Measure of Engagement, Independence, and Social Relationships (MEISR™) Manual, Research Edition

Early Childhood

This manual contains all information necessary to conduct the MEISR assessment.

Young children grow and learn when they participate fully in everyday routines and activities. Assess this critical dimension of child development with the MEISR™, an easy‐to‐use tool for creating a snapshot of the functional behaviors of children from birth to three years of age.

A rich learning opportunity for both families and professionals—and an ideal starting point for talking to parents about their child's functioning—the MEISR helps build an understanding of a child's engagement, independence, and social relationships within the context of 14 common family routines. Completed by caregivers and easy to use with them during home visits, the MEISR helps paint a picture of the child's functional abilities and highlights future learning opportunities.

In this comprehensive MEISR manual, you'll discover how to:

• introduce the MEISR to families
• implement and score the MEISR
• interpret results accurately
• review the MEISR with families and develop individualized intervention priorities
• integrate the Routines‐Based Interview (RBI) with the MEISR
• use results of the MEISR to inform federal child outcome reporting
• monitor your program's effectiveness with the help of data from the MEISR

Assess a child's functioning within 14 routines:

• Waking up
• Toileting/Diapering
• Meal Times
• Dressing Time
• Hangout – TV – Books
• Play With Others
• Nap Time
• Outside Time
• Play by Him‐ or Herself
• Bath Time
• Bedtime
• Going Out
• Grocery Shopping
• Transition Time

Make the MEISR a part of your early intervention program, and you'll have a powerful tool that helps families enhance natural learning opportunities and support their child's engagement.

View our recorded webinar: Using the MEISR™ presented by R.A. McWilliam, Ph.D., and Naomi O. Younggren, Ph.D.

Reviews

Lynda Cook Pletcher, M.Ed., Author of “The Early Intervention Workbook: Essential Practices for Quality Services”, Private EI Consultant - May 13, 2019

"This practical manual is a needed next step in the Routine Based Interview process that many Early Intervention providers now use. It contains valuable information, and useful examples of functional skills and behaviors that children use organized into 14 daily routines of families. This allows providers to quantify authentic assessment information in a concrete way. The comprehensive lists of skills, case examples, scoring information about conducting authentic assessment and functional IFSP outcomes will greatly enhance provider practices."

David Munson, MS, Director, Early Childhood Intervention - May 13, 2019

"The Routines‐Based Model is our bible at Early Childhood Intervention and it helps keep us with a crystal‐clear focus on building confidence, competence and capacity within the families we serve in early intervention. Because the MEISR is organized around children's functional participation in routines it helps families maintain a focus on routines‐based interventions. In particular, we use the MEISR as an age‐anchoring tool in the COS process. It serves as a critical source of information to guide families and professionals in their consequential discussions to determine ratings on the COS Decision Tree. The MEISR is a proven critical tool in delivering quality routines‐based early intervention."

Laurie Dinnebeil, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and Daso Herb Chair, Editor, Journal of Early Intervention, University of Toledo - May 13, 2019

"It's wonderful to see a book on assessment that focuses on the things most important to families of very young children–the routines and activities that comprise their days. This book will enable interventionists to help families and children enjoy routines and activities that matter most to them."

Jane Squires, Ph.D., Professor, Early Intervention/Special Education, University of Oregon - May 13, 2019

"MEISR is an innovative, family‐friendly method for measuring functional skills of infants and toddlers in everyday home activities. With RBI (routine‐based intervention) at the center, MEISR provides the steps, forms, and procedures for assessing child skills as well as monitoring their ongoing progress in functional living. Early interventionists will find this tool invaluable for all steps—from IFSP development to progress monitoring to program evaluation. Dr. McWillliam has provided us with another invaluable, evidence‐based approach that will work with infants, toddlers, and their families."

Authors: R.A. McWilliam Ph.D., Naomi O. Younggren Ph.D. Invited Contributors: Cami Stevenson M.S., Tânia Boavida Ph.D.

Learn More

About MEISR™

MEISR At a Glance

MEISR Overview Slide Deck

Crosswalk Between OSEP Child Outcomes and the MEISR

See an Excerpt

Get a look at the MEISR scoring forms

Read an excerpt of the MEISR manual

Read a Q&A

MEISR Developer Q&A with R.A. McWilliam and Naomi Younggren

MEISR User Q&A with Cami Stevenson

Download

How to Use the MEISR™ During the IFSP Process

Watch the Webinar Recording

Using the MEISR™