The Developmental Profile, Fourth Edition (DP-4) assesses the development and functioning of children and young adults from birth to age 21 years, 11 months. It can be administered as a direct interview of a parent or caregiver, a checklist for the parent or caregiver to complete, another checklist for a teacher to complete, or a rating form for the clinician to complete.
These administration methods allow for evaluation in home and school settings as well as from several different perspectives. Each form measures five areas of development the DP-4 has maintained the strongest aspects of previous versions while incorporating improvements such as new forms and score types.
With early identification of a child’s developmental strengths and weaknesses, intervention has a greater chance of success.
Improvements to the DP-4
While the fourth edition of the Development Profile preserves the essential features of previous versions, it provides updates to enhance the value and utility of the assessment. These improvements include:
● An updated nationally representative normative sample that closely approximates the gender, ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic composition of the United States population, including Spanish speakers.
● An expanded age range and norm-referenced scores up to 21 years, 11 months, allowing for the assessment of young adults.
● Two new forms including a Teacher Checklist and a Clinician Rating form.
● Updated item content such as the removal of outdated items and the addition of items that relate to social media and technology.
● Improved item placement based on statistical item analysis to make scales more consistent.
● New growth scores for tracking progress over time or comparing scores across scales and respondents.
● A new Rater Comparison Scoring Sheet to identify similarities and differences between respondents.
Uses of the DP-4
The DP-4 measures five different areas of development in children and young adults from birth to age 21 years, 11 months. It can be administered in schools, homes, clinics, hospitals, or any other setting where it is necessary to evaluate a child’s developmental strengths and weaknesses.
The DP-4 helps clinicians understand how a child compares to peers in the following five areas of development: physical, adaptive behavior, social-emotional, cognitive, and communication. The comparisons accomplish various educational and assessment objectives, including:
● Determining a child’s eligibility for special education related services.
● Helping to individualize an educational program or family service plan to accommodate a child’s strengths and weaknesses.
● Providing intervention guidelines for identified skill deficits.
● Comparing scores to measure progress.
● Providing rapid and accurate measures of development along five dimensions.
● Being used as a component in developmental programs.
● Researching when to distinguish between typically developing and delayed children.
● Measuring program evaluations.
The DP-4 retains the core elements of its predecessors while adding features that strengthen an instrument already considered the best of its kind.
For more information on the DP-4 and other development assessments, visit WPS.
