Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile (CSBS DP), First Normed Edition

Amy M. Wetherby, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Barry M. Prizant, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Early Childhood

CSBS DP™ is an easy-to-use, norm-referenced screening and evaluation tool that helps determine the communicative competence of children with a functional communication age between 6 months and 24 months (chronological age from about 6 months to 6 years).

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CSBS DP™ is an easy-to-use, norm-referenced screening and evaluation tool that measures the communicative competence (use of eye gaze, gestures, sounds, words, understanding, and play) of children with a functional communication age of 6 to 24 months and a chronological age of 6 months to 6 years. Derived from the popular, norm-referenced CSBS™, CSBS DP™ is shorter and faster and lets early intervention professionals begin identification earlier. CSBS DP™ is an ideal starting point for planning IFSPs, determining the efficacy of interventions, documenting changes in a child's behavior over time, and identifying areas for further assessment.

The Complete CSBS DP™ Kit includes:

• Infant-Toddler Checklist: In 5–10 minutes, caregivers answer 24 multiple-choice questions grouped into seven language predictor clusters: Emotion and Eye Gaze, Communication, Gestures, Sounds, Words, Understanding, and Object Use. Then, a professional combines the clusters to yield scores in three composite categories: social, speech, and symbolic. The Checklist can also be used to monitor development every 3 months between the ages of 6 and 24 months.

• Caregiver Questionnaire: If the Checklist indicates a need for further evaluation, caregivers complete this easy-to-read four-page questionnaire, which measures in more detail the same seven clusters. It takes approximately 15–25 minutes and is designed to be given or mailed to the caregiver before the child is brought in for the Behavior Sample.

• Behavior Sample: This face-to-face sampling procedure takes 30 minutes to conduct and simultaneously score. Professionals lead a brief warm-up with the child and then sample behavior in various contexts: communicative temptations, book sharing, symbolic play probes, language comprehension probes, and constructive play probes. The Behavior Sample measures 20 scales that comprise the social, speech, and symbolic composites, and professionals record the presence or absence of 20 types of behavior on a scoring worksheet.

• Caregiver Perception Rating: This one-page form asks caregivers to compare the child's behavior during the assessment to the child's typical behavior.

• CSBS DP™ Manual: The Manual includes instructions for administering and scoring the profile, technical data on standardization and norming, and guidelines for interpreting a child's CSBS DP™ for screening and evaluation.

• CSBS DP™ Toy Kit: This kit includes familiar toys, books, and other play materials that entice spontaneous communication and put children at ease so they can perform to their best ability. (Owners of CSBS™: All the toys needed to implement CSBS DP™ are included in the CSBS™ Toy Kit.)

• Instructional Videos: These two videos demonstrate how to collect a Behavior Sample and complete the scoring worksheets as well as explain key developmental terms.

Reliability and validity for CSBS DP™ are high. Norms include standard scores and percentiles based on 2,188 children for the Infant-Toddler Checklist, 790 children for the Caregiver Questionnaire, and 337 children for the Behavior Sample.

This complete kit is part of CSBS DP™, an easy-to-use, norm-referenced screening and evaluation tool that helps determine the communicative competence (use of eye gaze, gestures, sounds, words, understanding, and play) of young children. CSBS DP is an ideal starting point for IFSP planning and can be used as a guide to indicate areas that need further assessment.

Learn more about the whole CSBS DP system.

Authors: Barry M. Prizant Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Amy M. Wetherby Ph.D., CCC-SLP