by Gerald Alpern

Age: Infancy-9.5

Administration: 20-40 minutes

This fully revised third edition of the Developmental Profile strengthens and updates an instrument already considered the best of its kind. Like previous versions, the new DP-3 evaluates children's functioning in five key areas, in just 20 to 40 minutes. However, this edition adds norm-based standard scores, an expanded age range, updated item content, clearer interpretive guidelines, a nationally representative standardization sample, suggested remediation activities, and unlimited computer scoring and interpretation.

Designed to evaluate children from birth through 12 years, 11 months, the DP-3 includes 180 items, each describing a particular skill. The respondent simply indicates whether or not the child has mastered the skill in question.

The DP-3 provides a General Development score as well as the following scale scores:

Physical
Large- and small-muscle coordination, strength, stamina, flexibility, and sequential motor skills

Adaptive Behavior
Ability to cope independently with the environment--to eat, dress, work, use modern technology, and take care of self and others

Social-Emotional
Interpersonal abilities, social and emotional understanding, functional performance in social situations, and manner in which the child relates to friends, relatives, and adults

Cognitive
Intellectual abilities and skills prerequisite to academic achievement

Communication
Expressive and receptive communication skills, including written, spoken, and gestural language
Administration Options
Typically, the DP-3 is administered as an interview, in which a parent or caregiver answers yes-or-no questions about the child. Within each scale, basals and ceilings are used, so you don't have to administer all 180 items. Start and stop points ensure that you ask only age-appropriate questions, making the interview focused and efficient. And because each scale has its own norms, you don't have to use all five scales if you're interested in just one.

While the Interview Form is the preferred method of administration, the DP-3 offers an alternative that's useful when time, research, or clinical needs make an interview unfeasible. A new Parent/Caregiver Checklist contains the same item content as the Interview Form (though language has been altered slightly). Written at a sixth-grade reading level, the Checklist can be completed by the child's parent or caregiver without your supervision. It offers a convenient option when a face-to-face interview is not possible.

National Norms and Five Kinds of Scores
DP-3 norms are based on a sample of 2,216 typically developing children representative of the U.S. population in regard to ethnicity, geography, and socioeconomic status. Scores are available in five formats: standard scores, percentile ranks, stanines, age equivalents, and descriptive ranges. This gives you flexibility in using, reporting, and explaining test results. For example, you might choose standard scores for eligibility determination or progress monitoring; age equivalents for parent conferences; and stanines or percentiles for school records. The DP-3 lets you choose the score format that suits your assessment setting and purpose.

Unlimited Computer Scoring and Interpretation (please see DP-3-2) Provided on an unlimited-use CD, the DP-3 computer program saves time, reduces the chance of error, and gives you a wealth of information. It includes the following features: The program calculates all DP-3 scores (standard scores, percentile ranks, stanines, and age equivalents) and provides a ready-to-use interpretive analysis.

Graphical Representation of Scores yield A clear-cut graphic profile makes it easy to spot advanced or delayed development across the five scales and the General Development score.

Scale Pattern Analysis and Scale-by-Scale Item Analysis
These calculations--are time consuming and difficult in hand scoring--allow you to pesent subtle distinctions in a child's profile. Scale comparisons reveal statistical significance in the pattern of strengths and weaknesses, while item analysis pinpoints skills not yet mastered (i.e., items failed)below the child's ability level on each scale.

Individualized Intervention Activities
For each scale, the program suggests teaching activities that address the child's specific weaknesses.

Clinician and Parent Reports
The CD generates both a thorough clinical report for professionals and an easy-to-understand summary for parents. Compatible with most word processing programs, these reports can be easily customized.
IDEA Compliance
Efficient and accurate, the DP-3 is an excellent way to identify developmental delays early in a child's life. Its norm-based standard scores allow you to compare children's functioning with that of their peers, design interventions that meet their particular needs, and monitor their progress over time.

Because the DP-3 meets federal criteria for evaluating children with developmental problems, it's useful in determining eligibility for special education, planning IEPs, and implementing periodic screening programs. Its five scales correspond to the five domains specified in IDEA for assessing developmental delays. In addition, the DP-3's interview format and provision of a parent report satisfy the federal requirement that parents be involved in their child's assessment.

Click HERE for Component List