Advocacy, Assessment Scores and Self-Confidence

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1 Advocacy, Assessment Scores and Self-Confidence Brendan Pratt, Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist Pediatric Neuropsychologist Specializes in evaluations of children and adolescents

2 Psychological Evaluations Comprehensive Child Evaluations Educational Evaluations Educational Advocacy School Placement Assistance Child and Adolescent Therapy Talk and Play Therapies Support for Parents Behavior Management Social Skills Development Couples and Family Therapy Couples Communication and Intimacy Strengthening Families Reducing Power Struggles Co-Parent Counseling Adult Psychotherapy Strengthening Coping Skills Compassionate and Practical Care Overcoming Anxiety and Depression Adjusting to Life Transitions

3 Little Support for Advocates Public school systems resent advocates, and most private schools provide few services Health insurance will not pay for advocates Parents can be overwhelmed by the role of becoming an advocate Effective advocacy comes from a combination of information, compassion and determination

4 My Role Advocate for one child at a time in my private practice Teach parents to advocate for their own children Lecture professionally about need for advocacy Advocacy is the least profitable and most rewarding part of my job A comprehensive evaluation provides the information a team needs to make educational decisions

5 Good Evaluators Take the time to understand the child s needs Gather information and organize it Document areas of disability and support findings with data Educate the parents and school about the child s needs Make an emotional connection with those helping the child Are not afraid to stand up for the child, but are willing to compromise on less important issues Never give up on the child s core needs Brendan Pratt, Ph.D.,

6 Areas to Evaluate Intelligence Academic Achievement (including speed) Attention and Executive Functions Emotional Functioning Speech and Language Visual and Nonverbal Processing Memory and Learning Sensory and Motor 6

7 Sample Test Battery Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Integrated Visual-Auditory Continuous Performance Test Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery Nelson-Denny / Gray Oral Reading Test Test of Written Language

8 Grade Equivalents Compares child s scores with grade level average 3-4 means third grade, fourth month Easy to understand and match with text books Scores on national scale, and local norms vary Statistically less reliable Cannot compare one test to another Meaningless if child is young or old for grade Difficult with year-round schools or home schools

9 Percentile Ranks Ranks child on scale from 1 to 99 Says relative position compared to peers Easy to understand 70 th percentile Did better than 70 of 99 children Extreme scores can be very distorted Differences in percentile ranks cannot be interpreted Cannot compare scores across tests

10 Standard Scores Nearly every test of intelligence, academic skills, memory, attention, language and motor skills uses the same scale Standard scores are the hardest to understand, but they are the most statistically reliable All tests can be put on the same scale, and valid comparisons can be made across tests 100 is the mean, and 90 to 109 is the average range Compare IQ to specific skill (rough guide): 0-14 points lower than IQ Normal variation points lower than IQ Mild Issue points lower than IQ Moderate Issue 30 or more points lower than IQ Severe Issue 10

11 Standard Scores IQ / SS Percentile Very Superior 130 and above 98 th and above Superior st to 97 th High Average th to 90 th Average th to 74 th Low Average th to 24 th Borderline nd to 8 th Deficient 70 and below 2 nd and below 11

12 Z-Scores Z-Score (Jumps of 15) Standard Score Difference Excellent Strength Greater than Moderate Strength 1.5 to to 30 Mild Strength 1.0 to to 22 Expected Range -1.0 to 1.0 Less than 15 Mildly Low -1.5 to to 22 Moderately Low -2.0 to to 30 Severely Low Below

13 ADHD Test Name SS Z Perceptual Reasoning Spelling Academic Applications Broad Math Full Scale IQ Broad Written Language Total Achievement Broad Reading Academic Fluency Visual Response Consistency Visual Attention Total Auditory Sustained Attention Visual Impulse Control Auditory Attention Total

14 Reading Disorder Test SS Z Matrix Reasoning Broad Math Full Scale IQ Academic Skills Auditory Attention Total Nonword Repetition Broad Written Language Visual Attention Total Auditory Attention Total Reading Rate Rapid Letter Naming Broad Reading Letter-Word Identification Phonological Awareness

15 Using Scores to Justify Services Jennifer reads 120 words per minute, and a child of her age and intelligence should read 250 words per minute. Therefore, she should receive double the standard time on the SAT exam. In contrast with his intelligence at the 91 st percentile, his written language skills are at the 20 th percentile. Therefore, he should be allowed to voice dictate all assignments When her blood glucose level is decreasing, her attention test score drops from 110 to 74 standard score. So, she should have the ability to re-take tests when her levels are out of the target range. 15

16 Evaluating Progress Test Name Progress Verbal Comprehension IQ Adequate Perceptual Reasoning IQ Adequate Working Memory Adequate Processing Speed Adequate Broad Reading Excellent Broad Written Language Excellent Reading Fluency Adequate Auditory Sustained Attention Adequate Reading Rate Adequate Never use grade equivalent scores or percentile ranks to evaluate progress.

17 Academic Confidence Attend a school that encourages healthy self-esteem and balance in life Provide ample encouragement and reinforcement of your child s efforts, not just performance Emphasize your child s unique strengths and characteristics Acknowledge mistakes that you make and avoid setting consequences for their errors Set reasonable academic goals with your child focused on their personal progress Have your child call a friend or ing their teacher to clarify an assignment

18 Teach Self-Efficacy Ordering food at a restaurant Asking for assistance at a store Seeking help from the librarian Arranging their own play dates with friends Explaining their health issues to the doctor directly Preparing meals, doing laundry and helping with household repairs Getting things for themselves, such as kitchen items Empower your child to solve academic issues and avoid the temptation to rescue

19 Positive Self-Esteem Encourage participation in sports, music and art activities Create a collage or scrapbook of happy memories for each child Help your child recognize, name and discuss their emotions Try to understand your child s perspective and validate their feelings Give them an opportunity to mentor other children, such as kindergarten buddies Involve them in humanitarian projects, such as habitat for humanity

20 Social Support Network Have each child spend some time alone with each parent Encourage participation in scouts, sports teams or other social clubs Involve friends in family activities or vacations Encourage participation in the larger community through school or church activities Have them initiate and coordinate events with several friends, such as meeting at the movies Practice resolving social conflicts at home through role plays

21 Managing Stress Avoid placing academic standards that are too high Help your child to prioritize their work Set reasonable limits for homework completion Teach your child relaxation strategies, such as music, art and exercise Encourage a balance between school work and play Maintain healthy habits for family regarding sleeping, eating and exercising Limit the amount of screen time (television, video games, cell phone, etc.)

22 Organization Create a master family calendar with all school events posted Work with your child in using a planner, showing multiple steps for each assignment Encourage your child to set daily goals for larger projects and stick with each goal Use web resources to encourage school work, such as Have your child write reminder notes to themselves Put backpacks in the car the night before

23 Relaxation Techniques Have dinner together each night Schedule time for family games Encourage exercise together Have a child hobby cupboard with crafts or other independent activities Collect music that the family can enjoy together Teach meditation and muscle relaxation techniques Have a bedtime ritual including baths and story time

24 The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook for Kids Help for Children to Cope with Stress, Anxiety & Transitions Shapiro, L. and Sprague, R. 2009

25 The Anxiety Workbook for Teens: Activities to help you deal with anxiety and worry Lisa Schab, LCSW 2008

26 Web Resources