PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS AS PART OF SPECIAL

EDUCATION ELIGIBILITYLori Anselmo, MA, CAGS, NCSPLauren Schnare Mahoney, EdS,

NCSP

How Does It All Work?

Let’s Start At The Beginning…

Assessment begins with the referral Referral is a request for evaluation

Who Can Make a Referral?

Parent School Staff (i.e. STAT) Outside provider (e.g. physician,

therapist, early intervention) Private School

Or As It’s Stated In MA Regulations…

“A student may be referred for an evaluation by a parent or any person in a caregiving or

professional position concerned with the student’s

development.”

What is the Referral Question?

Why is the student being referred? What are the concerns for the child?

The Referral Question Gives Us Answers!

The referral question helps us answer other questions, such as… What areas of functioning should be assessed? What types of assessments should we use?

Based on the referral question, we generate the evaluation consent form May include OT, PT, SLP Usually includes Academic Achievement

The Information You Provide is Important!

When discussing a referral with the school psychologist, whether it was a parent referral or not, we want to hear your concerns

Don’t hold back! You know your child better than anyone. Share what you know about him/her.

Psychological Testing

Often includes cognitive assessment May include:

Social/emotional/behavioral assessment Attention and executive functioning

assessment

Multiple Data Sources

Observation Record review Interviews Direct assessment Rating scales Work samples Grades Classroom based assessments Standardized assessments such as MCAS Private evaluations

Cognitive Assessment

Cognition: the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. Intelligence Information Processing

Areas of Cognition

Working memory Verbal reasoning/comprehension Fluid reasoning Visual processing Processing speed Long-term memory

Common Cognitive Assessments

WISC-V WAIS-IV WPPSI-III WJ-IV SB-5 UNIT TONI KABC-II

Executive Functioning

Brain functions that activate, organize, and manage other functions

Areas of Executive Functioning

Impulse control Shifting attention Emotional control Initiation Working memory Organizing materials Planning Self-monitoring

Common Executive Functioning Assessments

DKEFS NEPSY-2 BRIEF BASC-2

Social/Emotional/Behavioral Functioning

Emotional Well-Being Social Skills Externalizing and Internalizing Problems Adaptive Behavior

Common Social/Emotional/Behavioral Assessments

Rating Scales BASC-2 SSIS SCARED Piers-Harris

Projectives TAT Roberts Sentence Completion Rorschach Human Figure Drawings

Adaptive Behavior Vineland-II

How Tests are Chosen

Referral information Record Review Observation Interviews A wider battery may be chosen even

when the concern is narrow Patterns of strengths and weaknesses emerge Give us a sense of where to delve deeper

What Does Testing Look Like for Your Child?

1-on-1, Interactive During school day May miss class – Coordinated with

teachers

Introductions

Examiner introduces herself Gives a developmentally appropriate

explanation of the process Confidentiality is discussed A Key Point: The student is NOT expected

to know every answer!

Rapport-Building

We are trying to get best performance from students

To that end, we try to create a relaxed, friendly atmosphere

It is OK for examinees to ask questions We look for signs of fatigue or distress

and offer breaks or discontinue testing as needed

Developmentally appropriate reinforcers may be given

Types of Tasks

Working with manipulatives (e.g. blocks, puzzles, tangrams)

Answering oral questions Repeating information back to the

examiner Analyzing picture problems Timed tasks Completing rating scales Projective measures

Relationship to Other Evaluations

Academic Speech and Language Occupational Therapy

Communicating Findings

Reports sent two days in advance of eligibility meeting

Psychologists will offer to speak to parents about the report advance of meeting

Reporting on findings at meeting

Psychological Assessments Inform the IEP

Disability classification and description Accommodations and modifications Related services Service Delivery Objectives Placement

Your Friendly Neighborhood School Psychologists…

Lori Anselmo 978-779-0539 ext 3050 Bethany Bressette 978-779-0539 ext

3052 Sally Martin 978-779-0539 ext 3043 Michael Pease 978-779-0539 ext 3053 Lauren Schnare Mahoney 978-779-2257

ext 4273 http://www.nrsd.net/staff_directory/

special_education/

We look forward to working with you to learn more about how your child

learns best!