exam 1 assessment Flashcards
common disorders diagnosed in childhood are: ADHD, _____, anxiety disorders, ______, and disruptive ____ disorders
autism spectrum disorders
mood disorders
behavior
Childhood
psychopathology
The study of psychological
and behavioral disorders in
children and adolescents,
specifically while taking into
account developmental
processes and milestones
evidence based clinical assessment
Evidence based psychological assessment is the process in which a clinical psychologist evaluates all aspects of a child’s functioning to determine if the child meets diagnostic criteria for a psychological disorder
prognosis
formulation of predictions about future behavior under specified conditions
ABCs of behavior
antecedent, behavior, and consequence
comorbidity
a co-occuring condition
differential diagnosis
a list of possible conditions that could be causing a patient’s symptoms, and the process of narrowing down the list to identify the correct diagnosis
IDA
Interdisciplinary Assessments
pulling in other specialists to help diagnose disorders
informant
a person telling you observations about a client
discrepancy
different answers from different people
Why can’t you diagnose a disorder based on a diagnostic rating scale?
the person might have misunderstood the questions, it does not take into account cultural contexts, or the person as a whole
clinical interviews
Provide a large amount of
information during a brief period
Include a developmental and family
history
Most interviews are unstructured.
behavioral assessment
Questions asked in clinical interviews that evaluate the child’s thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors in specific settings
Focus on target behaviors and the factors that control
ABCS of behavior used
What makes a
behavior atypical may
be its: ____, intensity, ____, and impairment
frequency
severity
Why is it important to receive information from multiple informants?
One informant may know things that the other does not, the child might not talk to the informant about the issue, the informant may have biases/ a different perspective/ values, etc.
Why can’t you diagnose yourself with a psychological disorder?
you might overlook other symptoms of a different disorder, misdiagnose yourself, participate in harmful “treatments,” cause more psych damage, and it is impossible to be objective with yourself.
What are the differences between a comprehensive psychological assessment versus a diagnosis you receive from a pediatrician or licensed professional counselor?
A comp psych assessment will be much longer, consider all comorbidities, and cross out possibilities of similar disorders in order to make sure of the diagnosis. From a pediatrician or LPC, comorbidities could be missed because it is not as intensive.
How do models and theories help inform psychological assessment?
using a multimethod approach to psychological assessment, multiple theories are offten used. for example, taking genetics into account would be using a neurobio approach, understanding how SES comes into play would be using a BSP approach, and understanding how the client’s emotions come into play would be using a CB approach
Why is the scientific method important in the psychological assessment process?
In psych assessment, you develop a hypothesis and do testing to disprove the hypothesis. Without this, there would be no testing to make sure the diagnosis is correct, and there could also be confirmation bias without testing to disprove the hypothesis.
