Description: The Vineland SEEC
Scales assess the social-emotional functioning of children
from birth through 5 years, 11 months. Three scales, which
combine into a Social-Emotional Composite, are used to evaluate
a child’s ability to pay attention, understand emotional
expression, cooperate with others, construct and observe relationships,
and develop self-regulation behaviors. The three scales are:
Interpersonal Relationships (44 items), Play and Leisure Time
(44 items), and Coping Skills (34 Items). This assessment
is administered as a semi-structured interview with the child’s
parent or caregiver, in which the interviewer asks general
open-ended questions relating to the child’s activities
and behavior (these questions are designed by the interviewer)
to ascertain key developmental milestones. Since this requires
that the interviewer design his or her own open-ended questions,
it is critical that the interviewer has a thorough understanding
of the test items and experience in conducting this type of
interview.
Uses of Information: The Vineland
SEEC can be used in educational and clinical settings to help
identify developmental delays, plan and select appropriate
activities for young children, and monitor developmental progress.
The SEEC can also be used in research projects to determine
the effects of various treatments or clinical interventions
on young children’s social-emotional functioning. The
manual suggests that in order to obtain a more comprehensive
description of children’s development, it is useful
to use the Vineland SEEC measures along with other measures
of children’s physical, cognitive, language and adaptive
skills.
Reliability: The reliability
statistics for children between 6 and 36 months indicate (1)
Internal consistency (Spearman-Brown correlations): Interpersonal
Relationships:.82 to .92; Play and Leisure Time:.72 to .96;
Coping Skills: .87; and Composite:.89 to .97 (2) Test-retest
reliability (interval ranged from 2 to 4 weeks and averaged
17 days): Interpersonal Relationships: .73; Play and Leisure
Time: .74; Coping Skills: .54; and Composite: .77. (3) Inter-rater
reliability (intervals ranged from 1 to 14 days and averaged
8 days): .47 to .60.
Validity: No validity studies
are included in the manual for the Vineland SEEC. The manual
states that since the item content and scale structure of
the Vineland SEEC replicate the socialization domain of the
Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (ABS), its results are generalizable
to the SEEC. Concurrent validity studies on the Vineland ABS
indicate correlations with similar established tools range
from .51 to .65.
Method of Scoring: Items in
the SEEC are scored based on how often the child performs
the specific activity. Options are: “usually performs,”
“sometimes or partially performs,” “never
performs,” “no opportunity for the child to perform,”
and “don’t know if the child performs.”
The Appendix of the SEEC contains scoring criteria for each
of the scales. In addition, there is a software program--the
Vineland SEEC ASSIST (Automated System for Scoring and Interpreting
Standardized Tests)--available to help score and interpret
the Vineland SEEC. The user can input raw scores or item scores
to obtain a derived score and an interpretive report.
Interpretability: The manual
contains a chapter on interpretation of scores as well as
case studies on how to interpret a child’s performance
on the Vineland SEEC Scale. The manual includes age-based
standard scores for 1-month intervals from birth through age
2, and at 2-month intervals from age 2 to age 5 years, 11
months. It is suggested that the Vineland SEEC Scale be implemented
by professionals with graduate degrees and specialized training
and experience in administering and interpreting early childhood
assessments.
Training Support: Dr. Sara S. Sparrow
(one of the authors), is available to conduct professional
workshops on effectively administering and interpreting
the Vineland, but these must be specifically arranged
with the publisher. Further information for users of Vineland
products is available on-line at: www.vinelandforum.com.
Adaptations/Special Instructions for
Individuals with Disabilities: Individuals classified
in special education categories were included in the standardization
sample for the Vineland SEEC Scales. The manual also directs
the interviewer to derive an adjusted age for those children
who were born prematurely. There is limited information in
the manual regarding adaptation for children with disabilities--the
manual suggests that the interviewer should follow scoring
guidelines and criteria while taking into account the specific
disability (for example, a child may use sign language to
perform some activity described in the items on the scale).
Report Preparation Support: The
Program Planning Report is meant to be used as an outline
for recommended education and/or treatment plans. The
Vineland SEEC ASSIST software produces reports on: personal
information summary, score profile, score narrative, program
planning profile, letter to parents (in English or Spanish),
and recommended activities.
References:
Sparrow, Sara S., David A. Balla, and Domenic V. Cicchetti.
Vineland Social-Emotional Early Childhood Scales/Vineland
SEEC. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service, Inc., 1998.
Sparrow, Sara S., David A. Balla, and Domenic V. Cicchetti.
Vineland SEEC ASSIST (Automated System for Scoring and Interpreting
Standardized Tests). Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service,
Inc., 2001.
|
