Administration Guidelines

Picture of child and adult playing with toysAdministering an IGDI assessment involves conducting a 6-minute play session with the child and a familiar adult who is the play partner. Play focuses on the toys that are standardized for each IGDI measure. The session should take place in a relatively sheltered, but convenient, setting with few distractions.

 Options for IGDI administration:

    • Live Scoring.  One adult, familiar to the child, serves as the play partner while a second adult is present and codes the appropriate IGDI key skills during the 6 minute play session. The adult who is playing with the child during the assessment CANNOT live score while they are playing with the child.
    • Video Scoring.  One adult, familiar to the child, sets up and videotapes (or someone else videotapes) the session for later scoring of the IGDI key skills during the 6 minute play session.
    • Virtual/Remote IGDIs.  One adult, familiar to the child, serves as the play partner while the coder is watching and recording the assessment through a Zoom/Skype/Webex call.  Administration guidelines for virtual IGDIs can be found here.

    Using any option, the assessor must time the session to ensure it lasts exactly 6 minutes.

    During the play session, the play partner follows the child’s lead and comments on the child’s words and actions in order to encourage the child’s engagement. The play partner should follow the child’s lead during the session.