DEVELOPMENTAL SCREENING IN INCLUSIVE CHILD CARE SETTINGS

USING THE ASQ-3

Carmen Dionne Ph. D. Research professor | Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Chairholder | UNESCO Chair : Early childhood and inclusive early intervention Project Director | Ensemble pour des milieux de garde inclusifs! (SSHRC, partnership)

Context

A seven-year project aiming to develop, implement and assess a model to support the global development of children in inclusive childcare centers with 19 partners organizations

Partnership Grants

Partnership Grants support formal partnerships between academic researchers, businesses and other partners that will advance knowledge and understanding on critical issues of intellectual, social, economic and cultural significance.

https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/

Methodological approach

➢ It takes place in a real context, practice environments are present and in constant interaction with researchers to find and develop innovative solutions to problems

Modeling process

Development of an inclusive child care support model

Dimensions of interest

➢ Educational practices
➢ Developmental vigilance/detection/screening
➢ Collaboration with partners
➢ Management leadership
➢ Transition to school
➢ Inclusion/financial support

Why ASQ in childcare settings?

A compatible tool with the reality of child care settings:
Ø Staff can use the materials already present in their child care setting
Ø The most significant persons close to the child complete the instrument
Ø The completion is flexible based on observation

Phase 1: Provincial portrait of current inclusive educational practices

More than 1400 people participated across the province

Who was involved in this survey?

Child care centers
➢ Management staff
➢ Educators
Parents
➢ Parents of children with special needs/disabilities
➢ Parents of children in child care settings
CISSS / CIUSSS
Schools
➢ Management of Specialized Services
➢ Practitioners of specialized services
➢ Directions
➢ Practitioners and teachers

Developmental vigilance / detection/screening

A total of 12 questions about...

➢ The role of child care centers in vigilance and detection
➢ Training for child care educators
➢ Collaboration and interactions between partners

Some results on developmental vigilance/detection/screening

Perceptions of the role of child care settings?

All child care educators (100%) consider that it is part of their role to detect developmental delays in children for whom they have concerns.

Practitioners from Health and Social services

When consulted by a parent about their child's development, the vast majority (82%) report consulting the child care setting to obtain information about their observations.

The vast majority (89%) report that when they identify developmental difficulties in a child attending a child care setting, the information provided by the staff of the setting is useful.

Do parents have information about this role?

74% of the parents of children attending a child care center who participated in the survey said that they were informed of their child's developmental role in the child care center as soon as their child was enrolled.

When unsure about child development?

The vast majority (84%) of the child care management staff report that their educators know exactly what to do when they have concerns about a child's development.

A high proportion (85%) of educators in child care settings report knowing exactly what to do when they have concerns about a child's development.

What about the parents?

When unsure about the development of a child in their group, the majority of educators in child care settings share their observations with parents (81%).

Ready to assume this role from the beginning?

More than 60% of child care management staff report ensuring, upon hiring, that educators are trained to identify children's developmental difficulties.

Phase 2: Supporting child care settings in their developmental vigilance/detection and screening practices

Developmental vigilance/detection/screening

Training and support

Ø Professional support activities sustained by :

• Training activities
• Support Guide
• Monthly meetings with educators
• Meetings 5x/year with the management staff

The support guide

AN OVERVIEW

Purpose?

Support the implementation of a systematic detection/screening practice in child care settings To equip child care settings in the development of a continuous improvement plan regarding detection in order to promote inclusive practices in child care settings

Contents of the guide

1. Why identify developmental delays? What is a developmental delay?
2. What is screening for developmental delays or difficulties?
3. Screening and developmental surveillance?
4. Developmental Detection, Screening and Vigilance
5. What is the role of child care settings in the detection/screening?
6. Why can educators contribute detection/screening ?
7. Why choose the ASQ-3 for screening?
8. Is the ASQ-3 compatible with the reality of child care settings?
9. What ASQ-3 is and what it is not
10. What ASQ-3 allows in child care settings
11. What are the benefits of ASQ-3 in child care settings?
12. Which training is required?
13. Involving parents: a must!
14. Concretely!

• The role of the management staff: before and after
• The role of educators: before and after

Le développement de l'enfant est un processus complexe et dynamique. Une pratique de détction (dépistage de 1er niveau) périodique est à promouvoir étant donné qu'une difficulté peut apparaitre à tout moment dans le développement de l'enfant.

C'est d'ailleurs pour cette raison que le terme « vigilance du développement » est utilisé. Dans notre perspective, la vigilance du développement regroupe un ensemble de pratiques qui font la promotion d'une surveillance soutenue et attentive du développement de l'enfant. Elle ne se traduit pas par une inquiétude par rapport au développement, mais par une prise de conscience des besoins développementaux de chacun des enfants.

Quel est le rôle des milieux de garde dans la détction ou dépistage de 1er niveau des retards de développement?

Assumer un rôle de vigilance par rapport au développement des enfants est une responsabilité collective. L'identification précoce des difficultés que peuvent vivre un enfant est une responsabilité partagée entre plusieurs intervenants de la petite enfance et avec la famille ou les proches de l'enfant.

Ainsi,

« Les SGEE sont des acteurs de premier plan pour détecter l'apparition, chez les jeunes enfants, de difficultés liées à leur développement global » (MFA, 2019)

D'ailleurs, le personnel éducateur des milieux de garde se reconnaît cette responsabilité.

Dans le cadre de l'enquête provinciale (CRSH Partenariat « Ensemble pour des milieux de garde inclusifs », 2019)

La totalité du personnel éducateur des milieux de garde (100 %) ayant participé à l'Enquête provinciale considère qu'il fait partie de son rôle de détecter les enfants pour lesquels il a des doutes sur leur niveau de développement.

A concrete procedure for implementation

Support tools Self-Assessment Grid for Management Staff

Support tools Self-Assessment Grid for Educators

Support tools Suggested points to discuss with parents when presenting results

Thank you very much !