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Early evaluation changes what’s possible for a child
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The time from birth to early school age is when accurate assessment can have the biggest impact on a child's future.
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Talk to an assessment consultant
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Early, accurate assessment makes the greatest difference.
One portfolio covers every developmental domain.
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Comprehensive assessment across the development spectrum
Every developmental domain — cognitive, language, motor, adaptive behavior, and school readiness — covered by one trusted publisher.
Psychometric credentials clinicians already trust
Bayley™ Scales and Vineland™ Adaptive Behavior Scales carry decades of normative research and peer-reviewed validation. Your findings hold up in early-intervention referrals and individualized education program (IEP) meetings.
Modern delivery with flexible support
Q-global® handles web-based scoring and reporting. Q-interactive runs assessments on iPad, cutting evaluation time. Paper formats remain available where needed.
Find your instrument, domain by domain.
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Each assessment is grouped by development domain — so you can find the right tool for the child in front of you. Every instrument is backed by published norming studies and peer-reviewed validity evidence, so you can act on your findings with confidence.
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Bayley-4 (Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, fourth edition)
Cognitive and development, birth to 3:6
Bayley-4 is the gold-standard development assessment for infants and toddlers. You get an integrated view across cognitive, language, motor, social-emotional, and adaptive behavior in one validated instrument, so you can build the early-intervention recommendations families need.
Explore Bayley-4
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Mullen Scales of Early Learning
Cognitive and development, birth to 5:8
Mullen Scales of Early Learning gives you a development measure across visual reception, fine motor, and receptive and expressive language for the youngest children. You get a tool that's familiar to early-intervention teams and widely used in autism research, so the profile you build sits comfortably alongside existing evidence.
Explore Mullen Scales
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DAYC-2 (Developmental Assessment of Young Children, second edition)
Cognitive and development, birth to 5:11
DAYC-2 is a norm-referenced development assessment across five domains — cognitive, communication, social-emotional, physical, and adaptive behavior. You get a flexible diagnostic option that supports Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C and Part B eligibility decisions across the early-childhood age range.
Explore DAYC-2
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PLS™-5 (Preschool Language Scales™, fifth edition)
Language and communication, birth to 7:11
PLS™-5 gives you a full measure of auditory comprehension and expressive communication from birth through early school age. You get a play-based, child-friendly assessment that holds the attention of very young children and produces a profile that supports speech-language diagnosis and treatment planning.
Explore PLS-5
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CELF Preschool-3 (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Preschool, third edition)
Language and communication, ages 3 to 6
CELF Preschool-3 is the language assessment speech-language pathologists (SLPs) reach for when they need to identify language disorders in preschool-age children. You get a deep diagnostic picture that backs up your treatment plan and holds weight in individualized education program (IEP) eligibility decisions.
Explore CELF Preschool-3
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PPVT™-5 (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, fifth edition) and EVT™-3 (Expressive Vocabulary Test, third edition)
Vocabulary measures, ages 2 to 6 and up
PPVT™-5 and EVT™-3 are the receptive and expressive vocabulary measures used across early-childhood evaluation, research, and progress monitoring. You get a co-normed pair that supports targeted language assessment, longitudinal tracking, and quick re-administration to monitor change.
Explore PPVT-5 and EVT-3
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GFTA™-3 (Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation™, third edition)
Articulation and speech sound production, ages 2 to 21
GFTA™-3 is the articulation assessment SLPs use to evaluate speech sound production in young children and beyond. You get the focused phonological data that supports articulation therapy planning and progress monitoring across the caseload.
Explore GFTA-3
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PDMS-3 (Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, third edition)
Motor and physical development, birth to 5
PDMS™-3 is the motor skills assessment pediatric occupational therapists (OTs) and physical therapists use for gross and fine motor evaluation in early childhood. You get the structured motor profile that supports therapy planning and IDEA Part C and Part B eligibility decisions.
Explore PDMS-3
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Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales™ (birth through adulthood)
Adaptive behavior assessment across the lifespan
Vineland™-3 is the leading measure of adaptive behavior across communication, daily living, socialization, and motor skills. You get the assessment that captures how a child applies skills in everyday life — the data that often matters most for Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), IEP, and intervention planning. Vineland spans the full lifespan, so the measure you start with in early childhood is the one you can return to lifelong.
Explore Vineland-3
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BBCS-4:R™ (Bracken Basic Concept Scale, Receptive™) and BSRA-4™ (Bracken School Readiness Assessment™)
School readiness and kindergarten transition, ages 3 to 6
BBCS-4:R™ measures the basic concepts — letters, numbers, colors, shapes, comparisons — that underpin school readiness. BSRA-4 is its briefer screening companion. You get the data that supports kindergarten transition planning and the early identification of children who'd benefit from concept-focused instruction.
Explore the Bracken family
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WSS®-5 (Work Sampling System®, fifth edition)
Performance-based classroom evaluation
WSS®-5 is the performance-based assessment of children's skills, knowledge, and behavior in classroom contexts. You get authentic, classroom-grounded evidence that complements standardized testing for kindergarten transition and Head Start program reporting.
Explore WSS-5
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Digital administration and scoring built for early childhood
Q-global and Q-interactive handle the administration and scoring logistics so you can focus on the child.
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Web-based scoring and reporting
Q-global is the web-based platform for scoring and reporting Pearson assessments. Administer, score, and generate reports from any browser — no paper answer sheets required. Scoring is automatic and consistent across raters.
Sign in to Q-global
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iPad-based assessment administration
Q-interactive runs assessments directly on iPad — replacing paper kits with a tablet-based system that engages young children and saves time per evaluation. Administration is faster and more accurate, and the process is more engaging for the children you evaluate.
See Q-interactive
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Compare early childhood & development instruments.
Choose the instrument for the child in front of you. Every assessment is backed by published norming studies and peer-reviewed validity evidence.
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- Pearson assessment
- Best for
- Age range
- What it measures and how it helps
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- Bayley-4
- Comprehensive development evaluation for infants & toddlers; IDEA Part C eligibility; early intervention referrals
- 1–42 months
- Cognitive, language, motor, social-emotional & adaptive behavior in one integrated instrument — the gold-standard development measure for the first three years.
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- Bayley-4 Screening Test
- Brief screening for development delay; pediatric well-child visits; first-pass referral decisions
- 1–42 months
- Quick screening companion to Bayley-4, with a direct upgrade path to the full diagnostic when needed.
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- Mullen Scales
- Development evaluation when an alternative to Bayley-4 is needed; widely used in early autism research
- Birth–68 months
- Visual reception, fine motor, gross motor, receptive & expressive language.
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- DAYC-2
- Development diagnostic across the early-childhood age range; IDEA Part C and Part B eligibility
- Birth–5:11
- Cognitive, communication, social-emotional, physical & adaptive behavior across five domains.
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- PLS-5
- SLPs assessing language in birth-to-school-age children; speech-language diagnosis & treatment planning
- Birth–7:11
- Auditory comprehension & expressive communication via play-based tasks.
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- CELF Preschool-3
- SLPs identifying language disorders in preschool-age children; IEP eligibility decisions
- 3–6
- Preschool language assessment with deep diagnostic detail.
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- PPVT-5 & EVT-3
- Receptive & expressive vocabulary measurement; research & progress monitoring
- 2:6 and up
- Co-normed receptive and expressive vocabulary measures for targeted assessment and longitudinal tracking.
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- GFTA-3
- SLPs evaluating articulation & phonological development in young children
- 2–21
- Speech sound production for articulation therapy planning and progress monitoring.
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- PDMS-3
- Pediatric OTs & physical therapists (PTs) evaluating gross & fine motor development
- Birth–5
- Structured motor profile for therapy planning, IDEA eligibility & progress monitoring.
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- Vineland
- Multi-disciplinary teams measuring adaptive behavior across the lifespan; often paired with cognitive measures
- Birth through adulthood
- Communication, daily living, socialization & motor skills in everyday contexts.
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- BBCS-4:R & BSRA-4
- School psychologists & early childhood educators evaluating school readiness
- 3–6
- Basic concepts underpinning school readiness; BSRA-4 is the brief screening companion.
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- WSS-5
- Performance-based classroom evaluation; kindergarten transition; Head Start program reporting
- Pre-K to early elementary
- Authentic classroom evidence across skill, knowledge & behavior domains.
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- Speed DIAL-4 & DIAL-4
- Pre-K & kindergarten development screening across motor, concepts & language
- 3–6
- Fast development screen with a direct upgrade path to diagnostic instruments when needed.
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- ESI-3
- Pre-K & kindergarten development screening for early evaluation referral decisions
- Pre-K to kindergarten
- Brief development screen identifying children who need further evaluation.
Get quick answers to your most common clinical questions.
Not sure where to start? Browse the questions early childhood specialists most often ask during assessment planning. If yours isn't covered, our consultants can help.
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What qualifications do I need to buy Pearson early childhood assessments?
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Pearson uses a qualification system to make sure assessments are used by appropriately trained professionals. Most early childhood development assessments require a Level B (master's-level training in psychology, education, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, or a closely related field with assessment coursework) or Level C (doctoral-level qualifications including direct supervision in administering and interpreting psychological tests). Screening instruments often have lower qualification thresholds. You can verify your qualification level when you create or sign in to your Pearson Clinical account.
Which assessment should I choose for a specific age and development question?
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The comparison table on this page is the fastest starting point — it maps each instrument to age range, clinical question, and best-fit role. For a deeper conversation, talk to a Pearson Assessment Consultant; we have early-childhood specialists on the team who can help you match the instrument to your caseload, setting, and IDEA or Head Start context.
Can I administer these assessments digitally, or do I need paper kits?
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Most Pearson early childhood assessments are available digitally through Q-global (web-based scoring) and Q-interactive (iPad-based administration). Paper formats remain available across the portfolio, and some specialist instruments are paper-only by design. Each product page lists the available formats. The choice often comes down to the child, the setting, and your team's workflow.
Do these assessments support IDEA Part C and Part B eligibility decisions?
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Yes. Bayley-4, DAYC-2, Mullen Scales, PLS-5, CELF Preschool-3, PDMS-3, and Vineland are widely used in IDEA Part C (early intervention, birth to 3) and Part B (preschool, ages 3 to 5) eligibility determinations across US states. Specific eligibility criteria and approved instrument lists vary by state. Check your state lead agency's current guidance and talk to a Pearson Assessment Consultant if you need help matching instruments to your state's requirements.
Is training available, and does it count for continuing education (CE) credit?
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Yes. Pearson offers CE-accredited training across the early childhood assessment portfolio — through American Psychological Association (APA), American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) partnerships, depending on the audience. Training is delivered live, virtually, and on-demand, and CE certificates are issued on completion.
How recent is the norming data on these instruments?
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Each instrument lists its norming sample, sample size, and publication date in the technical manual. Pearson updates norms on a defined cycle to reflect current US populations — for example, Bayley-4 was published in 2019 with contemporary norming; Vineland norms reflect a US sample. The product page for each assessment links to the technical documentation.
Will Pearson assessments work alongside our electronic health record (EHR) or early-intervention data system?
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Q-global supports clinical workflows that integrate with your EHR or program data system through report export, and select integrations support direct data exchange. Telepractice administration is supported for select assessments. For institutional integration questions, talk to a Pearson representative. We'll route you to the right specialist.
Take the next step.
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Choose the path that matches where you are in the evaluation.
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Find an assessment
Browse the full Pearson Clinical Assessments catalog — over 300 instruments across early childhood, cognitive, mental health, behavior, speech and language, motor and sensory, and more.
Browse the full clinical catalog
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Talk to an assessment consultant
Tell us what you're evaluating. We'll connect you with a Pearson Clinical specialist who knows the early childhood portfolio and your setting — schools, early intervention, hospital pediatrics, or research.
Contact a clinical specialist
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Flexible professional development
Explore CE-accredited training across the early childhood portfolio. Live, virtual, and on-demand options to build your assessment confidence and earn CE credit.
Browse assessment training & CE courses
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