Sample letter to parents Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment-2: A Team Approach What to Expect

Your child has been scheduled for a Transdisciplinary Play Based Assessment at Creekside Elementary School on ______at ______.

We want to make sure that you know what to expect when you arrive on the day of your appointment.

What is TPBA?

Transdisciplinary Play Based Assessment is a format for assessing all aspects of child development: communication skills, cognitive skills, motor skills, social emotional development, and adaptive behavior. We are looking at the areas separately, but also how they work together to make your child who he/she is. A brief description of each area might be:

Communication - how your child uses and understands language and gestures for communication

Cognitive - how your child attends, remembers, thinks, and plays

Motor - how your child uses their motor skills to navigate the environment as well as to complete tasks

Social emotional - how your child relates to others, understands themselves in relation to others, and manages behavior

Adaptive Behavior (Self-help) - how your child takes care of daily needs such as feeding, dressing, and toileting

What will our day be like?

When you arrive at school, please make sure that you check in at the office. The parent facilitator and/or play facilitator will meet you at the office to escort you to our room. Once you arrive, there will be several other people in the room. You may see any of the following: school psychologist, speech language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, or a preschool teacher. Although there are a lot of us, the two people you and your child will talk to and play with the most are the parent facilitator and the play facilitator. The Parent facilitator will try to explain things to you as we go along and also wants to hear about things that you see your child doing. After all, you are with your child a lot more than we will be! The play facilitator will be focusing on your child as he/she plays with materials in the room. We have all kinds of fun stuff…blocks, puzzles, musical toys, a kitchen center, play-dough, a tunnel and balance beam, and many other

NC EARLY LEARNING NETWORK IS A JOINT PROJECT OF THE NC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, OFFICE OF EARLY LEARNING AND UNC FRANK PORTER GRAHAM CHILD DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE Sample letter to parents Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment-2: A Team Approach fun things to play with. Since a child’s world is play, we think we can get to know them best by watching them play. That’s why the rest of the team will mostly just be watching!

Usually our time together lasts for an hour to an hour and a half. When we finish, we are going to share some of the skills that we saw your child demonstrate (and if we missed something you saw, you can share that with us!) We also would be happy to answer any questions you might have at the end of the session at that time, although the parent facilitator may have already done that during the play session.

We won’t be able to give you exact results yet because we will still have a lot of work to do in thinking that through. After the appointment, the team works together to identify what skills your child has developed and what things we think might be appropriate as skills to be worked on. As a group, we will write one report that includes all of our information. You will get that in the mail and it will have our phone numbers on it for you to call if you have any questions.

We will get together for another appointment, which will be an IEP meeting. At the meeting, we will discuss the results with you and talk about whether your child is eligible for Exceptional Children’s Services. If your child is eligible for services, we can also discuss and plan for how best to meet his/her needs. Whether your child is eligible for services or not, you will have another opportunity to discuss with the team any questions and concerns you may have.

What should you bring?

1.) If there are any forms that we sent home with you at your last meeting, please remember to bring it back completed.

2.) It would be helpful to us if you would bring a snack for your child to eat. We like to see how he/she manages feeding, but we know that children are not going to eat foods that they are not used to or do not like. You know what your child likes…try to think of something that may require a spoon and don’t be surprised if we pour the drink you bring into one of our cups!

3.) If your child has a favorite, small toy please bring it. Sometimes a toy of their own helps them feel more secure as we get started with the assessment.

If you have questions, please call either Lisa Kemp at 252-658-2191 or Janet Sockwell at 252-514-4382. We look forward to seeing you and your child soon!

NC EARLY LEARNING NETWORK IS A JOINT PROJECT OF THE NC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, OFFICE OF EARLY LEARNING AND UNC FRANK PORTER GRAHAM CHILD DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE