Developmental Inventories/Scales

I’ve shared a little on this blog about our homeschooling journey with Miss R and Down syndrome (Ds) – a remarkable journey that has stretched us all in many ways. I’ve always shared what I have learned – primarily because I have been able to amass quite a large amount of information. I have also built quite a large library on education and Ds so it has been easy for me to just go to my very unorganized library and find an answer that became lost in my very unorganized mind.

When I first started this blog, one of my goals was to catalog and share what I’ve learned along the way. I haven’t been very successful reaching that goal because of our chaotic lifestyle – hubby in seminary, keeping up two homes, trying times in our denomination and church politics etc.

So, now I am I am publicly declaring my intentions and hope to follow through beginning today!

One of the first things I am asked by parents considering homeschooling their child with Ds is ‘where do I start?’.

The best answer to that question is at the level your child is functioning.

Children with Ds usually have very scattered skills – age appropriate in some domains and delayed in others They tend to learn best when we build on the skills they have and target their interests.

A developmental scale or inventory easily lets us find out where our children function and let us set goals (short-term & long-term) to aid us in their growth and development and academic skills.

I have always used the developmental inventories and curriculum available from VORT. They are most famous for their HELP (Hawaii Early Learning Profile) series. They have inventories and curriculum for all ages and stages --- even one for children with special learning needs. The BCP covers the developmental ages 1 - 14.

I have been very happy with VORT through the years. I mainly use it as a tool for setting goals but have used the curriculum to break down skills for teaching. It is a great tool if you feel the need to write your own IEP. I like to write an IEP to keep ME on track.

I know other families who use The Brigance. The Brigance is a screening tool only and doesn’t offer help for skill development. I have to admit I found the cost of The Brigance prohibitive.