ABSTRACT
Assessing a three-year-old is different to seeing an 18-year-old. Child therapists need to have an appreciation of the emotional strengths and weaknesses that are expected at each stage of development. This enables them to be in a position to gauge whether a child's or adolescent's development is on track or derailed. Assessing a preschool child for emotional functioning is difficult. One of the technical difficulties of assessment of a child of this age is determining whether the child is able to separate from the parent. Small children's emotions are powerful. They are extreme. Love and hate, bliss and disaster still populate the young child's mind. Certain developmental features are reflected in the play of a preschool child. The young child normally does not elaborate on stories or play. There are few verbal associations. Young children move around a great deal. There is a close link between mind and body at this age.
