ETHICS IN THE ASSESSMENT OF SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN
Overton (2005) reports that assessment is a key component of special education in the 21st century being an integral part of identifying special needs children and their eligibility for special education services as well as their learning needs. This paper examines ethical issues related to special needs assessment.
Because the earlier special needs can be effectively identified and met, the National Association of School Psychologists (2005) recommends early childhood assessment. This includes children as young as possible including both infants and young children (birth through five years) who must be identified and provided with any needed interventions to meet their needs. However, the NASP also cautions that such assessments can be challenging due to young children's generally short attention span and lack of test-taking experience generally, and rapid but variable development. This could lead some children to be identified as in need of special services when they are not, in fact, special needs children.
Given the foregoing, the NASP (2005) reports that ethical concerns at this stage require that schools be assured of the technical adequacy of assessment procedures, methods and instruments. In this regard, the NASP recommends not only the use of psychometrically sound instruments but also the use of a multidisciplinary assessment team that utilizes multiple sources of information and multiple assessment approaches, and which conducts assessment in multiple settings and across time. Not only standardized but alternative assessment procedures are recommended and the testing should not be limited exclusively to the child but also the home environment. Thus, assessment is warranted at the earliest possible age but the assessment must be free of factors that can make its use unethical.
The Abuse of Assessment and its Consequences
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