Running head: HOME ASSESSMENT 1

Conducting the Home Assessment

for an Infant in a Home

Jessalyn Westwood

Brigham Young University Idaho

The home observation for measurement of the environment also known as HOME

assessment has been used by practitioners and researchers to measure the experience of an infant

in any particular home. They often use this assessment with other knowledge they have of the

family they are studying. This assessment is said to be able to correlate the home environment to

the ways in which a child develops as they age and get older. It is important that many things are

present in the beginning years of a child’s life so that they are able to grow and learn in the

environment in which they spend most of their time. When the assessment is given there is an

interview conducted as well as a home observation done and this allows for all forty-five of the

items to be acknowledged. This assessment can tell us a lot about how important certain aspects

of an environment are to a child’s development.

Three factors led to the eventual development of the home observation for measurement

of the environment assessment and are important to understand. First, the realization of the

importance of the environment’s contribution to the cognitive development of children. Second,

the inadequacy of the environmental measures used until then (mainly socio-economic status).

Third, the need for a comprehensive environmental assessment when planning interventions.

These are the main reasons why HOME was developed and is still used today. Home has been

used to predict cognitive development, predict attachment status, and study ethnic differences in

homes. The home assessment can be helpful in at risk populations and be used to help plan

interventions and study before and after affects of those interventions. It is a very easy tool to use

when working with a family because it provides sound information without threatening any part

that is involved in the interview or observation. This assessment has been able to clearly predict

the cognitive development of children as children who came from homes with higher HOME
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scores were more likely to have higher IQ scores as well. This is a good example of the

assessment being used and being useful.

For this assignment I had the opportunity to interview my good friend Emily Smith and

with her son Dustin. I asked about a week before the visit if it would be alright for me to come

by and meet with her to ask her some questions and conduct the interview and observation and

she graciously agreed to the visit. Her and her husband Mark are both in college, she is taking

online classes for her undergraduate degree and he is going as a full-time student to finish his

graduate degree as well as working. They have two children, Dustin who is about sixteen months

old and Tyler who is about three years old. They live in a small two-bedroom apartment that is

very small. We conducted the interview and observation in their small living room while Dustin

was awake and playing and Tyler was spending the day at a friend’s house. Both the mother and

infant were very relaxed and comfortable with the interview, but I have spent time at their

apartment with her and Dustin before. I used the informal interview because I am very

comfortable with them and Emily is easy going and open about her life. It took us about thirty

minutes to conduct the interview.

The first construct on the HOME assessment score sheet is responsibility. This construct

was really interesting to me and I was able to gather some good information through observation

and the interview. This area was near perfect for Emily, we talked about messy play and whether

she allowed that and had a good conversation about what that meant and decided that it is

something she allows from Dustin. The only area where she did not get the point was

spontaneously praising her child twice during the visit. She only did this once while I was there.

In all they scored ten out of eleven possible in this area, which is slightly above the median score

for the larger population. One thing that she can improve upon in this area is to praise Dustin
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more often. In an article discussing praising and scolding your children it states “We show that

“sparing the rod” does not necessarily “spoil the child” (GRINSTEIN, A., & KRONROD, A,

2016). Spending time to praise your child now and in the future is very important to their

development and to their attachment to you. If you make the effort to praise your child you will

not be merely “sparing the rod” you will be building your child’s self confidence and helping

them to see what actions are good for them to be doing.

The second construct on the HOME assessment score sheet is acceptance. This construct

is different from the first construct and provided some really cool information through the

interview and observation. They scored seven out of eight which is slightly higher than the

median for the larger population. This area was very close to perfect for Emily and Dustin as

well but they lacked in having a pet present. This is something that a lot of families do not have

but can add to a child’s understanding and acceptance of the world. A research article discussing

pets in the homes of children states, ““Psychological research shows that the more forms of

social support, the more relationships that we have, the better. Pets add to that” (Tarling, B,

2017). Pets can be extremely helpful to a child and their development and so having one in the

home is extremely beneficial. They later state: “Owning a pet can contribute significantly to

early childhood development. Studies show that children with pets in the household may

demonstrate better impulse control and fewer symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety”

(Tarling, B, 2017). These are great benefits that are worth the work that a pet may require and I

would suggest it to any parent who can make it a possibility for their children.

The third construct on the HOME assessment score sheet is organization. This is

something that is really important to me so it was cool to be able to see how much of an impact it

can have on children and their development. I was able to gather information through the
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interview and observations. They scored five out six in this area which is on track with the

median for the larger population. This area was almost perfect as well, the only main downfall is

that Emily stated that she does not take Dustin to the grocery store, she normally does grocery

shopping after leaving the kids with her husband. In an article it talks about grocery shopping

and how it is an opportunity to teach your kids about grocery shopping, healthy eating and

allows you to spend time with your child (Anglish, A. M, 2010). If Emily were to take advantage

of this opportunity, she would be teaching Dustin and being able to spend time outside of the

home with him.

The fourth construct on the HOME assessment score sheet is learning materials. This

construct was really interesting to me and I was able to gather some good information through

observation and the interview. Learning materials in a home are very important for a child.

Emily did well in this category scoring seven out of nine. This also on track as the median for the

larger population. She did not have muscle activity toys or complex hand-eye coordination toys.

These are very important to a child and can have a big impact on their development. In an article

about current trends of technology play it states, “to minimize potential musculoskeletal and

sedentary risks, non-screen toy play should be encouraged and education and guidelines

provided for parents and caretakers to support wise use of tablets” (Howie, E. K, 2017). Having

muscle activity toys can help to stay away from these issues.

The fifth construct on the HOME assessment score sheet is involvement. This construct is

different from the other constructs and provided some really cool information through the

interview and observation. In this construct they scored four out of six, which is the same as the

median for the larger population. After talking to Emily, I found out that she does not structure

Dustin’s play times and also doesn’t talk often while doing household work. This is an important
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part of a child’s life and can have a big impact on their lives. In a study on the importance of play

it says; “Freud, claimed that play makes a critical contribution to children's emotional

development by enabling children to remove negative feelings and help them handle frustrations

stemming from unpleasant experiences. Erikson (1950) believed that play can refiect children's

psychosocial development. Both psychologists highlighted the critical contribution of play to

children's inner development” (2013). Structuring this play time can by very useful to parents

and to the development of their child.

The sixth and final construct on the HOME assessment score sheet is variety. This

construct was really interesting to me and I was able to gather some good information through

observation and the interview. They scored four out of five on this category. The one that they

did not receive a point for was eating as a family at least once a day. The schedule of Mark does

not always allow for him to be home when dinner happens for the kids. An article about eating

dinner as a family states; “study after study shows that no other hour in your children's day will

deliver as many emotional and psychological benefits as the one spent sharing food and

conversation, unwinding, and connecting” (Fishel A.K, 2015). This time can be very valuable to

you and your child’s development so my suggestion here is that they try to have at least one meal

together as a family.

There were very few environmental aspects that I feel were not discussed in the home

observation for measurement of the environment assessment. I think that it does a very good job

of assessing the environment that a child is growing up and developing in and how that

environment will impact their development. In my experience with participating in this interview

and observation study I learned how important some of these aspects of life are. I was able to see
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studies that back up a lot of the constructs that are part of this assessment and was able to learn

more about the development of children.

References

Anglish, A. M. (2010). grocery shopping WITH KIDS. Kiwi, 58. Retrieved from

https://byui.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-

com.byui.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=59449081&site=eds-live

Does Play Matter to Parents? Taiwanese Parents’ Perceptions of Child’s Play. (2013). Education,

134(2), 244–254. Retrieved from https://byui.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search-

ebscohost-com.byui.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=muh&AN=93663168&site=eds-live

Fishel, A. K., & Thompson, M. (2015). Home for dinner : mixing food, fun, and conversation for

a happier family and healthier kids. New York, New York : AMACOM, 2015. Retrieved

from https://byui.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-

com.byui.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=cat03146a&AN=BYUID.4602700&site=eds-live

GRINSTEIN, A., & KRONROD, A. (2016). Does Sparing the Rod Spoil the Child? How

Praising, Scolding, and an Assertive Tone Can Encourage Desired Behaviors. Journal of

Marketing Research (JMR), 53(3), 433–441.

https://doiorg.byui.idm.oclc.org/10.1509/jmr.14.0224

Howie, E. K., Coenen, P., Campbell, A. C., Ranelli, S., & Straker, L. M. (2017). Head, trunk and

arm posture amplitude and variation, muscle activity, sedentariness and physical activity

of 3 to 5 year-old children during tablet computer use compared to television watching

and toy play. Applied Ergonomics, 65, 41–50. https://doi-

org.byui.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2017.05.011
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Tarling, B. (2017). Grow up WITH PETS: Animals in the house make for healthy children.

Alive: Canada’s Natural Health & Wellness Magazine, (419), 127–130. Retrieved from

https://byui.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.byui.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=awh&AN=125086768&site=eds-live
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Appendix
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