preschool handicapped children, the need for differentiated use of developmental test data is underscored. Possible methods for analysis of developmental test items are proposed within the context of growth patterns of handicapped children. These include consideration of range, density and scatter, and the ratio of pass-fail items. Implications of child progress data for program evaluation are discussed.