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!