A tool to profile neural, sensory and motor development in children at school entry, identifying possible barriers to learning and emotional well‐being in early childhood

Abstract

The objective of the study was to develop a prototype for an accessible, high quality, cost and time‐effective ‘Development Profiling Tool’ for use in reception classes. This would build a unique picture of every individual child's developmental at the beginning of their educational journey, meaning that interventions for any comparable areas of difficulty could be started early in the child's schooling. In this study, a prototype of the tool was developed and tested for reliability, validity and usability. Through content analysis of a range of screeners and the merging of targeted expertise, a single 54 question observational questionnaire was constructed that incorporated the five developmental domains considered to impact on learning and emotional well‐being: auditory skills; internal senses (proprioception and vestibular input); external senses (auditory, visual and tactile responsivity); fine motor skills and gross motor skills. Thus, the Development Profiling Tool was created. Key points For a child to learn successfully a number of developmental building blocks need to be present. These include effective sensory responsivity and motor coordination. This study develops a Developmental Profiling Tool to map every child's development at the start of their schooling. The study also tests the prototype for reliability, validity and usability.