Child assessment Flashcards
What is the difference between a learning disorder and a cognitive disability?
Learning disorder: can be helped by tutoring
Cognitive disability: can’t be helped by tutoring
Why should you check that the GP has given you all information and has done all of the physical tests, before starting assessment?
Because if they haven’t you’ll have to wait another two years to assess and the results could be confounded
What are the steps to child assessment?
Clear referral question Hypotheses/ list info you need to find out first Assessment Conclusions Report and provide direction
How long does a clinical interview with parents usually take?
2 hours
What are you testing in assessment?
behavioural, emotional and cognitive markers
How should feedback be given to parents?
Discussion and then written report
What are the 3 MAIN STAGES after getting a referral and what should be considered?
Gathering info
Assessing
Feedback
Who is involved?/ What adjustments need to be made because of family/ subject/ difficulties etc.?
An ideal referral will have?
Guide to: Area needing to be assessed Possible problem Type of info they want back Relevant background info
What are some reasons a GP wouldn’t give you enough information in a referral?
- they doesn’t agree with parents
- they don’t want it written down on record / don’t want parents to see it
- they didn’t know/ don’t understand psych assessment
- parents won’t allow giving of confidential information
Where should you gather extra information other than from the GP?
- parents
- teachers
- nanny
- grandparents
- other people around
- the child
Why should you gather information on how the child is like from multiple people?
They may be different in different settings and around different people = indication of global functioning
When you gather information from multiple people/ environments what should you do?
Track where/ who you got it from
How would toy selection be different in the clinic vs their home?
Given vs selecting
Who should you invite to the first meeting?
Uder 12: only parents
Over 12: both (also ask them to explain to the child so no shock)
What should you envisage to do if the parent is busy on the day of the meeting?
Reschedule
or
Call them
What types of information should you gather?
Presenting
Precipitating
Predisposing
What is presenting information?
Immediate concerns at exactly that moment in time… e.g. I have noticed/ been concerned with
What is precipitating information?
Changes in lifestyle / triggers
Fluctuations in how bad / in environment?
What is a genogram?
a pictorial display of a person’s family relationships and medical history
What is predisposing information?
Family history
Birth
Milestones/ developmental markers
(things that increase vulnerability)
What does red symbolise in a genogram?
Cognitive disabilities
What does a dotted line around some shapes mean in a genogram?
Live in the same house
What is a normal structure in a genogram?
Man and woman on top of line
Children below line
What is most important when working with a child?
Engaging them
What is a child assessment for emotion?
Multidimensional Anxiety Scale (MASC-2-SR)
Revised CMAS-2
BDI (beck depression)
CDI (depression)
What is a child assessment for behaviour?
Achenbach Child Behaviour checklist (for parent and teachers)
Adaptive behaviour assessment system (parent and teacher)
What is a child assessment for cognition?
TMT (Trail.... executive function) Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) Test of Everyday Attention Connor Continuous Performance Test 2 WISC WPPSI IV WIAT WRAT
What does WPPSI stand for?
Weschler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence
How does assessment change if a child is being assessed for giftedness vs. learning disability?
If on age border give gifted student WISC or WAIS
If on age border give lower student WPPSI or WISC
What do the WIPPSI and the WISC tap into?
Intelligence independent from academic schooling
What do the WIAT and the WRAT tap into?
School intelligence
If a child was found to have average intelligence on the WISC but high intelligence on the WIAT what could this lead to?
Burn out … e.g. they’re only of average intelligence but they work hard at school
What do the WRAT scales measure?
reading
comprehension
spelling
arithmetic
What do the WIAT and the WRAT stand for?
WIAT: Weschler Individual Achievement Test
WRAT: Wide Range Achievement Test
What is the difference between aptitude and achievement?
Aptitude: Projected potential intelligence
Achievement: Current abilities
If a discrepancy is found between the level of achievement one would expect from their general intelligence level and a particular area (e.g., reading) what could be determined?
learning disability
You should be worried if at 0-4 months a baby is?
- floppy or stiff
- not responding to or making sounds
- not showing interest/ responding
You should be worried if at 5-8 months a baby is?
- not learning to roll
- not babbling
- not playing with feet/swapping objects between hands
You should be worried if at 9-12 months a baby is?
- not beginning to sit, crawl, or pull to stand
- not holding toys
- not learning to eat solids
You should be worried if at 1-2 years a child is?
- not using words or actions to communicate
- not wanting to move
- not seeking attention
You should be worried if at 2-3 years a child is?
- not playing, eating
- falling a lot
- hard to use small objects
- not understanding simple instructions
- not joining words
You should be worried if at 3-5 years a child is?
- not understood / speech fluency problems
- not able to go to the toilet or wash him/herself
What could some issues be with child assessment?
No clear treatment Need skills to work with children Learning exposure Stressful on kids Validity
Why should you assess children if you suspect something?
Early intervention: plasticity
What model do we use when hypothesising?
Biopsychosocial model
