Developmental assessments can be useful tools in the identification of students with disabilities. Which component would MOST likely be incorporated into this kind of assessment?

• A. Identifying sight words
• B. Identifying letter sounds
• C. Identifying math facts
• D. Identifying colors

Answer: (B)

Developmental assessments screen for early indicators of learning difficulties, especially in language and literacy, because early delays can signal a disability that affects reading development. The component that would be most included is identifying letter sounds, since understanding how letters map to sounds is a foundational skill for decoding and overall literacy. This taps into phonemic awareness and alphabet knowledge, which are key early indicators used to flag students who may need further evaluation or targeted instruction.

Sight words relate more to recognizing common words by sight and tend to come into play after foundational decoding skills are established. Math facts assess arithmetic fluency, which is not the primary focus of early developmental screening for disabilities in literacy. Colors are basic perceptual/categorization tasks and, while part of general development, they are not the strongest predictor of potential learning disabilities in reading or language.