ABSTRACT
Play assessment is a valuable tool for capturing information about the development of children. This chapter1 describes the ways in which investigators can use play as a paradigm for assessing children’s development, provides an overview of prevailing assessment techniques, and discusses some critical points to consider when using play for purposes of assessment. There are differences, however, between the goals and methods of approaches that use play in the assessment of children’s development. Play assessment methods may be either structured or unstructured, and can include the use of both videotapes and audiotapes as tools for evaluating and scoring play behaviors. Selection of play assessment measures involves planning and addressing several key decision points.
