I find the idea of "measuring or assessing" a child to be an odd idea. How can we find a means to qualify that measurement? The whole child, including all dimensions, is unmeasurable. It is quite possibly where we start to construct those labels. There are no two alike. There are no ways to measure the child. However we need to classify, identify, study, observe and understand them. 
When a child comes into care we do an assessment of sorts. It is from the CDC. It is a developmental milestone type chart. It would alert to something that wasn't on target. It wouldn't necessarily mean a problem but just make the parent aware. This is fine but if we are trying to deconstruct labeling how do we make sure we are identifying and not labeling? Maybe this is where it should end in the early years? How many parents have worried needlessly because their child didn't speak or walk on target? Why can't we just allow the child to ...be. I do believe there are necessary things to look for if there is delay. 
In a perfect world assessments would come from the parent: 

Can he grasp a rattle?
Can he stand while assisted? 
Can he roll a ball? 

We assess our children everyday. We encourage, watch, motivate, pressure, teach our children the next thing they need to do from birth. Our social impact on them exerts that force on them to "learn the next thing" therefore we are constantly informally assessing our own children. 

When the child reaches school age they are forced to be assessed by standardized tools. Some children never really reflect their full potential on those test. The side note on these is another way to label a child, not only for the parent but for the teachers. The young boy that scores low all his life affecting his self esteem and killing all motivation to pursue any type of higher education has probably been affected by the continual assessment and testing that he consistently falls short. He might become the very best mechanic though. 

The Western worlds assessment tools can not be transferred to the rural parts of Africa.
The same tools used here would prove fruitless. (Again, how can we ever find a tool to assess adequately the gifts and dimensions of a child?)The MDAT (Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool) is being used with good results in the rural parts of Africa. It isn't used as we would use a typical assessment tool. It is used more for a research tool. 

As I grow in knowledge I will further develop my philosophy on this sensitive topic.

Reference List

Gladstone, M. (2010) The Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool

The Creation, Validation, and Reliability of a Tool to Assess Child Development in Rural African Settings

retrieved from the web:http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000273