Assessment of Children with Special Needs in Early Childhood from the Perspectives of Different Disciplines: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: The engagement of experts from different disciplines in the assessment of children with special needs in early childhood is essential for the screening and diagnosis of children and for access to appropriate interventions/services. However, experts’ assessment practices vary. The current study aimed to investigate the assessment experiences of experts assessing children with special needs in early childhood for various reasons. Method: This study, conducted using phenomenology, a qualitative research design, included 20 experts from 8 different disciplines who performed assessments of children with special needs in early childhood. Data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews and analyzed via inductive content analysis. Findings: Five themes, including assessment approach, assessment instruments, family in assessment, competencies and challenges, and recommendations, were obtained from the analysis. According to the research findings, experts performed assessments by considering children's characteristics, frequently used play in assessment, but struggled to collaborate with experts from different disciplines according to the child's needs. Experts, who attached importance to using formal and informal instruments together, stressed the critical role of family engagement in assessment. Whereas experts indicated that they gained competency in assessment in parallel with professional experience, they also reported experiencing challenges due to children's characteristics and environmental factors. Experts also made recommendations for practice and personnel involved in this process to enhance the quality of assessment. Discussion: The study findings were discussed in light of the research questions, indicating the need for collaborative assessment approaches that enable families and different experts to engage in the assessment of children with special needs in early childhood in Türkiye. Recommendations for practice and further research were presented by specifying the limitations of the present study.