Understanding Psychological Testing In Children

There is a considerable amount of interest within pediatrics and pri mary health care that is currently being directed toward the behavioral and emotional problems of childhood. Traditionally, these areas have been emphasized by child psychiatrists, child psychologists, and psy chiatric social workers. Now, however, the detection and, in some cases, the assessment and treatment of children with these types of disturb ances fall within the province of primary child health care profession als. Even when the child psychiatrist or child psychologist provides the primary mental health treatment for the child, specialists such as pediatricians, family physicians, pediatric nurses, pediatric nurse prac titioners, and speech therapists remain instrumental in support of the ongoing psychotherapeutic process as providers of some other aspect of total health care to the child and family. For these pediatricians, family physicians, and other nonpsychol ogist primary health care providers, it is essential to acquire an under standing and effective working knowledge of important psychological information and concepts to utilize within their own framework and professional responsibilities. In order that this may be accomplished, these professionals with limited backgrounds in psychology must better understand how psychologists themselves assess children and how they derive the conclusions reflected in the statements and reports that are shared with members of their own and other disciplines. In short, nonpsychologists must become substantially more familiar with psy chological assessment, particularly with psychological testing and the subsequent reporting of results.

Introductory texts on psychological testing and evaluation historically are not in short supply. Typically, however, such texts have been relatively superficial in their discussion of clinical material and have focused primarily on the theoretical and psychometric properties of indi vidual tests. More practical, clinically relevant presentations of psychological instruments have been confined to individual volumes with advanced and often very technical information geared to the more sophisticated user. Professors in introductory graduate courses are often forced to adopt several advanced texts to cover the material, at the same time helping students wade through unnecessary technical information in order to provide a basic working knowl edge of each test. Understanding Psychological Assessment is an attempt to address these concerns. It brings together into a single volume a broad sampling of the most respected instruments in the psychologist's armamentarium along with promising new tests of cognitive, vocational, and personality functioning. Additionally, it presents the most updated versions of these tests, all in a practical, clearly written format that covers the development, psychometrics, administra tive considerations, and interpretive hypotheses for each instrument. Clinical case studies allow the reader to apply the interpretive guidelines to real clinical data, thereby reinforcing basic understanding of the instrument and helping to insure that both the student and practi tioner can actually begin to use the test. Understanding Psychological Assessment includes cognitive and personality tests for adults, children, and adolescents, as well as chapters on the theory of psychological measurement and integrated report writing.

This handbook surveys clinical and educational considerations related to the foundations, models, special topics, and practice of psychological assessment.

Braaten and Felopulos describe how the evaluation process occurs in children, including the role (if any) that testing plays in diagnosing and devising treatment plans for dyslexia, ADHD, math and reading disorders, autism and Asperger syndrome, depression, anxiety, and other conditions.

The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two disability programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), for disabled individuals, and their dependent family members, who have worked and contributed to the Social Security trust funds, and Supplemental Security Income (SSSI), which is a means-tested program based on income and financial assets for adults aged 65 years or older and disabled adults and children. Both programs require that claimants have a disability and meet specific medical criteria in order to qualify for benefits. SSA establishes the presence of a medically-determined impairment in individuals with mental disorders other than intellectual disability through the use of standard diagnostic criteria, which include symptoms and signs. These impairments are established largely on reports of signs and symptoms of impairment and functional limitation. Psychological Testing in the Service of Disability Determination considers the use of psychological tests in evaluating disability claims submitted to the SSA. This report critically reviews selected psychological tests, including symptom validity tests, that could contribute to SSA disability determinations. The report discusses the possible uses of such tests and their contribution to disability determinations. Psychological Testing in the Service of Disability Determination discusses testing norms, qualifications for administration of tests, administration of tests, and reporting results. The recommendations of this report will help SSA improve the consistency and accuracy of disability determination in certain cases.

This book explains the psychological assessment process and reviews the origins of psychological testing, referral and testing processes, and prominent psychological assessment instruments. Most important, this book details how to evaluate testing data and use them to understand an individual’s needs and to inform interventions and treatments. This book addresses specific domains of psychological assessment, including: · Intelligence and academic achievement. · Speech-language and visual-motor abilities. · Memory, attention/concentration, and executive functioning. · Behavioral and social-emotional functioning. · Developmental status. Practical Guide to Child and Adolescent Psychological Testing is an essential resource for clinicians, primary care providers, and other practitioners as well as researchers, professors, and graduate students in the fields of child, school, and developmental psychology, pediatrics and social work, child and adolescent psychiatry, primary care medicine, and related disciplines.

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The authors present a clear and helpful map to the world of psychological testing that will ease fears and encourage better decision-making among parents and others who care for children and adolescents. "A useful, bolstering resource".--Booklist.

Handbook of Pediatric Psychological Screening and Assessment in Primary Care provides an overview of the principles of screening, monitoring, and measuring of the treatment outcomes of behavioral health disorders in pediatric primary care. The Handbook serves as a guide to the selection of psychometric measures that can be used to screen for and/or assess behavioral health problems of children and adolescents. The Handbook is an invaluable reference to behavioral health clinicans in maximizing potential benefits in efficient assessment and effective treatment of children and adolescents in pediatric primary care settings as well as other health care settings.