• Developmental Screenings

beyond your typical screening

There is a delicate balance between the unique qualities and biography of each child and the standard developmental journey. These screenings are designed to honor that balance. Children are viewed as whole, complete people, and the screenings are designed to provide their families and care teams in depth information about the unseen parts of their journey.

Screenings look at:

  • primitive reflexes

  • structural alignment

  • vestibular system

  • oculomotor

  • fine and gross motor

  • spatial awareness & body awareness

  • age appropriate academics

and more.

Who Screenings Serve-

Grounded in the work of Audrey McAllen’s Extra Lesson, informed by my Waldorf Learning Support training, and woven together with my years of experience in supporting families, these Developmental Screenings offer parents and teachers a structured yet compassionate way to understand a child’s development.

By observing movement, sensory processing, and early learning foundations, the screening reveals what is integrated and what may still be calling for support.

These screenings are especially supportive for:

Waldorf Schools and/or Waldorf-Inspired programs

These screenings provide holistic, non-diagnostic insight about how your child learns, where they might need support, and what is going well. Parents receive a detailed report aligned with their homeschooling philosophy that includes ideas for home and as well as referrals to other providers that can strengthen your home education environment and empower you as your child’s teacher.

These holistic screenings, often only available in the Waldorf setting, are available to all families seeking more insight into their child. Parents are offered a snapshot into their child’s development that can support teachers, parenting strategies, and referral networks to uplift a child’s development so they might reach their highest potential.

Parents with Questions about their Child’s Development

I welcome a select number of Waldorf schools and programs each year to offer on-site screening services.

Homeschooling Families

Types of Screenings

  • As the first seven-year cycle completes, this is an ideal time to check in on how early foundations of movement, senses, and body awareness have developed. Around six and seven, major changes in the brain and body occur. A screening helps identify where support may strengthen this foundation before the child enters the next phase of growth and learning.

    Price: $275

  • These bridge years mark the shift from early childhood toward the sense of individuality that occurs around age 9. As children enter the time of more intentional academia, screenings not only show how well the body and senses are functioning, but also offer insight into emerging learning patterns.

    Price: $300

  • By this age, children have often developed sophisticated ways of working around underlying challenges. A screening helps bring these patterns to light, showing where support can bring more balance, ease, and confidence in learning and daily life.

    Price: $325

  • Please inquire via email at ebarstad@tendingthecurrents.com to learn more about school-based screenings.

Sibling discounts are available for families wishing to schedule multiple profiles. The first child (oldest) is full price, the second 15% off with code SIBLING1, and additional siblings are 25% off with code SIBLING2 when scheduled within six months of one another.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out anytime.

Book Screening

  • Required standardized testing for homeschoolers varies by state. These screenings do not replace your state requirements. By nature, standardized testing have all children answer the same questions (standardized) and compare children to other children nationally (holding them to state or country-wide standards). Child Development Profiles are different in their child-centered approach. Children will move through a sequence of activities, varied by age and tailored to the child. This is a human-centered experience, which puts connection, warmth, and a feeling of success at the center.

    Unlike standardized tests, which rarely guide parents on next steps, this screening provides in-depth insight into your child’s development and learning style, along with practical, tailored ideas to enrich your homeschool experience.

  • No. This is a non-diagnostic screening, which means no labels are given. Instead, it highlights areas of strength and areas of development that could benefit from support. I will suggest practical next steps, sometimes that may include a suggestion to see another professional (e.g., occupational therapist, cranial sacral therapist, developmental optometrist. etc.), but you’ll also receive ideas to weave into your home life. Parents ultimately decide the best path forward.

  • You’ll receive the full report by email, and we will schedule a one-on-one consultation (in person or on Zoom) to discuss it, both included in the screening cost.

    Your report includes:

    • Thematic takeaways

    • Screening analysis across eight developmental areas

    • Sensory integration observations

    • Practical suggestions

    • Plus an academic addendum for ages 8+

  • No. These screenings are not covered by insurance.

  • My training in Waldorf Extra Lesson and my relationship to the philosophy informs the screening and my observations. I believe your family and I were meant to meet, and I am honored to play a role in supporting your child’s path.

    The Waldorf screenings are holistic, developmentally appropriate, and meet each child where they are at. Rather than pathologizing, I observe each child respectfully and create connections between a child’s behavior and their story to help weave together an image that the family can move forward with in loving care and best interest.

    The report and recommendations are tailored to your family’s needs and rooted in scientific, evidence based areas of development as well as Waldorf-aligned practices.