A Scan of Professional Organizations for Positions and Resources on Virtual Assessment of Young Children with Disabilities
July 2025 | by Kathleen Hebbeler, Sheresa Blanchard, Amanda Reeve, Ryan Grimm
Purpose
Professional standards and guidance define best practices in assessing young children with disabilities. Examples include the Division for Early Childhood’s (DEC) 11 recommended assessment practices for individuals working with young children with disabilities and their families and the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) developmentally appropriate practices for observing, documenting, and assessing children from birth through primary grades.
Download the Scan of Professional Organizations (PDF)Many early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) programs adopted virtual assessment (VA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some continue to use it today, having learned that it can sometimes be more advantageous than face-to-face assessment. In VA, one or more assessors are not physically present in the location where the child is being assessed. The assessors use videoconferencing to collect information about what the child knows and can do. VA may be part of a hybrid assessment that includes an in-person component with, for example, one assessor in the room with the child while another is online at the same time.
Interviews with EI and ECSE administrators and practitioners across the U.S. about their experiences with VA revealed that some professionals believe VA is inconsistent with professional standards in their field. We conducted a scan of professional organizations to provide information about the organizations’ positions and available resources so that all who are involved in conducting VA have ready access to accurate information. Our focus in the scan was on the use of authentic assessment because it is a more appropriate way to assess young children than direct standardized testing, regardless of whether the assessment is face-to-face or virtual.
How We Searched
We conducted an online review of 17 professional organizations relevant to the assessment of young children with disabilities to identify position statements, guidance documents, and other resources related to telepractice and the use of VA. Our list of organizations was based on our knowledge of the field, expert recommendations, and other resources (e.g., New York State Department of Health’s Early Intervention Program Telehealth Guidance).
The 17 organizations included:
- Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy (APTA Pediatrics)
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
- American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
- Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs (ATAP)
- Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE)
- Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
- Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC)
- Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children (DADD)
- IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA)
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
- National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
- National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE)
- Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SDBP)
- Zero to Three (ZTT)
We searched each organization’s website for position statements, guidance, articles, and other resources using terms such as “virtual assessment,” “remote assessment,” “COVID-19 assessment,” “telehealth,” “telepractice,” and “teleintervention.”
Position Statements and Other Resources
Seven of the 17 organizations have published position statements supporting telepractice (Table 1). All seven organizations’ statements recognize telepractice as being within scope of professional practice. Some statements address assessment directly, but most do not. In addition, most of these organizations and four additional organizations have resources for providing services via telepractice (Table 2), which is another indication of support for telepractice. Several of these resources directly address assessment. Several of the organizations have many more resources than shown in the table.
Table 1. Professional Organizations’ Position Statements on Telepractice
| Organization | Position on Telepractice |
|---|---|
| American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) | Telehealth: Improving Access to and Quality of Pediatric Health Care |
| American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) | Position Paper: Telehealth in Occupational Therapy |
| American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) | Position Paper: Expanded Telehealth Access Act of 2023 |
| American Psychological Association (APA) | Telehealth Access |
| American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) | Telepractice* |
| National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) | Telehealth: Virtual Service Delivery Updated Recommendations* |
| Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SDBP) | Position Statement on Telehealth** |
* Includes discussion of assessment.
** Includes discussion of assessing young children with disabilities.
Table 2. Resources Available from Professional Organizations Related to Virtual Assessment
| Organization | Resources Related to Virtual Assessment (VA) | Brief Description of Resources |
|---|---|---|
| Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy (APTA Pediatrics) | Considerations for Assessment in Telehealth Physical Therapy Services* | Guidance for assessment with specific considerations for EI and school settings |
| Telehealth Assessment: Early Intervention* | Flow chart of clinical observations and assessments that practitioners can use for VA in EI | |
| American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) | Telehealth: Opportunities to Improve Access, Quality, and Cost in Pediatric Health Care | Describes the present state of telehealth and its current and potential applications, including assessing children with special health care needs |
| American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) | Practice Essentials: Telehealth Resources** | Includes a decision guide outlining the various considerations and resources for delivering telehealth; a state-by-state chart of telehealth laws, regulations, and guidance; and ethical considerations |
| American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) | APTA Telehealth Certificate Series | Fee-based training on telehealth delivery |
| American Psychological Association (APA) | Guidance on Psychological Tele-Assessment During the COVID-19 Crisis | Principles for VA, written for standardized tests but applicable to authentic assessment |
| American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) | Teleassessment | Information on licensure and reimbursement, technology, considerations for audiology, and considerations for speech-language pathology |
| Considerations for Speech, Language, and Cognitive Assessment via Telepractice* | Guidance for conducting assessments via telepractice, including what to consider prior to initiating the assessment and population and settings considerations | |
| Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC) | Resources to Support Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education During the COVID-19 Outbreak* | Resources such as Eligibility Determination During Stay-at-Home Orders and Early Intervention Tele-Assessment Video Chats & Strategies to support EI and ECSE during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children (DADD) | Resources for Teaching Remotely* | Pandemic-era resources on providing virtual services to students and families |
| Zero to Three (ZTT) | Telehealth During COVID-19* | Describes how four programs in Louisiana continued mental health services to children and families during the pandemic |
* Is or includes resources specific to early intervention or early childhood special education.
** Some or all resources require membership for access.
Three organizations provide information specific to virtual authentic assessment for young children with disabilities:
- APTA Pediatrics offers a flow chart for clinical observation and suggests utilizing measures that include parent reports when a standardized measure is necessary.
- ASHA refers practitioners to agency requirements and payer regulations or requirements, emphasizing practitioner judgment in using VA for eligibility determinations.
- SDBP highlights the benefit of observing children in their natural environments, noting that VA can yield more accurate representations of a child’s developmental skills and behaviors.
- Using an assessment that allows for parent report when conducting VA (APTA)
- Determining the impact VA will have on the quality of the data collected (APA)
- Maintaining the same ethical standards of care, including informed consent (APA)
- Understanding the technology available and considering specific characteristics and needs of the individual (e.g., child) (AAP, APA)
- Determining the appropriateness of VA for each individual child (ASHA)
- Ensuring that VA is equivalent in quality to in-person assessment (AAP, APA, ASHA)
- Complying with state licensure requirements and regulations, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (ASHA)
Conclusion
Our scan of 17 professional organizations found that those with position statements, guidance documents, or other resources consider telepractice to be a valuable and effective means for providing services to young children with disabilities and their families. Several of the organizations address VA of young children with disabilities and speak to how it can be used to collect information on what young children with disabilities know and can do. We found no evidence that VA is inconsistent with professional standards for any of the organizations that have published position statements or other resources on their websites.
However, there are unique considerations that arise with VA, and many organizations offer guidance on the conditions necessary to ensure VA yields reliable and valid information. As programs and professionals continue to implement VA post-pandemic, we encourage professionals to consult their respective organization for the latest resources and guidance and for updates as further evidence emerges on best practices for virtual assessment.
Access a pdf of the scan: A Scan of Professional Organizations for Positions and Resources on Virtual Assessment of Young Children with Disabilities
Suggested citation:
Hebbeler, K., Blanchard, S., Reeve, A., & Grimm, R. (2025). A scan of professional organizations for positions and resources on virtual assessment of young children with disabilities. SRI International.
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