Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile™ (CSBS DP™)
By Amy M. Wetherby, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, & Barry M. Prizant, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

When serious health or physical impairments are not present, a delay in language development may be the first evident symptom that a child is not developing typically. Most children develop their first words between 12 and 15 months, but it can be common practice to wait until a child is 18 to 24 months and still not talking to refer the child for an evaluation. Yet, research over the past 2 decades has identified a collection of predictors of later language development that promise earlier and more accurate identification.

This research demonstrates that children delayed only in the use of words are very likely to catch up on their own, while children who are also delayed in several or many of the other predictors are likely to have persisting problems. Instead of waiting for children to start using words, evaluating these language predictors is a promising solution to improve early identification — and ultimately the developmental outcomes of children.

About the CSBS DP™

The Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile™ (CSBS DP™) is an easy-to-use, norm-referenced screening and evaluation tool that helps determine the communicative competence (use of eye gaze, gestures, sounds, words, understanding, and play) of children with a functional communication age between 6 months and 24 months (chronological age from about 6 months to 6 years).

The tool should be administered by a certified speech-language pathologist, early interventionist, psychologist, pediatrician, or other professional trained to assess developmentally young children.

The CSBS DP™ may be used as a starting point for IFSP planning and also as an outcome measure to help determine the efficacy of intervention. Additionally, it should be used as a guide to indicate areas that need further assessment.

CSBS DP™ System Components

The CSBS DP™ Infant-Toddler Checklist

	A study reported in The Journal of Pediatrics on "Detecting, Studying, and Treating Autism Early: The One-Year Well-Baby Check-Up Approach" found that using the CSBS DP™ Infant-Toddler Checklist as a screening tool at children's one-year check-up was a promising way for health care professionals to identify children at age 1 in need of further evaluation for autism and other language and developmental delays.

The Infant-Toddler Checklist, for use with children from 6 to 24 months of age, can be used independently or with the other components of the CSBS DP™. It is the first step in routine screening to decide if a developmental evaluation is needed. A parent, or a primary caregiver who nurtures the child on a daily basis, can complete the Checklist's 24 multiple-choice questions in just 5 to 10 minutes. Clinicians may also present the questions in an interview format, with adequate explanations to clarify what is being asked.

If the scores resulting from the Checklist indicate concern, the next steps are to further evaluate the child with the Caregiver Questionnaire and to take a Behavior Sample of the child interacting with the clinician and caregiver.

• The CSBS DP Infant-Toddler Checklist is copyrighted but remains free for use. [Download the Checklist and scoring instructions now.]
  
  
• The Child and Family Information Form to use with the Checklist, validation studies, and additional scoring information are available on the FIRST WORDS web site.

Make scoring of the 24-item CSBS DP™ Infant–Toddler Checklist easy with the CSBS DP™ Infant–Toddler Checklist and Easy-Score Software. The software includes a copy of the checklist used in the promising study published in the Journal of Pediatrics on "Detecting, Studying, and Treating Autism Early: The One-Year Well-Baby Check-Up Approach." You can also download a copy of the checklist here.

The CSBS DP™ Caregiver Questionnaire

This four-page quantitative tool (different from the CSBS™ qualitative Caregiver Questionnaire) is designed to be given or mailed to the caregiver (typically a parent) before the child is brought in for the Behavior Sample. It should take approximately 15 to 25 minutes for the caregiver to complete the questionnaire after reflecting on the child's behavior.

The CSBS DP™ Behavior Sample

The behavior sampling procedure consists of strategies designed to encourage spontaneous behavior in the child, but with varying degrees of structure provided by the administrator and caregiver. It is designed to be administered and scored simultaneously (approximately 30 minutes per child), or it can be videotaped for viewing and scoring later.

Those familiar with the full CSBS™ Behavior Sample will find the streamlined CSBS DP™ version to be quicker and easier to administer. But even those not already using the CSBS™ will still find the CSBS DP™ to be more reliable and sensitive than many other screening tools available today. Materials used during the sampling include action-based toys to entice spontaneous communication, children's books, and play materials that evaluate how a child uses and plays with objects symbolically and constructively. The use of familiar toys, books, and other play materials while interacting with a familiar caregiver helps put children at ease to perform to their best ability. A carefully planned toy kit and convenient carrying bag are included as part of the complete CSBS DP™ system.

The CSBS DP™ Manual

The manual provides background information on the development of the CSBS DP™ and specific instructions for administering, scoring, and interpreting the developmental profile.

The CSBS DP™ DVD

The Sampling and Scoring DVD illustrates experienced clinicians using the CSBS DP™ with typically developing children of different ages. The sampling section of the DVD demonstrates how to collect a behavior sample while the scoring section guides viewers in using the samples to complete the scoring worksheets.

Normative Data

The CSBS DP™ is supported by extensive field testing and normative data. The Infant-Toddler Checklist has been normed on 1,891 children from 6 to 24 months old, and the norms are presented by 1-month intervals. Other components of the CSBS DP™ are also well normed (for the Caregiver Questionnaire, 600 children from 6 to 24 months with norms presented by 2-month intervals, and for the Behavior Sample, 300 children from 12 to 24 months with the norms presented by 3- to 4-month intervals). Most normative data to this date have been gathered in the Tallahassee, Florida, region and are culturally diverse. The authors are gathering a broader national sampling of normative data.

Ordering Information

Note: The Complete CSBS DP™ Kit and CSBS DP™ Toy Kit may not be available for RUSH shipping.

CSBS DP™ Complete Kit, First Normed Edition (Test Kit + Toy Kit)
Stock #5494 / 2002 / $399.00

• CSBS DP™ Manual, First Normed Edition (with norming tables)
• 20 1-page CSBS DP™ Infant-Toddler Checklists
• 20 4-page CSBS DP™ Caregiver Questionnaires
• 20 Caregiver Rating Perception forms
• the CSBS DP™ Behavior Sample (including 20 1-page double-sided copies of the CSBS DP™ Worksheet for Rating Behaviors, and the Sampling and Scoring Videos
• the CSBS™ Toy Kit and materials for test administration

CSBS DP™ Test Kit, First Normed Edition
Stock #5516 / 2002 / $199.95

• CSBS DP™ Manual, First Normed Edition
• 20 1-page CSBS DP™ Infant-Toddler Checklists with Caregiver Rating Perception forms on reverse
• 20 4-page CSBS DP™ Caregiver Questionnaires
• 20 Caregiver Rating Perception forms
• the CSBS DP™ Behavior Sample Without Toy Kit
  (including 20 1-page double-sided copies of the CSBS DP™ Worksheet for Rating Behaviors, and the Sampling and Scoring Videos)

CSBS DP™ Toy Kit
Stock #5524 / $259.95

• Reclosable bag (3)
• Hand & foot teether (set of 2)
• Soft animals (pkg 5)
• Carrying bag
• Plush doll
• Wind-up (2)
• Blocks (pkg 7)
• Balloons (pkg 25)
• Bubbles (8 oz.)
• Cloth bag
• Jar & lid
• Partyware set
• Farmobile
• Book 1 (Big Enough for a Bed)
• Book 2 (ABC)
• Book 4 (Animal)
• Nurser (2)
• Nipple (set of 3)
• Cardboard tubes
• Small plastic animals (2)