Components of an Evaluation

As outlined by the State of New York, the evaluation must include:

Physical Examination - This may include a report from the child's pediatrician or other specialists who have recently examined the child.

Social History - This includes interpersonal, familial and environmental factors which influence a child's general adaptation to the learning environment.

Psychological - This assesses a student's cognitive, developmental, behavioral and emotional development.

Observation of the child in his/her natural setting - A natural setting may include the classroom or home.

An evaluation can also include one or more of the following evaluations depending on the areas of concern.

Language and Communication - An evaluation of speech-language skills measures the child's understanding and expression of language, the appropriate use of language (pragmatic skills), speech production (articulation and ability to be understood when talking), fluency (stuttering), and oral motor development (muscle strength and use of the lips and tongue, as well as feeding or swallowing skills.)

Cognitive - This measures attention span, thinking processes, concept formation, visual discrimination, imitation, memory, sequencing, reasoning and problem solving skills.

Adaptive Behavior - An evaluationn of adaptive behaviors measures daily activities required to meet personal and social needs. These include self-help skills, play skills, motor skills and social interaction and behavioral skills.

Social-Emotional - This measures interpersonal relationships, social interaction skills with adults and peers, personality traits and social-emotional development.

Gross Motor - This measures large muscle movement abilities such as locomotion and balance (running, jumping hopping), posture, range of motion (flexibility), muscle performance (strength), sensory integration, reflex and joint abilities.

Fine Motor - This measures small muscle abilities (hand skills) such as manual dexterity (holding and using writing utensils), eye-hand coordination, visual-perceptual-motor skills, and sensory integration development.

Functional Behavior - This evaluation identifies behavioral concerns that hinder learning or participation in age appropriate activities.

Referral and Evaluation Process

  1. Contact the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) office at 622-7161 to request an evaluation. We will take some basic information and mail you a letter with registration requirements.
  2. Register your child with the school district.
  3. A consent form will be mailed to your home along with a listing of evaluation sites.
  4. Your child’s paperwork will be forwarded to the agency you have chosen once the consent form is received in our office.
  5. The evaluating agency will contact you to schedule your child’s evaluations.
  6. The evaluations take place.
  7. The agency writes up a report and sends a copy to the parents and the school district.
  8. A Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) meeting is held to review the results of the evaluation and determine whether special education services are warranted.
  9. If it is determined at the CPSE meeting that your child should receive services, then service providers are put in place to work with your child.