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The Importance of Early Intervention in Early Childhood Education
_______________
A Behavior Paper
Presented to
Junior Science, Engineering and Humanities Symposium
University of Missouri
_______________
By
Rajon Scott
Senior
Wentzville Holt High School
600 Campus Drive
Wentzville, MO 63385
Jennifer Mallery
Sponsoring Teacher
600 Campus Drive
Wentzville, MO 63385
1
I’d like to thank the following people for their involvement and support in this project:
Kathy Park
Jennifer Mallery
William Scott
2
Abstract
The Importance of Early Intervention in Early Childhood Education
Rajon Tereze Scott, 2732 Dry River Rd, Wentzville, Missouri 63385
Wentzville Holt High School, Wentzville, MO
Teacher and/or Sponsor: Mrs. Jennifer Mallery
The DIAL-4 is a screening which identifies any potential developmental delays in preschool
aged children. Children who are identified with a potential developmental delay are eligible for
diagnostic testing and interventions. There are some children that do not score low enough on the
initial DIAL-4 screening that are later referred to special education services in elementary school
grades. It is important to identify kids with developmental delays before elementary school in
order to implement early interventions and allow the child to grow in an optimal setting. This
project sought to suggest a more valid range of scores to identify potentially delayed children.
The DIAL-4 is composed of three categories of testing which include language, motor, and
concepts. There are also behavioral observations taken into consideration for the score. This
project suggested that there is a correlation between category scores and risk of being a SOFC,
and the relationship between motor and concept scores was particularly strong.
3
Table of Contents
1. Statement of Problem.……………………………………………………………………4
2. Review of Literature…………………………………………………………………….5
3. Data Analysis……………………………………………………………………………10
4. Presentation of Data…………………………………………………………………….11
5. Discussion of Results …………………………………………………………………....12
6. Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………….13
4
Statement of Problem
Before children enter kindergarten, most are assessed by a screening to determine whether the
child has developed the skills needed for kindergarten, or if the child may have a potential
developmental delay. In some cases, children score in the “OK” range on the screening, but in
later elementary grades the students need special education services. This project sought to
suggest a more valid range of scores for potentially delayed children which would enable these
children to receive interventions sooner. Earlier interventions would allow more time for the
child’s growth and development. Additionally, red flags could be identified by finding
correlations between performance area scores and later academic achievement. Money and
resources dedicated to special education services could be conserved if children with
developmental delays are identified before they enter kindergarten.
5
Review of Literature
The Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning, Fourth Edition (DIAL-4) is a
developmental screening available to identify children ages 2:6 through 5:11 who may need
intervention or diagnostic assessment in the following areas: motor, concepts, language, self-help
and social-emotional skills. Early-education professionals use the DIAL-4 to identify children
who are at risk of failing in academic settings. Each performance area takes 10 to 15 minutes to
complete which allows the entire screening to be completed in 30-45 minutes. During the
completion of each performance area, behavioral observations are noted as well to help the
evaluator interpret the child’s overall performance scores. The DIAL-4 is a revision of the
Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning, Third Edition with 21 new or revised
items. The revisions include simpler administration and scoring instructions, an earlier age to
begin testing children, and updated test items that are subject to predict academic success
(Mardell & Goldenberg, 2011).The assessment is aligned with the five domains specified in the
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which include physical development,
cognitive development, adaptive development and self-help skills. IDEA governs how states and
public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to eligible
infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.
The motor performance area includes the following seven items: (1) Throwing (2) Stand, Hop,
and Skip (3) Building (4) Thumbs and Fingers (5) Cutting (6) Copying (7) Writing Name.
Throwing is used as the first item because it is a fun activity that establishes a good rapport
between the child and the operator. The child simply throws a bean bag at a target five feet away
to complete this item. Stand, Hop, and Skip is used to assess the child’s postural control by
asking them to stand on one leg, hop on one leg, and then skip. Children with learning
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disabilities and mild to severe motor problems display difficulties within their balance and
postural stability (Westcott, Lowes, & Richardson, 1997). Building assesses the child’s ability to
perform complex task using fine motor movements. The child is asked to build a tower, a bridge,
and a pyramid with blocks. Thumbs and Fingers requires a child to wiggle thumbs, twiddle
thumbs, and touch fingers to thumb in sequence, one hand at a time and then simultaneously.
This test shows the relationship between neurological functioning and verbal fluency (Welsh,
Pennington, & Groisser 1991). Cutting assesses the child’s fine motor skills and ability to use
scissors. The child cuts on a straight and curved line and cuts out a dinosaur figure. Copying
instructs the child to copy seven geometric shapes and two letters. This item predicts reading
readiness, letter identification, and school success (Fowler & Cross, 1986; Snow, Burns, &
Griffin, 1998; Simner 1994). In the Writing Name item the child writes their name or nickname.
This item assesses writing, letter knowledge, and emergent reading skills. It is also predictive of
later academic achievement (Baroody, O’Leary, Carey, Diamond, & Powell, 2010).
The concept performance area includes the following seven items: (1) Body Parts (2) Colors (3)
Rapid Object Naming (4) Rote Counting (5) Meaningful Counting (6) Concepts (7) Shapes.
During the Body Parts item the child points to eight body parts which measures their self-
awareness. Colors requires the child to point, one at a time, at ten blocks of different colors. This
test is used because identifying colors is a basic descriptive concept. In the Rapid Object Naming
item the child names five objects, and then rapidly names twenty-five objects within thirty
seconds if the first five were correct. This item is a predictor of reading fluency (National
Reading Panel, 2000). Rote Counting asks the child to count from one to twenty, backwards
from ten, and identify numbers one through eleven by pointing. Meaningful Counting asks the
child to move blocks to show meaningful knowledge of numbers and answer questions about
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number relationships. Rote Counting and Meaningful Counting assesses early math knowledge
to predict later academic success (Duncan et al., 2007; VanDerHeyden, Broussard, & Cooley,
2006). The Concepts item instructs the child to select a picture that depicts a certain concept.
Concepts like opposites which are identified as important by state early-learning standards are
assessed. In the Shapes item the child identifies and sorts shapes. This assesses object
categorization and non-verbal classification.
The language performance area includes the following six items: (1) Personal Information (2)
Articulation (3) Objects and Actions (4) Letters and Sounds (5) Rhyming and I Spy (6) Problem
Solving. For the first item Personal Information, the child gives their name, age, sex, and
birthday. Personal Information assesses the child’s self-awareness and cognition. The
Articulation item instructs the child to repeat modeled pronunciation of names of objects. This
test can predict a child’s later reading ability and phonological awareness (Montgomery,
Windsor, & Stark, 1991; Scarborough, 1990; Jenkins & Bowen 1994). Objects and Actions
requires the child to name objects and what they are used for. This task test vocabulary skills,
object identification, name activation, and response generation in order to predict later reading
ability (Rissman, Curtiss, & Tallai, 1990). Letters and Sounds consist of the child singing or
reciting the alphabet, naming letters, and producing sounds of letters shown. This test serves as
predictors of later reading achievement and reading disabilities (Satz, Taylor, Friel, & Fletcher,
1978). The Rhyming and I Spy item requires the child to give rhyming words for stimulus words
and then produce words that begin with a particular sound. This test measures phonological
awareness. In the Problem Solving item the child provides solutions to problems posed by the
operator. Problem Solving measures their logical reasoning while assessing their ability to use
expressive language to solve verbally presented problems.
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Investing in Early Childhood Education
Creating interventions for developmentally delayed students will require sufficient funding.
Research has shown that investing in early childhood education can be beneficial to individuals
and society. The short term benefits would include helping children who are in need of
intervention. The long term benefits include the return of the dollar amount invested. As shown
by Cameiro and Heckman (2003) [See Figure 1], the investment return on early childhood
education is $8 for every $1 invested. This point emphasizes the importance of early intervention
services, because there are substantially more benefits to investing in early childhood education
as opposed to primary and secondary education.
Figure 1
Importance of Early Intervention
Brain development is at its fastest rate during the prenatal stages of life. Neurons develop and
begin to form neural networks. The postnatal period marks the transformation of the brain
developing into visual, motor, language, and socioemotional emotional connections. From this
point, brain development is tremendously dependent on experiences. External stimulation causes
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the brain to physically change in structure and function. In the early years (from birth-3), neural
plasticity is extremely sensitive to stimulation. Each part of the brain has a different plasticity.
There are intervals of time where neural plasticity reaches its highest potential; however, after
this interval has passed, development in the brain is less sensitive to stimulation. That being said,
interventions should be directed toward the earliest window of opportunity possible in order to
get the best response from the brain. Figure 2 is a graphical representation of the optimal time
intervals to stimulate development in the brain (Nash 1997; McCain & Mustard 1999; Shonkoff
& Phillips 2000).
Figure 2
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Data Analysis
The data in this study represented students ranging from first to third grade. The data selection
consisted of 142 students from Prairie View Elementary and Peine Ridge Elementary. Students
that were excluded from the data selection fell under the following categories: scoring 7% or
below on the DIAL-4, having an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and moving to a different
school. Date of birth was used to identify each student instead of their name to protect privacy.
Data was organized in a spreadsheet using the first row as labels for eight columns. The date of
birth, DIAL-4 results, current status, motor score, concepts score, language score, behavior
observations score, and age of each student was recorded. The current status noted whether the
child was a Student of Concern (SOFC) or not. A SOFC is a child that did not score low enough
for a diagnostic assessment and therefore is not eligible to receive interventions. A SOFC could
score from 8% to 99% on the DIAL-4 screening since the cutoff is set at 7%. These students
may have potential delays that are not evident on the DIAL-4 screening. A two population
proportion test was used to compare the population of students who scored 8%-30% and were
SOFC to the population of students who scored 31%-99% and were SOFC [See Figure 5]. A
correlation test was also ran between the DIAL-4 results and each of the performance area results
[See Figures 3 & 4].
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Presentation of Data
DIAL-4 Results (%) Motor (%) Concepts (%) Language (%)
DIAL-4 Results (%) 1 Motor (%) 0.353807151253233 1 Concepts (%) 0.379487346728676 0.706857856969083 1 Language (%) 0.627441993143295 0.613664598182817 0.651503020598634 1
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
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Discussion of Results
There was a total of 11 students who scored 8%-30% on the DIAL-4 and 8 of those students
were SOFC. There was a total of 131 students who scored 31%-99%, and 17 of those students
were SOFC. This means that students scoring 8%-30% are 73% more likely to be a SOFC, which
is supportive data for the initial stated hypothesis. The two population proportion test had a Z-
score of 4.9975 which means the results are statistically significant at p < 0.05. Also, the
confidence interval plot had no overlapping intervals which is another affirmative representation
of the statistical significance. As of now, the overall DIAL-4 score is the only score that makes
the student eligible for diagnostic testing. Diagnostic testing is a vital step in the process of
creating an intervention plan for developmentally delayed students. As seen in the correlation
data [See Figures 3 & 4], there is a prominent overlap with low motor scores and concept scores.
This correlation suggests that low scores in both the motor area and the concept area may be a
predictor of the student needing help in the future and possibly diagnostic testing. Furthermore,
there are factors that affect early childhood education in regards of developmental delays.
Follow-up studies might include demographic and socioeconomic factors to find reliable criteria
indicating the need of educational intervention. Another follow-up study might seek to find the
correlation between socioemotional development and academic performance. Last but not least,
a prospective study intending to find the benefits of universal preschool would be a good
direction for a follow-up study.
13
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