“Denver Developmental Screening Test” plus 1 more nursing article(s): NursingCrib.com Updates

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 09:32 PM PST

Definition

The Denver developmental screening test (DDST) is a test for screening cognitive and behavioral problems in children 0 to 6 years of age as to their development progress. It is the most widely used tool to assess childhood development. DDST can detect developmental delays during the infancy and preschool years. The name “Denver” reflects the fact that this screening test was created at the University of Colorado Medical Center in Denver. This test is not a test of intelligence but of the child's level of development.

Categories of Development that are rated in DDST are the following:

Personal-social
Fine motor-adaptive
Language
Gross motor skills

Administration of the Test

Ideally, DDST is completed when a child is approximately 3 or 4 month of age.
The same test if repeated when the child is 10 months old.
Finally, the test is conducted again when the child is 3 years old.

Test composition

The test consists of up to 125 items which is divided into four parts:

For personal-social category the following aspects are assessed: socialization inside and outside the home; for example smiling of the child
For fine motor-adaptive category the following aspects are assessed: hand-eye coordination, handling small objects such as grasping or drawing
For the language category the following areas are assessed: production of sounds, ability to recognize, understand and use a language and the ability to combine words
For the gross motor category the following aspects should be assessed: motor control such as sitting, walking, jumping and other movements

Materials for the test

Skein of red wool
A box of raisins
A small bottle
Bell
Rattle with narrow handle
Tennis ball
Ten 1-inch brightly colored blocks
Small plastic baby doll
Toy baby bottle
Plastic cup
Pencil

How is the child scored with this test?

The child is scored P for passed, R for refused or N.O for no opportunity on each item according to the guidelines in the instruction manual.

In interpreting the scores the following is done:

The data are presented as age norms, similar to a growth curve.
Draw a vertical line at the child’s chronological age on the charts; if the infant was premature, subtract the months premature from chronological age.
The more items a child fails to perform (passed by 90% of his/her peers), the more likely the child manifests a significant developmental deviation that warrants further evaluation

image courtesy of infokeperawatan.com

IELTS Listening Tips

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 09:30 PM PST

What makes the IELTS listening test difficult? – It is the fact that there are no repetitions on the played recording. It is crucial to give a 100 percent concentration and attention in the test. Here are some helpful tips to make you pass the IELTS Listening test.

Pray before the test starts. To achieve a positive result from a test, the examinee should remain calm and the anxiety level controlled to the mild stage. Praying before the test and asking for divine intervention from the Almighty Coach keeps an agitated condition calmed and composed throughout the test.

If you have any problems with the sound equipment say so immediately. The recording will be checked before the test commences. This is done by playing the first two or three introductory sentences which are not part of the test. If the sound is adjusted too low, raise your hand and utter your request respectfully. Do not hesitate to voice out any complaints or problems with the sound as some examinees are in the habit of doing. Remember, if you cannot hear clearly the recording you will not pass the test. Also, do not wait to raise requests once the test has started, during this time the tape cannot be stopped.

Remember to focus your attention to the test only. Again may I repeat, your focus should be on the test and not on other things. A lapse of concentration can make you lose the sequence of answers and panic sets in fast. Listen carefully to the tape when the recording has started and DON'T LET YOUR ATTENTION WANDER. Keep in mind, the tape will only be played ONCE and there will be no repetitions.

Read the instructions and questions. Before each section, the examinees are given time to read the questions and instructions for that section. All instructions and pauses are on the recording. Read not only the directions but also the questions. Read them carefully but not too slowly. Encircle or underline main ideas or keywords in each question and instruction. Failure to do so could result in an incorrect answer even though you understood the question. If it says write no more than two words, do not write three!

Be aware of the following questions. When listening to the recording, do not merely listen for the answer but also be aware of the questions that follow the one you are expecting (That's why you should read all the questions of each section). You will know that you miss the answer to a question when you notice that the answer to the next question is already given.

Do not panic. If you miss an answer, do not panic and move on to the next question. When examinees panic, they tend to get lost and will not be able to answer the remaining questions. You just missed an answer to a question, move on to the next to get the other items correctly.

Fill-in answers to missed items. There is no negative marking in IELTS test, so if you miss an answer in a certain question just fill it in. Who knows you might get the correct answer by guessing.