15: 30%.
The values for Treatment (B) are:
Day 16: 90%;
Day 17: 84%;
Day 18: 84%;
Day 19: 80%;
Day 20: 90%.
Back to Figure
The details of the graph are as follows:
The horizontal axis shows days, from 1 to 15, in increments of 1.
The vertical axis shows percent of time on task from 0% to 100%, in increments of 20.
The values for Baseline during math are:
1 Day 1: 30%;
2 Day 2: 22%;
3 Day 3: 38%;
4 Day 4: 22%;
5 Day 5: 30%.
The values for Treatment during math are:
1 Day 6: 80%;
2 Day 7: 84;
3 Day 8: 84%;
4 Day 9: 90%;
5 Day 10: 84%.
6 Day 11: 80%;
7 Day 12: 90%;
8 Day 13: 84%;
9 Day 14: 84%;
10 Day 15: 90%.
The values for Baseline during reading are:
1 Day 1: 24%;
2 Day 2: 20%;
3 Day 3: 30%;
4 Day 4: 24%;
5 Day 5: 30%.
6 Day 6: 24%;
7 Day 7: 30%;
8 Day 8: 20%;
9 Day 9: 30%;
10 Day 10: 24%.The values for Treatment during reading are:
11 Day 11: 84%;
12 Day 12: 90;
13 Day 13: 84%;
14 Day 14: 84%;
15 Day 15: 90%.
4 Assessing and Treating Children’s Problems
©iStockphoto.com/Liderina
Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
4.1 Describe the purpose of psychological assessment and the importance of including information from multiple informants using multiple methods.Understand the basic techniques used to assess children’s behavioral, cognitive, and social–emotional functioning.Explain the importance of standardization, reliability, and validity in psychological testing.
4.2 Differentiate the major systems of psychotherapy and the way evidence-based treatment can be adapted to meet families’ social–cultural backgrounds.
4.3 Evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of therapy for children and families.
4.1 Psychological Assessment
What Is Psychological Assessment?
Definition and Purpose
Psychological assessment refers to the process of gathering data about children and families in order to reach valid conclusions about their current functioning and future well-being. The assessment of children and adolescents can have several purposes (Sattler, 2014). First, assessment can be conducted to screen children for possible behavior problems or developmental delays. For example, a pediatrician might ask a psychologist to screen a toddler who is showing delays in language acquisition and social skills despite normal sensory and motor functioning. The psychologist might conduct a brief evaluation to determine whether the child has a significant delay that needs attention. Early screening can prevent more severe problems later in development (Briggs-Gowan, Godoy, Heberle, & Carter, 2016).
Second, assessment can be used to reach a diagnosis. For example, parents might refer their child to a psychologist because the child is showing a range of behavior problems. The psychologist would likely conduct a detailed evaluation of the child’s strengths and weaknesses to identify the nature of these problems. The clinician might assign one or more diagnostic labels to describe the child’s main problem areas. Diagnosis can help parents understand their child’s functioning, allow the clinician to estimate the child’s prognosis, and help the clinician identify treatment options (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2016).
Third, some assessments are conducted to plan treatment. For example, a third-grade teacher might ask a school psychologist to assess a student who repeatedly bullies younger children during recess. In this case, the purpose of assessment is to identify potential causes of bullying and to plan an intervention. After careful observation of the bully’s behavior, the school psychologist might notice that the boy initiates fights only with certain peers. She might recommend that the bully be separated from these peers during recess in order to avoid the problem in the future.
A fourth purpose of assessment is to monitor progress in treatment. For example, a pediatrician might prescribe methylphenidate (Ritalin) to a boy with ADHD. She might ask the child’s teachers to rate the boy’s ADHD symptoms for 3 weeks. During the first week, the boy might not take any medication. During the second and third weeks, he might take varying doses of the medication. The pediatrician could use teachers’ ratings over the 3 weeks to determine whether the medication reduced the boy’s symptoms and which dose was more effective.
Psychological assessment involves much more than administering a test or assigning a diagnosis. Instead, assessment involves appreciating children’s strengths and weaknesses within the context of their surroundings and drawing valid conclusions regarding how to help them improve their lives. Consider the following case of Sara, a girl experiencing considerable distress. Her parents need help determining the best way to treat Sara’s problem.
Psychological assessment is a process. From a scientific perspective, each assessment is analogous to a research study with a sample size of one. The clinician listens to the family’s most immediate concerns and begins to formulate hypotheses about the child’s functioning. For example, if a child refuses to attend school, like Sara, possible hypotheses
