Early childhood and inclusive early intervention

Child Development Assessment

A Useful Assessment for Intervention Purposes

For an intervention tailored to the needs of children, it is important to use assessment practices that take into account daily observations made by the child’s family and close relatives as well as the professionals in the child’s various settings. The Chair members are interested in tools such as the Assessment Evaluation Programming System (AEPS) (Bricker, 2002), developed with accessibility in mind therefore, it is easily usable by parents or by several respondents.

Development Assessment Projects

In Quebec and Canada

Since 2015, the Evaluation of the AEPS / EIS Program’s Effects in Rehabilitation Center for Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders on Children with Intellectual Disabilities or a Global Developmental Delay Project is interested in the use of the translated and adapted French version of the AEPS (EIS – Évaluation Intervention Suivi) (2nd edition) by Social and Health Care Professionals that have been using this tool for the past ten years. The project aims to:

  1. provide information on the use of the AEPS / EIS Program by educators offering services to young children with developmental delays or intellectual disabilities;
  2. analyze the objective content recorded in the children’s intervention plans (IP);
  3. evaluate the quality of these objectives and
  4. describe the intervention methods proposed in the IPs to achieve these objectives.

This project will also document the challenges faced by educators in planning and developing IPs.

Also in Quebec, the translated and adapted French version of the AEPS’s (EIS – Évaluation Intervention Suivi) new edition (3rd edition) is currently under study. In particular, it will document the tool’s use in an inclusive daycare setting as part of a seven-year project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The work will be carried out in collaboration with the Early Intervention Management and Research Group (EMRG), bringing together American researchers who initiated the program and the researcher who began collaborating with them 10 years ago.

At an International Level

Work on the development of the AEPS / EIS’s latest edition is continuing under the responsibility of the EMRG group.

In development.

An Overview of Previous Work Completed

In Quebec and Canada

In 2008, the Development, Implementation and Evaluation of a Naturalist Approach in Early Intervention Project, funded by the Quebec Research Fund - Society and Culture (FRQSC), made it possible to evaluate the implementation and effects of the AEPS / EIS Program’s 2nd edition in a Rehabilitation Center for Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders (CRDITED) in Quebec. The results of the program implementation confirm the relevance of using this type of assessment and intervention tool. In particular, users emphasized the program’s value in generating a more realistic portrait of the child's skills, involving the family and identifying intervention strategies. In addition, the program aims to promote better knowledge of the intervention process by parents and parent participation.

Training on the use of this program has been provided by the researcher and her team in nearly half of the institutions offering specialized services for intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders in Quebec.

At an International Level

Research has been carried out under the responsibility of the American EMRG research group for more than 30 years to ensure the development of the AEPS / EIS program. The program, widely used in the United States, has also spread to other countries and has been translated into French, English, Spanish, Chinese, Finnish, Korean. French translation and adaptation was led by the researcher. The program was edited by Chenelière-McGraw Hill in Quebec and DeBoeck in Europe.

Documents to Consult

Articles (in English)

Chen, C., Xie, H., Clifford, J., Chen, C-I., & Squires, J. (2018). Examining internal structures of a developmental measure using multidimensional item response theory. Journal of Early Intervention 40(4), 287-303. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1053815118788063

Macy, M., Bricker, D., Dionne, C., Grisham-Brown, J., Johnson, J., Slentz, K., Waddell, M., Behm, M., & Shrestha, H. (2015). Content validity analyses of qualitative feedback on the revised assessment, evaluation and programming system for infants and children test. Journal of Intellectual Disability - Diagnosis and Treatment, 3(4), 177-186. http://www.lifescienceglobal.com/pms/index.php/jiddt/article/view/3524

Articles (in French)

Dionne, C., Chatenoud, C., Boutet, M., Rousseau, M., Rivest, C., & Lemire, C. (2015). Implantation du Programme d’évaluation, d’intervention et de suivi (EIS) dans un milieu inclusif. Revue internationale de communication et de socialisation, 2(2),74-87. http://www.revuerics.com/pages/publications/rics-2015-volume-2-numero-2.html

Lemire, C., Dionne, C., & McKinnon, S. (2015). Accord interjuges des nouveaux domaines, la littératie et la numératie, de l’AEPS/EIS. Revue de psychoéducation, 44(1), 63-81. https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/psyedu/2015-v44-n1-psyedu03002/1039271ar/

Lemire, C., Dionne, C., & McKinnon, S. (2014). Validité de contenu du nouveau domaine de la littératie de l'AEPS®/EIS. Revue francophone de la déficience intellectuelle, 25(1), 116-130. https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/rfdi/2014-v25-rfdi01594/1028217ar/resume/

Dionne, C., & Boutet, M. (2013, Mai). Résultats du projet de recherche : développement, implantation et évaluation d'une approche naturaliste en intervention précoce. Le Recherché, (63). http://www.crditedmcq.qc.ca/fr/publications.asp?cat=779&filtre=2&offset=20.

Nader-Grosbois, N., Dionne, C., Rivest, C., & Boutet, M. (2010). Le programme EIS : Évaluation, Intervention et Suivi auprès des jeunes enfants : un nouvel outil pertinent pour soutenir les habiletés fonctionnelles et communicatives des enfants atypiques. Cahier de l'ASELF (Association scientifique et éthique des logopèdes francophones), 2(2), 19-40. http://www.aself.be/nos-actions/les-cahiers-de-laself/

Tools

English version of AEPS / EIS

Bricker, D. (Éd.), Pretti-Frontczak, K., Johnson, J., & Straka, E. (2002). Assessment, evaluation, and programming system for infants and children. Volume 1: AEPS Administration guide (2e éd.). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Bricker, D. (Éd.), Capt, B., & Pretti-Frontczak, K. (2002). Assessment, evaluation, and programming system for infants and children. Volume 2: AEPS Test for birth to three years and three to six years (2e éd.). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Bricker, D. (Éd.), & Waddell, M. (2002). Assessment, evaluation, and programming system for infants and children. Volume 3: AEPS Curriculum for birth to three years (2e éd.). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Bricker, D. (Éd.), & Waddell, M. (2002). Assessment, evaluation, and programming system for infants and children. Volume 4: AEPS Curriculum for three to six years (2e éd.). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

French Version of the AEPS / EIS Program

Quebec Edition

Bricker, D. (2006). Programme d’évaluation, d’intervention et de suivi. Tome I : guide d’utilisation et tests : 0 à 6 ans. Traduction et adaptation auprès d’une clientèle québécoise sous la direction de C. Dionne en collaboration avec C.-A. Tavarès & C. Rivest. Montréal, QC: Chenelière McGraw Hill.

Bricker, D. (2006). Programme d’évaluation, d’intervention et de suivi. Tome II : curriculum : 0 à 3 ans. Traduction et adaptation auprès d’une clientèle québécoise sous la direction de C. Dionne en collaboration avec C.-A. Tavarès & C. Rivest. Montréal, QC: Chenelière McGraw Hill.

Bricker, D. (2008). Programme d’évaluation, d’intervention et de suivi. Tome III : curriculum : 3 à 6 ans. Adaptation auprès d’une clientèle québécoise par C. Rivest & C. Dionne. Montréal, QC: Chenelière McGraw Hill.

European edition

Bricker, D. (2006). Programme d’évaluation, d’intervention et de suivi. Tome I : guide d’utilisation et tests : 0 à 6 ans. Traduction et adaptation sous la direction de C. Dionne en collaboration avec C.-A. Tavarès & C. Rivest. Bruxelles, Belgique: De Boeck.

Bricker, D. (2008). Programme d’évaluation, d’intervention et de suivi. Tome III : curriculum : 3 à 6 ans. Adaptation par C. Rivest & C. Dionne. Bruxelles, Belgique: De Boeck.

Bricker, D. (2006). Programme d’évaluation, d’intervention et de suivi. Tome II : curriculum : 0 à 3 ans. Traduction et adaptation sous la direction de C. Dionne en collaboration avec C.-A. Tavarès & C. Rivest. Bruxelles, Belgique: De Boeck.