Second Edition

Ages: 0 through 6
Testing Time: 90 minutes
Administration: Individual

DASH-2 offers concise information about individuals who are functioning between birth and 6-11 developmentally. It consists of five Pinpoint Scales, which assess performance in language, sensory-motor skills, activities of daily living, basic academic skills, and social-emotional skills. DASH-2 is sensitive to small changes in skill performance. It identifies these skills as task resistive, needing full assistance, needing partial assistance, needing minimal assistance, or an independent performance.

This revision of the DASH retains the precision and breadth of the original instrument, provides a revised scoring system that facilitates data collection in an active learning environment, and includes more functional skills that are important for participation in home and community environments. New subscales within some scales are included to allow the team to assess the specific functioning of students who have disabling conditions that may affect skill performance.

As in the original DASH, the sequence of skills and the nature of the individual’s attempts to complete an item are more important than the age level of an item or a total score. Information from the Pinpoint Scales is combined in the Cumulative Summary Sheet, while the Priority Intervention Worksheet provides a basis for identifying emerging skills that should be targeted during teaching activities. The Comprehensive Program Record documents ongoing progress in achieving a skill. DASH-2 is a criterion-referenced instrument that pinpoints an individual’s skill attainment and learning needs.

DASH-2 begins with an individual’s areas of strength and builds from there. Therefore, it can function as an initial assessment instrument, a tool for curriculum planning, and a means of monitoring progress. This information can be applied to program planning, communicating with families and other team members, developing intervention strategies.

Complete DASH-2 Kit includes: Examiner’s Manual, 5 each of 5 Pinpoint Scales, Priority Intervention Worksheets (25), Comprehensive Program Record Forms (25), and Cumulative Summary Sheets (25), all in a sturdy storage box. (©1999)