PLS 595 JOURNAL ENTRY 16

Protocols for Toddlers, DC and Hearing/Speech Impaired Children

The staff at CC brought up an important point that needs some clarification. Occasionally, the surveyor will be faced with a child victim who is too young to respond accurately or, for other reasons, unable to respond. Examples of inability to respond could include developmentally challenged children or children with hearing and/or speech impairments. Potentially, this could be an issue since they would affect the accuracy of the sample by being excluded. Therefore, I should add several protocols about this problem:

1. Toddlers: Children whose answers are suspect should be excluded from the sample. Obviously, children develop at different rates. Some 2 and 3 year olds are more responsive and aware than others. This will be a judgment call on the part of the surveyor in consultation with the staff that is most familiar with the child. If the child seems reasonably responsive and focused in his or her answers, include that child.
2. Developmentally-Challenged Children: The same may be said for these children. In these cases, the surveyor should always confer with the service delivery staff to determine whether the child CAN respond appropriately and accurately. If yes, survey the child and then decide whether his or her answers can be trusted. Otherwise, exclude the child from the survey. The surveyor’s judgment is also key here.
3. Hearing/Speech Impaired Children: Obviously, every effort should be made to include these children in the survey. In these cases, the usual protocol of interviewing the child alone will have to be foregone unless the surveyor can sign or communicate with the child in some manner. Allowing literate older children (7 y.o. and up) with such disabilities to fill in the survey is permissible. Otherwise, a translating adult will need to be present. Allow this.