PSM-202: Applied Psychological Assessment

Unit 4- Application of Psychological Tests:

“Testing and Assessment in Various Setting”

by
Dr. Ved Prakash Rawat
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Vasanta College For Women
Admitted to Privileges of Banaras Hindu University
Rajghat Fort, Varanasi.
Testing and Assessment in Various Settings
• Psychological testing and Assessment covers a
number of different areas:
– Mental health assessment
– Adaptive behavior assessments
– Aptitude testing
– Cognitive testing
– Forensic psychological testing
– Neuropsychological testing
– Personality assessment
1-Assessment in Educational setting
2- Assessment in Guidance and Counselling setting
3-Assessment in Clinical setting
4-Assessment in Organizational setting
5- Assessment in Developmental settings
Assessment in Educational
Settings
1-Assessment in Educational Settings
• Everyday, educators make important
individual, school, district, and state decisions
based on the results of psychological tests.
• Educational testing is conducted to test how
much an individual has progressed in learning
a specific subject—like mathematics, reading
comprehension—to identify any difficulties
they may have had in it.
• Educational Assessment helps to identify the
strengths and weaknesses of a learner, as well
as their personal learning style.
1-Assessment in Educational Settings
• It is also known as educational evaluation, It is
the systematic process of finding out about a
student's knowledge, experience, skills, and
beliefs using empirical data.
• Assessments are undertaken by Educational
Psychologists who have trained to conduct and
interpret specific tests and advise on
interventions.
• Psychologists work under strict guidelines and a
Code of Ethics, and access to many tests is
restricted to those who are qualified to use them.
1-Assessment in Educational Settings
• The ultimate goal is to quantify and document
how much a student knows.
• Educational evaluation can happen both online
and offline.
• There are different ways to carry out
educational assessments.
– For Example-Achievement tests are the
examinations that students take in schools and
colleges.
Educational tests are used for a wide variety
of purposes, including:

– Placing students in appropriate educational programs,

– Diagnosing students‘ strengths and weaknesses,
– Certifying competence in specific knowledge and skill
areas,
– Selecting students for admission, and testing for the
knowledge and skills required in licensure and
certification testing.
 Types of Decisions Made by Educational
Institutions Based on Psychological Tests
– Instructional Decisions,
– Grading Decisions,
– Diagnostic Decisions,
– Selection Decisions,
– Placement Decisions,
– Counselling and Guidance Decisions
– Program and Curriculum Decisions,
– Administrative Policy Decisions
Types of Educational Assessment
• A- Alternative Assessment
• B- Authentic Assessment
• C- Summative Assessment
• D- Formative Assessment
• E- Pre-Assessment
• F- Performance Assessment
• G- Portfolio-based Assessment
• H- Diagnostic Assessment
 A- Alternative Assessment
वैकल्पिक मप
ू ्यांकन
• Alternative assessment is an evaluation
method that measures a student's ability based
on how they use newly-acquired knowledge to
execute tasks.
• Common alternative assessment methods
include asking students to create concept
maps, write reports or partake in
collaborative testing.
 B- Authentic Assessment
प्रयमयणिक मपू ्यांकन
• This is a realistic method of evaluation that places
students in complex, real-life situations and asks
them to use their knowledge to resolve them.
• Unlike traditional assessment methods that focus
just on the students' performance, authentic
assessment is all about using one's knowledge to
solve real-life tasks.
• Students find authentic assessments more
interesting because they involve real-life contexts
they can relate to.
 B- Authentic Assessment
प्रयमयणिक मप
ू ्यांकन
• Authentic assessment is a two-way street.
– On one hand, it helps students to improve their
skills and
– on the other hand, it evaluates how much a
student knows in real-life contexts.
• As part of authentic assessment, students may
be asked to develop a business plan for an
existing organization or troubleshoot a
problem.
 C- Summative Assessment
सयरयांशित मप
ू ्यांकन
• Summative evaluation is the most common
method of classroom assessment.
• This method of evaluation involves using a
standard to grade a students' performance at the
end of a training course, or program.
• In summative assessment, the instructor compares
what the student knows with what was taught, and
uses the result to determine whether they move to
the next level of a course.
• Summative evaluation monitors the student's
performance against expected learning outcomes.
 C- Summative Assessment
सयरयांशित मूप्यांकन
• Validity, reliability, and practicality are the
most common features of summative
assessment.
• Examples of summative assessment include
end-of-term examinations, standardized tests,
and creative portfolios.
• These high-stake methods produce results that
define a learner's progress.
 D- Formative Assessment
रचनयत्मक आकलन
• Formative assessment is an on-going
educational evaluation method where the
instructor assesses a student's knowledge
during the learning process.
• It allows the instructor to keenly monitor
learner's progress as they move from one
learning phase to another.
• Formative assessment does not compare
students' performance against some standard.
 D- Formative Assessment
रचनयत्मक आकलन
• Formative assessment outcomes are non-graded
and this means they do not produce results that
define the learner's performance.
• As part of formative assessment, the instructor
can ask students to respond to unprepared
quizzes at the end of a lesson.
• Interviews, and focus groups are other popular
examples of formative assessment.
 E- Pre-Assessment
िव
ू व आकलन
• Before students start a new course or training, the
instructor can administer a short assessment to find
out how much they already know about the topic.
• This process of evaluation is known as pre-
assessment.
• With the pre-assessment results, the teacher can
adjust the learning curriculum to meet the students'
needs.
• It allows the instructor to see things from the
student's perspective and to adjust the course content
to serve students effectively.
 E- Pre-Assessment
िव
ू व आकलन
• If the teacher spend time repeating information
that students already know, they can lose interest
in the program, class, or training entirely. The
teacher will also be wasting time that can be used
for relevant knowledge impartation.
• There are different ways to conduct pre-
assessment during a program.
• For instance, the teacher can ask students to share
their thoughts about the new subject matter in a
brief class discussion.
• Portfolio analysis, surveys, questionnaires, and
concept maps are other ways to better understand
what the learners already know.
 F- Performance Assessment
ननष्ियदनआांकलन
• Performance-based assessments ask students
to show how much they have learned rather
than providing responses that simply tell the
instructor what they know.
• In many instances, instructors use this as an
alternative to summative evaluation.
• Performance assessments allow students to
own the overall evaluation process and it
transforms them into active participants.
 F- Performance Assessment
ननष्ियदनआांकलन
• By allowing the students to demonstrate their
knowledge, performance assessments boost
critical thinking and sharpen the students'
analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and
communication skills.
• All authentic assessment methods are
performance-based.
• Examples of tasks that allow students to
demonstrate their knowledge include individual
and group presentations, creative portfolios,
journals and projects, and public speaking
contests.


 G- Portfolio-based Assessment
ववद््यर्थव्ों द्वयरय सम्िन्न कय्ों कय
उद्देश््िि
ू व व््वल्थथत सांकलन मप
ू ्यांकन
• In a portfolio-based assessment, the instructor
asks students to submit a portfolio that details
how much they have learned and the different
projects they have worked on during the course.
• The instructor goes on to assess this portfolio to
grade the student's knowledge and performance.
• A portfolio-based assessment allows students to
show what they have learned outside the strict
parameters of traditional assessment methods.
 H- Diagnostic Assessment
नैदयननक ​मूप्यांकन
• A diagnostic assessment is a method of educational
evaluation that instructors use to find out how much a
student knows about a topic.
• It happens before a new training, course, or lesson, and it
helps the teacher to kickstart teaching and learning on the
right note.
• Diagnostic assessments are quite similar to formative
evaluation methods.
• However, the big difference is while formative
assessment happens as learning takes place, diagnostic
evaluation analyses what students have learned in the past.
• It sets the mood for learning by creating knowledge
expectations.
 Advantages of Educational Assessment
• Educational assessment helps the instructor to
track student's performance and progress
before, during, and after learning.
• Educational assessment allows the teacher to
create unique evaluation parameters that suit
the needs and experiences of different
learners.
• It gives the teacher a bird‘ eye view of the
overall teaching and learning process.
 Advantages of Educational Assessment
• Results from educational assessment go a long
way to improve the learning curriculum and
teaching methods in schools.
• A well-designed educational assessment method
converts students into active participants in the
learning process.
• It empowers students to demonstrate their
knowledge and conduct self-evaluation.
• Educational assessment helps the teacher to know
how well the students understand a specific
concept or the entire course material.
Assessment in Guidance and
Counselling Settings
 2- Assessment in Guidance & Counselling
Settings
There are various assessment techniques in
counselling and guidance.
Interview, case study and psychological testing
are popularly used for assessment of the client.
These techniques enable the counselor to obtain
specific information and to explore behaviour or
responses in depth.
Depending upon the purpose the most appropriate
type of interview is selected.
Assessment in Guidance & Counselling Settings
In counseling all forms of interview are used.
Psychological testing is objective measure which
is used to assess the client.
To measure personality, aptitude, intelligence,
and interest etc. psychological tests are used.
All these tools help the counselor in diagnosing
the client‘s problem.
Assessment in Guidance & Counselling Settings
 Interview, Case History Interview, Mental Status
Examinations, Psychological Examination and
psychological testing are most popular tools which is
used in Guidance and Counselling Settings.
 Psychological testing (Intelligence, Aptitude,
Attitude, Interest, Personality Testing):
Observation, Self Ratings and Personality Inventories,
Checklists, Rating Scales, Situational Tests or
Behavioural Tests, Autobiography, The Daily Diary,
Values, and Projective Techniques/Test - Rorschack
Test, Thematic Apperception Test: Children
Apperception T, RPFS- Rosenzwig Picture Frustration
Study, RATC-Roberts Apperception test for Children;
SCT-Sentence Completion Test, DAP-Draw a
Person Test.
 A-INTERVIEW
• The interview remains one of the most
prevalent devices in clinical, industrial,
counseling agencies, schools and correctional
settings.
• ―Interview is a method for gathering data or
information about individual‖ (Kaplan &
Saccuzzo, 2005).
• Thus interview is conversation with a purpose.
• Although there are many types and purposes of
interview, all share certain factors.
 Types of Interview
• a) Structured Interviews
• b) Unstructured interviews
• c) Semi-Structured Interview
• Types of Questions in Interview
• Open Ended
• Close Ended
 B-CASE HISTORY INTERVIEWS
• This is type of structured interview with the focus of
getting the details of the client‘s life.
• History taking is important for diagnosis and
therapy.
• Case history taking, details about demographic
information such as name, age, gender, residential
address, education, occupation, marital status etc.
are taken in detail.
• All these information may not seem quite useful at
face value, but with increasing experience we
understand that this information can be used later for
the management of the case.
 C-Mental Status Examination
• The mental status examination (MSE) has been used
predominantly in psychiatry, clinical psychology,
and psychiatric social work for several decades, but
is being increasingly used by counselors in work
settings requiring assessment, diagnosis, and
treatment of mental disorders.
• The MSE is used to obtain information about the
client‘s level of functioning and self-presentation.
• Behaviour: The behaviour of the client, if it is age
appropriate or not. How does the client behave with
the examiner? What is his attitude towards the
examiner? These are all the points that are included
under this heading. •.
 C-Mental Status Examination
• Thoughts: The thoughts are significant in two
important ways. One is assessment of these will tell
us more about the personality of the person. Second
and very important is that it will also tell us if the
person has any disorder of thoughts.
• Speech: This is related to the quality of speech of the
client. The volume tone and other things are good
parameters of the speech quality.
• Perception: These are related to all the five senses
of the person. Questions regarding this tell us if the
person has any illusion or hallucination. This will tell
us about the intensity of the problem the client is
facing.
 Psychological Examination

• Integrated Note (with theoretical base): This is

the summary of the interview, Case History
Interview, Mental Status Examination, that is
conducted by the Counsellor or clinician so far.
This leads to a diagnosis. These are usually the
positive findings that support the diagnosis.
Assessment in Clinical Settings/
Clinical Assessment
 Assessment in Clinical Settings/
Clinical Assessment
• Clinical assessment refers to collecting information and
drawing conclusions through the use of observation,
psychological tests, neurological tests, and interviews to
determine what the person‘s problem is and what symptoms
he/she is presenting with.
• This collection of information involves learning about the
client‘s skills, abilities, personality characteristics,
cognitive and emotional functioning, social context (e.g.,
environmental stressors), and cultural factors particular to
them such as their language or ethnicity.
• Clinical assessment is not just conducted at the beginning
of the process of seeking help but all throughout the
process. Why is that?
 Why is that?
• First, we need to determine if a treatment is even
needed. By having a clear accounting of the person‘s
symptoms and how they affect daily functioning we
can determine to what extent the individual is
adversely affected.
• Second reason to engage in clinical assessment is to
determine what treatment will work best. As we
know that there are numerous approaches to
treatment.
– These include Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Therapy,
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Humanistic-
Experiential Therapies, Psychodynamic Therapies,
Couples and Family Therapy, and biological treatments
(e.g., psychopharmacology).
 Why is that?
• Of course, for any mental disorder, some of the
aforementioned therapies will have greater efficacy
than others.
• Even if several can work well, it does not mean a
particular therapy will work well for that specific
client.
• Assessment can help the clinician figure this out.
• Finally, we need to know if the treatment worked.
This will involve measuring symptoms and behavior
before any treatment is used and then measuring
symptoms and behavior while the treatment is in
place.
 Assessment Technique in Clinical
Settings
• There are four ways to gain information about another
person-
– Ask the person himself (interview)
– Ask someone who knows the person
– Observe the person as he behaves Naturally
– Observe the person in Standardized Test
Situations
 Methods
in
Clinical Assessment

• The Clinical Interview

• Psychological Tests and Inventories
• Neurological Tests
• Physical Examination
• Behavioral Assessment
• Intelligence Tests
 1-The Clinical Interview
• A clinical interview is a face-to-face encounter
between a mental health professional and a patient in
which the former observes the latter and gathers data
about the person‘s behavior, attitudes, current
situation, personality, and life history.

• The interview may be-

– unstructured,
– structured or
– semi-structured,
 The Clinical Interview
• A mental status examination is used to organize the
information collected during the interview and to
systematically evaluate the client through a series of
observations and questions
– Assessing appearance and behavior (e.g., grooming and
body language),
– Thought processes and content (e.g., disorganized speech
or thought and false beliefs),
– Mood and affect (e.g., hopelessness or elation),
– Intellectual functioning (e.g., speech and memory),
– and Awareness of surroundings (e.g., does the client
know where he/she is, when it is, and who he/she is?).
• The limitation of the interview is that it lacks
reliability, especially in the case of the unstructured
interview.
 2-Psychological Tests and Inventories
• Psychological tests are used to assess the client‘s
personality, social skills, cognitive abilities,
emotions, behavioral responses, or interests and can
be administered either individually or to groups.
• Projective tests consist of simple ambiguous stimuli
that can elicit an unlimited number of responses.
They include the Rorschach test or inkblot test and
the Thematic Apperception Test.
• Another projective test is the sentence completion
test and asks individuals to finish an incomplete
sentence. Examples include ‗My mother‘ …. or ‗I
hope.‘
 2-Psychological Tests and Inventories
• Personality inventories ask clients to state whether
each item in a long list of statements applies to them,
and could ask about feelings, behaviors, or beliefs.
• Examples include the MMPI or Minnesota
Multiphasic Personality Inventory and the NEO-PI-R
which is a concise measure of the five major
domains of personality – Neuroticism, Extroversion,
Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness.
• These inventories have the advantage of being easy
to administer by either a professional or the
individual taking it, are standardized, objectively
scored, and are completed either on the computer or
through paper and pencil.
 3-Neurological Tests
• Neurological tests are also used to diagnose cognitive impairments caused by
brain damage due to tumors, infections, or head injury; or changes in brain
activity.
• Positron Emission Tomography or PET is used to study the brain‘s
functioning. Patients then lie on a scanning table while a ring-shaped machine is
positioned over their head. Images are produced that yield information about the
functioning of the brain.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI produces 3D images of the brain or
other body structures using magnetic fields and computers. They are used to
detect structural abnormalities such as brain and spinal cord tumors or nervous
system disorders such as multiple sclerosis.
• Finally, computed tomography or the CT scan involves taking X-rays of the
brain at different angles that are then combined. They are used to detect
structural abnormalities such as brain tumors and brain damage caused by head
injuries.
 4-Physical Examination
• Many mental health professionals recommend
the patient see their family physician for a
physical examination which is much like a
check-up.
• Why is that?
• Some organic conditions, such as
hyperthyroidism or hormonal irregularities,
manifest behavioral symptoms that are similar
to mental disorders and so ruling such
conditions out can save costly therapy or
surgery.
 5-Behavioral Assessment
• Behavioral assessment provides information that
typically cannot be obtained from traditional
assessment.
• But it can be done with the help of effective
remedial strategies and interventions for problems
exhibited by clinical patients.
• Nelson & Hayes (1979) have suggested that
Behavioral assessment is the identification and
measurement of meaningful response of units
including
• overt behavior
• feelings
• Cognitions
 Methods of Behavioral Assessment

• Behavioral Observation
• Behavioural Rating Scales
• Behavioural Checklists
• Psychophysiological Assessment
• Self-Monitoring
• Self-Report Instruments
 6-Intelligence Tests
• Intelligence testing is occasionally used to determine
the client‘s level of cognitive functioning.
• Intelligence testing consists of a series of tasks asking
the patient to use both verbal and nonverbal skills.
• An example is the Stanford-Binet Intelligence
test which is used to assess fluid reasoning,
knowledge, quantitative reasoning, visual-spatial
processing and working memory.
• These tests are rather time-consuming and require
specialized training to administer.
• As such, they are typically only used in cases where
there is a suspected cognitive disorder or intellectual
disability.
Assessment in Organizational
Settings
 Definition of OA
• An organizational assessment is defined as a
process undertaken systematically to obtain valid
and fruitful information about
organizational Performance and the factors that
have a hand in affecting that performance.
• Organizational assessment is essential as it helps
to identify the areas of competence, possible
risks, areas that need improvement and that
need decisions about restructuring and further
investments.
Meaning of Organizational Assessment
• The organizational assessment aims to understand
and identify the performance of an organization
and not a policy or a project.
• It is an essential tool that answers the
fundamental questions about how the
organization is doing, what things it is good at,
and why it is not able to achieve as per its set
standards.
• The organizational assessment identifies the
strengths and weaknesses of an organization, and
hence it is essential to undertake this process at
periodic levels.
What is an Organizational Assessment?

• This is a planned systematic review of an

organization‘s processes, work environment, and
organizational structure.
• The organizational assessment process guides the
development of recommendations and action
plans to support achievement of organizational
objectives.
What Is a Psychological Test for Employment?
• Many local and international companies in both
the private and public sector use pre-employment
tests, as well as tests within their workforce as
well, often a psychological test for employment,
such as aptitude and personality tests, says the
Institute of Psychometric Coaching.
• According to the Institute: "These tests are as
the most effective method to measure (a
candidate's) ‗fit‘, or match, for a position (they)
apply for.
• These tests tell employers what they need to
know, not just what (the job applicant) wants to
share with them."
 What Is a Psychological Test for
Employment?
• From an employer's perspective, or from the
perspective of a small business owner or manager, a
psychological test for employment can help
determine whether a job applicant will make a
good addition to the company.
• Hiring an employee can be an expensive process for
a small business, and hiring the wrong employee can
be a disaster.
• Employers also administer these psychological tests
to employees who are already part of the company
workforce.
 What Is a Psychological Test for
Employment?
• A psychological test for employment gives the business
owner a chance to determine, as the Institute notes, whether
the applicant is a good fit for the company.
• Does he have the right temperament or aptitude?
• Does he have the mental attitude to do a competent job for
the company?
• There are various types of psychological assessments to
help answer these questions before a company hires a new
employee.
• A psychological test administered to workers who
are already employed at a company helps employers to no
only foster better communication among employees but
also determine which employees to promote and to what
positions, as well as what teams to place them on.
 PURPOSES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS
In Organizational Settings
• By and large, psychological tests serve two purposes: (i)
Selection and (ii) Placement.
• Selection- It is concerned with determining what kind of person is
suitable for a particular job; the emphasis is on the job itself and to
select from among many applicants the ones who will succeed on
that job. The test scores obtained by the individual candidate
clearly gives the suitability of the person for the concerned job.
• Placement- Here the emphasis is on the individual. The problem
is to find the right kind of job for a particular person. This process
is generally aided by a vocational or guidance counsellor who
attempts to diagnose an individual‘s capabilities to suggest the
work in which he or she is most likely to accomplish success.
• Both functions involve making a prediction about an individual‘s
future behaviour or performance and for that the same kinds of
tests are used for both purposes while the difference lies in how
the results are applied.
 The Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology
• The Society for Industrial and Organizational
Psychology — better known as SIOP — says that
there are hundreds of psychological tests available to
help employers in making decisions.
• But there are, essentially, just three different types of
psychological tests used in the workplace.
– Once you know what types of psychological tests are
available, and best for your business,
– or more specifically what types of psychological tests for
an industrial setting or psychological test for employment
are best suited for a small business,
– choosing the right one will be immeasurably easier.
 What Are the Different Types of Psychological Tests
for the Workplace?
• Often called a pre-employment test, a
psychological test for employment is a type of
psychological assessment.
• According to SIOP, all types of psychological
tests or all types of psychological tests for an
industrial setting boil down to three areas:
• Biographical data instruments
• Cognitive ability tests
• Personality tests
 Biographical Data Instruments
• Biographical data instruments, which often
seek information on a candidate's leadership and
teamwork skills, interpersonal skills, extraversion,
and creativity through the use of questions about
education, training, work experience, and interests
to predict success on the job.
• "Some biographical data instruments also ask
about an individual's attitudes, personal
assessments of skills, and personality," says
SIOP.
 Cognitive Ability Tests
• Cognitive ability tests, also called aptitude
tests, which typically use questions or problems
to measure a candidate's ability to learn quickly,
and use logic, reasoning, reading comprehension
and other mental abilities that are important for
success in many different jobs.
• These tests "assess a person's aptitude or potential
to solve job-related problems by providing
information about their mental abilities," says
SIOP.
 Personality tests
• Personality tests, which try to measure a person's
extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to new
experiences, optimism, agreeableness, service
orientation, stress tolerance, emotional stability, and
initiative or proactivity.
• "Personality tests typically measure traits related to
behavior at work, interpersonal interactions, and
satisfaction with different aspects of work," says
SIOP.
– Note:--The psychological tests for the workplace may go
by various names, and some tests may combine elements
from one or more of the above-listed types of tests, but
most types of psychological assessments or types of
workplace assessments fall into these categories.
Some others famous Psychological Tests that is Used
by Companies, Industries and Organizations

• The types of psychological assessments

companies can and should use fall into five
types of tests.
– Myers Briggs
– Big Five
– Occupational Interest Inventories
– Disc Behavior Inventory
– Situation Judgement Tests
Assessment in Developmental
Settings
 Developmental Assessment
• Developmental assessment is the process of
mapping a child's performance compared with
children of similar age.
• The comparison group is obtained from a
representative sample of the population that the child
comes from.
• Developmental assessment is made in four broad
areas during early childhood: physical or
physiologic, neurodevelopmental, cognitive, and
psychosocial.
• This area comprises the changes in physical size,
shape, and function that come with age.
 Developmental Assessment
• Developmental assessment aims to determine
and carry out detailed analysis related to
any intellectual or cognitive delay in a child.
• This consists mainly of ascertaining the
amount of impairment in the intellect as well
as in assessing how much impact this can have
on developmental spheres.
 Developmental Assessment
• The main goal of development assessment is to
evaluate and identify the crucial aspects relating
to a child such as the strengths and challenges
that arise in various spheres of influences.
• This includes cognitive, social, linguistic,
emotional, physical development, as well as
numerous adaptive behaviors such as self-care
and self-direction.
• A standard psychometric assessment is also used
to evaluate the development of a child in various
areas.
Purpose of Developmental assessment
• Developmental assessment is used to observe
functional ability in children and to identify any
deviations from the norm.
• It is used to recognize whether or not a disability
may exist and if so, where the specific problem areas
lie.
• Developmental tests provide information regarding
the milestones a child has attained, and can help in
determining the course of intervention to attain
further milestones.
• Results of developmental tests may also be used to
indicate the level of progress achieved after
intervention, and are often used by both clinicians
and researchers.
 Assessment Process in Developmental
Settings
• To accurately identify and diagnose a developmental delay
or disorder, a standardized psychometric assessment is
used to assess various areas of development such as:
• Communication Skill: speaking and listening skills used
to convey messages to others
• Social Skill: skills required to interact and get along with
others, including being emotionally attuned
• Self-care Skill: skills needed for personal care, including
eating, dressing and bathing
• Self-direction Skill: skills needed for independence and
self-control
• Motor Skill: includes both gross motor skills such as
crawling and sitting and fine motor skills such as gripping
and pointing
Measuring Tools for Developmental
Assessment
• Screening tests
• Motor Assessments
• Comprehensive Assessments
 Screening tests
• Screening tests are the most basic form of
developmental assessment tool, and are used to
determine whether or not a concern exists.
• The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) is used
during the first year of life to identify motor delay
and to evaluate maturation over time.
• Fifty-eight items related to posture, movement,
weight, sitting, and standing positions take 10 to 20
minutes to observe.
• Researchers have found predictive validity, and test-
retest reliability of the AIMS to be good.
• In addition, there is high validity with the Peabody
Developmental Motor Scales' gross motor portion.
 Motor Assessments
• The Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) consists
of observation of 28 items and elicitation of 31 items in
infants up to four months of age.
– It is found to be highly sensitive to small changes in
development and valid in measuring behaviors of functional
relevance.
– Test-retest reliability has been found to be high. Administration
takes 25 to 45 minutes.
• The Movement Assessment of Infants (MAI) is a
criterion-referenced test for infants in the first year of life.
– Sixty-five items related to muscle strength/tone,
primitive reflexes, automatic reactions, and volitional
movement, including quality of movement, are assessed.
– Researchers report that test-retest reliability is very good of
MAI.
 Comprehensive Assessments

• In a norm-referenced test, the child's score is

compared to the average of a group of children.
• This average is obtained by collecting scores from
a large population.
• Raw scores on tests often can be converted to age
equivalent scores, standard scores, motor
quotients and percentile rankings.
 Comprehensive Assessments
• Once scores are obtained, they must be analyzed
along with the information gathered during the
interview, history, and observation.
• All of this information may be used to guide
intervention and/or identify areas of progress or
concern.
• Once specific areas of dysfunction are noted,
goals and objectives may be formulated to treat
these areas.
 Developmental Assessments can be
Beneficial in:
• Identifying and diagnosing a global intellectual
delay: This may include determining the severity of
intellectual impairment and evaluating the impact it
is having on meeting developmental milestones.
• Re-administering assessments can also provide a
standardized method to monitor an individual‘s
progress over time.
• Developing individualized management programs:
By identifying a child‘s strengths and weaknesses,
the psychologist can work with parents and teachers
to develop interventions to best accommodate their
learning and developmental needs.
Benefits of Developmental Assessments
• Accessing additional funding: The diagnosis of
a developmental disability can assist with
accessing government funding and school-based
funding to provide the necessary support at home
and school to best accommodate the child‘s needs.
• In combination with cognitive assessments:
Developmental assessments can also be
administered in conjunction with cognitive
assessments to determine whether difficulties in
particular areas can be explained by an intellectual
disability or learning disorder.
THANK YOU