Friday, February 8, 2008

A few basic questions that we've all had at one time or another....

Q: Why doesn't the AEPS have age equivalences?
A: The focus of the AEPS is on developmental hierarchies or sequences rather than on what skills children acquire at specific ages. Goals for children should be developed in terms of what they need or are ready to learn next developmentally rather than learning material designated for certain chronological ages.

Q: Can the AEPS be used with all young children?
A: Yes, the AEPS can be used across the range of children who participate in any type of home-based, community-based, or school-based program. The AEPS was specifically developed to be used with children with disabilities from mild to severe as well as with children at risk for developmental problems. The AEPS can also be used with children who are typically developing.

Q: Can the AEPS be used with children who have severe disabilities?
A: Yes, the AEPS can be used with children who have severe disabilities. The AEPS system provides a density of skills in each developmental area and items can be modified to accommodate children's specific impairments.

Q: What are the ages of children for whom the AEPS content was developed?
A: The AEPS has two developmental levels: Level I addresses the developmental range birth to age 3 years and Level II addresses the developmental range 3 to 6 years. Users of the AEPS are encouraged to focus on children's developmental skills rather than chronological age; therefore, it may be appropriate to use Level I for children with significant disabilities even if they are chronologically older than 3 years. We do not recommend using the AEPS with children whose chronological age exceeds 9 years without significant modifications to the items and criteria.

Q: How often should I use the AEPS Test to assess a child?
A: The AEPS Test does not have set times for its administration; however, we recommend that children be assessed on targeted goals at least quarterly.

Q: How long does it take to assess a child using the AEPS Test?
A: The length of time to assess a child depends on several factors including the age and skill level of the child (it may require additional time to assess children with severe disabilities), prior experience using the AEPS Test (familiarity with the test reduces administration time), and how information is gathered (observing daily activities may take longer than observing specially designed assessment activities). Also, the first assessment of a child generally takes longer than subsequent evaluations,

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