Psychological Assessments
Psychological assessments offer an overview of an individual's cognitive, emotional, and psychological states, including their strengths, weaknesses, deficits, and available resources. They provide dynamic insights into an individual's internal states, offering crucial information for diagnosis, potential interventions, and prognosis. (Wright, 2011).
There are six major processes that make up a psychological assessment:
- Conducting a clinical interview
- Choosing a battery of tests
- Administering, scoring, and interpreting tests
- Integrating and conceptualizing information gathered from test results, the clinical interview, behavioral observations, and other sources
- Writing a psychological report
- Providing feedback to the individual assessed and/or the referral source
Example:
Maya, an 8-year-old, is a bright and creative child. However, her teacher has recently observed difficulties with her focus in class. During reading time, she often leaves her seat and calls out
answers without permission. Additionally, Maya consistently struggles to complete assignments on time. Her parents describe her home behavior as "always on the go" and easily distracted; for example, she might start cleaning her room but get sidetracked by toys. Her teacher suggests an ADHD assessment may be beneficial to understand how to best support Maya. The process included:
Parent and teacher questionnaires to gather observations across settings.
A clinical interview with Maya’s parents about her developmental history and behavior patterns.
Standardized behavior checklists to measure attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.
Cognitive tasks that assess working memory, attention span, and problem-solving.
This is to understand Maya’s strengths, challenges, and whether her behaviors fit the ADHD profile or might be explained by something else (such as anxiety, learning difficulties, autism, developmental delays, or family stress).
References: Wright, A. J., & ProQuest (Firm). (2011). Conducting psychological assessments [electronic resource] : a guide for practitioners / A. Jordan Wright. Wiley.