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GITRE SVC Desc - EPBDA - Jan 2016

The Extended Play-Based Developmental Assessment (EPBDA) is an assessment for children ages 2 and up that uses play-based activities over 8 to 12 individual sessions to evaluate developmental functioning, psychological well-being, symptoms of disorders, attachment styles and relationships. Clinicians observe children's play, behavior and communications to understand their needs and develop recommendations. The assessment can identify clinical issues and provide therapeutic interventions if needed.

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124 views3 pages

GITRE SVC Desc - EPBDA - Jan 2016

The Extended Play-Based Developmental Assessment (EPBDA) is an assessment for children ages 2 and up that uses play-based activities over 8 to 12 individual sessions to evaluate developmental functioning, psychological well-being, symptoms of disorders, attachment styles and relationships. Clinicians observe children's play, behavior and communications to understand their needs and develop recommendations. The assessment can identify clinical issues and provide therapeutic interventions if needed.

Uploaded by

Pija Ramli
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© © All Rights Reserved
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GIL INSTITUTE SERVICE DESCRIPTION

EXTENDED PLAY-BASED DEVELOPMENTAL ASSESSMENT (EPBDA)

Statement of the Problem


Mental health professionals are often asked to conduct assessments with young children to
determine a number of things, including: developmental functioning; current psychological, social, and
emotional status; presence of symptoms suggesting childhood disorders; and/or current attachment
style, relational health, and perception of important caretakers in their lives. In addition, young children
may have alleged physical or sexual abuse, or child maltreatment by caretakers, family members, or
others. Referring parties include school personnel, parents, caretakers, social service agencies, courts,
or attorneys.
The Extended Play Play-Based Developmental Assessment (EPBDA) is shown to be particularly
useful for very young children who are less verbally expressive, for hesitant or ambivalent children who
may feel compromised by demands for verbal communication, and for adolescents who may be unable
or unwilling to verbally participate in an assessment or therapy. In fact, although originally designed for
young children, the EPBDA can be adapted for toddlers and very young children (EPBDA-YC), as well as
for children of all ages.
The EPBDA is not a custody evaluation or a forensic evaluation and is not designed primarily to
evaluate allegations of abuse. However, in the typical course of this assessment, clinicians will likely
become privy to those concerns, fears, or anxieties present in children at the time of the referral.
Service Description
Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery and Education staff are trained and seasoned mental health
professionals, working within the context of attachment and child development domains, and well-
versed in the topic of childhood trauma and its potential impact on development. The EPBDA consists of
meeting individually with young children and allowing them to become comfortable with the setting and
therapist. The extended assessment may be concluded between 8 and 12 individual child sessions and
includes clinical observation, children’s participation in a variety of play-based activities, attention to
and interpretation of thematic material in children’s play, completion of paper-pencil tests, if
appropriate, and therapeutic dialogues. Clinicians typically use an integrative approach, including

___________________________
Service Description – EPBDA 1
cognitive behavioral and expressive therapies, in the context of building a supportive therapeutic
relationship.
The initial goal of the EPBDA is to gain an understanding of children’s unique functioning,
identify problem areas, rule clinical symptoms in or out, understand children’s perceptions of their
important relationships, and subsequently develop recommendations that meet the specific needs of
children and their families that may or may not suggest therapeutic services. However, if acute
symptoms emerge in children during the assessment period, clinicians will shift their focus to providing
therapeutic interventions to either children directly or to their parents in order to address and alleviate
children’s distress.
Service Procedure
During the assessment process parents or caretakers may be asked to complete the Child
Behavior Check List (CBCL) as well as the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI), if identified as a
concern. Children ages 7 and above may be asked to fill out standardized instruments such as the
Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children / Young Children (TSCC or TSCYC), or the UCLA PTSD index, if
deemed relevant. In addition, depending on the age of the child, instruments that gauge developmental
functioning, such as the Greenspan Social-Emotional Growth Chart Questionnaire, may be included. The
EPBDA allows clinicians to comment on children’s physical and emotional functioning; themes evident in
play, language, behavior, or activities; relational issues; observed or reported symptomatology;
communication style; spontaneous verbal communications; and differential developmental functioning
based on age, gender and culture.

Service Adaptation: Extended Play-Based Developmental Assessment for Young Children (EPBDA-YC)

One of the unique features of the EPBDA is that clinicians conduct these assessments with
children as young as two years of age. The major difference between the two approaches is the degree
of reliance on play-based tasks that may be beyond children’s cognitive and developmental levels.
Instead, very young children will be allowed to engage in generic play therapy and focused attention will
be placed on the play, with exceptional attention to signs of post-traumatic play, or any aspects of
children’s play that signal concerns. Clinicians at Gil Institute, most of whom have special training in play
therapy and other expressive approaches, are in a singular position to assess children’s play and identify
developmentally typical or expectable play, or atypical or unusual features in the play.

___________________________
Service Description – EPBDA 2
Service Overview
1. Phone or in-person interview with referring professionals with identification of specific
assessment question;
2. Eight to twelve individual sessions with child (parents may provide support by staying in the
therapy office during early meetings; however, efforts are made to get children comfortable
quickly so that parents can move to the waiting area);
3. EPBDA developmental tasks are completed and paper-pencil tests are reviewed/scored;
4. Termination session conducted with children;
5. Exit interviews may be appropriate with parent(s);
6. Verbal assessment feedback meeting and/or preparation of written reports, if requested
and agreed upon at the outset.
Assessment-Specific Instruments
Clinicians use discretion in selecting the use of instruments designed to provide additional data
regarding children’s development and functioning. During the EPBDA, clinicians may ask for parents to
fill out the Child Behavior Checklist, the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory, or the Trauma Symptom
Checklist for Young Children. In addition, children over 7 may be asked to fill out the Trauma Symptom
Checklist for Children.
Service Fee
Clinicians conducting the EPBDA charge their hourly fees and these are agreed upon in the
written treatment agreement at the time of intake. Assessment sessions may occur weekly or bi-weekly
depending on the specific needs of the child or youth. The specific format, timeframe, and structure will
be determined at the outset and may be adjusted if and when deemed clinically necessary. In addition,
clinicians and clients will clarify expectations for verbal or written reports.

___________________________
Service Description – EPBDA 3

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