Course Pre-Reading
Please do read all the information below in advance of attending a course.
An Introduction to the Schedule of Growing Skills II (SGS)
What is SGS?
SGS is a developmental screening tool that:
• Aims to provide a standard assessment for developmental screening
• Can be used with children at any age from 0-5 years
• Is based on the well-known and respected STYCAR sequences
designed by Dr Mary Sheridan
• Encourages common practice across many healthcare settings
• Is ideal for use in both first and secondary level developmental
assessment
• Is not an in-depth diagnostic tool – but can be used
to provide diagnostic pointers to the nature of a child’s problem
SGS is renowned for being:
• Accurate and reliable
• Quick and easy to use with minimal training
• Very portable so that it can be used anywhere - in the home,
a GP surgery or clinic, hospital or nursery setting
How is SGS used?
SGS is used by a range of health care professionals – such as health visitors, nursery nurses, GPs, community and consultant paediatricians – for a number of purposes:
• As part of general child health surveillance
• For the universal screening of all children
• To screen children who have been identified as “at risk”
• For the identification of specific developmental delay
• To provide referrals to specialised services
• To measure the progress children are making between certain
ages
How will SGS be used in the Flying Start Project?
For the Flying Start project, SGS will be used specifically as a screening and assessment tool. The aim is to:
• Assess children at 2 years of age when they enter the Flying
start setting.
• Assess children again at 3 years of age when they leave the
Flying Start setting.
By assessing children when they both enter and leave the Flying Start setting, SGS will sensitively measure and record any progress they make during the year.
The first SGS assessment will typically be completed by a Flying Start Health Visitor in the child’s home, whilst the second SGS assessment will normally be completed by child care workers in the Flying Start setting.
However, if the Flying Start setting has concerns throughout the
year that a child has emerging additional clinical needs, it would
be appropriate to invite in the Flying Start health visitor for the
second or any interim assessment.
Flexibility should therefore exist for the second assessment to be
carried out in the Flying Start setting by Flying Start health visitors,
involving the setting and the parents / carers in discussion of the
observational items.
How was SGS customised for Flying Start?
SGS was specifically customised for the Flying Start project:
• Creation of “Additional Skills” score
In order to provide more sensitivity to the progress that children can make around and after the age of 3, an additional 8 items were created to measure stretch and extra achievement. This new subset called “Additional Skills” demonstrates more clearly the fine progress being made by children at the top end of the scale.
• Merging of User’s Guide + Reference Manual in A4 format
The User’s Guide was merged with elements of the Reference Manual into a handy and more user-friendly A4 format. This means that as well as the step-by-step instructions on how to administer each item, the User’s Guide now also includes an additional 12 case studies on how SGS can be used, plus a chapter on child health surveillance, screening in context and further screening procedures.
Note that each SGS kit will include both a Welsh and English version of the User’s Guide.
• Colourised Picture Book
Due to popular demand, we have added colour to the Picture Book. This will make the pictures even more engaging and fun for the child to look at.
• Bilingual Record & Profile Forms
Both the Record and Profile Forms have been redesigned to be completely bilingual.
• Bilingual Training
The compulsory SGS training courses will be offered in both English and Welsh. All training support materials will also be available bilingually.
• Bilingual customer support
All customer support will be available bilingually. Emails can be directed to flyingstart@gl-assessment.co.uk. Telephone enquiries can be made on 01793-516-311. Please note we aim to resolve all queries within 24 hours.
What does SGS measure?
The Flying Start project aims to improve the psychological, intellectual, social and physical development of children in a way that is measurable and has a real impact on their lives. SGS was specifically chosen by Flying Start as a screening and assessment tool that would measure development in the following key areas:
• Language development
• Physical development
• Social and emotional development
• Cognitive development
SGS is structured around nine “Skill” areas which measure these key aspects of development:
1. Passive Postural Skills
2. Active Postural Skills
3. Locomotor Skills
4. Manipulative Skills
5. Visual Skills
6. Hearing & Language Skills
7. Speech & Language Skills
8. Interactive Social Skills
9. Self-Care Social Skills
Please note that not all of the skill areas are relevant for the ages of 2-3. Both Passive Postural Skills and Active Postural Skills only provide measurements for babies between 0 and 12 months, so these will rarely be used in the Flying Start project.
A “cognitive” score can also be derived from scoring the 9 skill areas above.
Cognition refers to those mental processes that enable us to think - such as memory, reasoning and problem-solving. These are known as ‘higher order’ processes that involve thinking - as opposed to ‘lower order’ processes, such as control of body movements, hearing or production of sounds and the sensing of hunger and thirst.
As previously mentioned, the customised Flying Start SGS will also include a measurement of “Additional Skills”.
What is in the SGS kit?
The customised SGS kit will include:
• Two copies of the User’s Guide (one in Welsh and one
in English)
• The Picture Book (in full colour)
• All of the stimulus items (or play) items. This includes
o Form boards / colour cards / vision cards
o Rattle / ball / doll
o Bead on a string / pom-pom
o Pegboard & pegs / building blocks
o Teaspoon / cup / hairbrush
Other SGS items
The following items will be supplied in addition to the kit:
• Record Forms (available as loose-leaf)
• Profile Forms (available in packs of 5)
Your local Flying Start co-ordinator will be responsible for distributing the correct amount of forms to you. Should you require more forms, please contact your local co-ordinator. Please note there is no charge for ordering the Profile or Record Forms.
Additional Components Required
In addition to the components listed above, users will need the following to complete a successful SGS administration:
• A pencil or crayon
• Paper for scribbling
• A small book with paper pages (such as a Ladybird book)
• A watch or clock with a second hand clearly visible
• A piece of paper with a pre-drawn circle, square & cross
on it
NB These will not be required for the training course.
How is SGS assessed? What techniques are used?
• The majority of items within SGS
are scored by watching the child play with the stimulus items and
observing their response
• Some items however will require you to ask parents questions
about their child’s behaviour and development
• It is important to elicit the most accurate information using
either technique
• Both techniques will be covered in depth during the training
course
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