Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV)
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) is the Fourth edition of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC; Wechsler, 1949). It is an individually administered clinical instrument for assessing the intellectual ability of children aged 6 years through 16 years, 11 months. The child's performance on these various measures is summarized in three composite scores, the Verbal, Performance and Full Scale IQs, which provide estimates of the individual's intellectual abilities according to each age group. The Full Scale IQs summaries the overall performance on the HK-WISC and provides a broad assessment of general intellectual ability. The Verbal IQ provides an indication of verbal comprehension, including the ability to use verbal skills in reasoning and solving problems, and the capacity to learn verbal materials. The Performance IQs reflects the efficiency and integration of the perceptual organization, including non-verbal reasoning skills, the ability to employ visual images in thinking, and the ability to proess visual material.
Early School Personality Questionnaire (ESPQ)
The Early School Personality Questionnaire is specifically designed to measure personality traits in primary personality traits such as: emotional stability, self-concept level, excitability and apprehension. Intended for children 6 to 8 years of age. The Early School Personality Questionnaire is an important assessment tool for use with children entering school and during their first years of adjustment to the classroom. The information derived from the questionnaire provides insights into the needs of individual children, and serves as a starting point for meaningful discussion with parents and teachers. It can also be helpful in determining if additional, in-depth counseling is indicated.
Children's Personality Questionnaire (CPQ)
The Children's Personality Questionnaire is specifically designed for pre-adolescent children ages 8 to 12 and, measures 14 primary personality traits such as: emotional stability, self-concept level, excitability and apprehension. In addition to the primary traits, the questionnaire yields information on important derived composite scores such as: anxiety, extraversion, creativity and other broad trait patterns. By gaining a clearer understanding of a child's developing personality, you are better able to interpret specific aspects of his or her adjustment to school, and adapt instructional activities and disciplinary action to meet individual needs.
Sixteen Personality Factor (16PF)
The Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) contains 185 items for personality assessment. The 16 personality factor scales reflect - a person’s characteristic style of thinking, perceiving, and acting over the relatively long period of time and in a wide range of different situations. These personality traits are manifested in a set of attitudes, preferences, social and emotional reactions, and habits. Each trait has its own history, and is derived from a complicated interaction between inherited disposition and learning from experiences. Some traits primarily involve internal regulation of impulses and service defensive or adaptive purposes. Others are maintained by habit or are functionally autonomous. Still others seem to be stylistic responses to the pressure of inner drives. In all, they have a pervasive effect on practically every facet of a person’s overall functioning and way of being in this world.
House Tree Person Drawings (H-T-P)
This is a projective test developed by John Buck was originally an outgrowth of the Goodenough scale utilized to assess intellectual functioning. Drawing is an effective tool for the unconscious self expression. It is also a projection of a person's inner self. Due to the defensive nature of human being, hence the message that drawings can bring forth is much richer than words. It can carry a more direct and intense impact. The house drawing represents one's feeling about family, home and environment. The tree drawing is the best subconscious self-portrait. It is a picture of the self. The person's drawing reveals one's feeling about direct interpersonal and social relationships. It is the most conscious representation.
IVA-2 – Evaluate Visual and Auditory Attention
The Integrated Visual and Auditory (I.V.A.) continuous performance test (CPT) is a screening tool used in conjunction with other diagnostic procedures (parent and teacher behaviour rating scales, QEEG, T.O.V.A.) to assist in the screening of individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Developed by John Sandford (psychologist) and Anne Turner (physician). It was designed to discriminate ADHD populations from individuals with Conduct Disorder and without behaviour problems and is based on the research of Chee (1989) and Connors (1994).
FEATURES OF THE I.V.A.
Administration of the test is automated to standardise the presentation of auditory and visual stimuli. The computer "speaks" all test instructions in order to minimise test variability.
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The I.V.A. is a 13 minute computerised test which combines two types of CPTs for both visual and auditory modalities. By combining impulsivity and inattention in a counter-balanced design and presenting each in the auditory and visual mode, the I.V.A. incorporates four CTPs into one.
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The test task is very simple and requires the person to click the mouse only when he hears or sees the target (in this case the number "1") and not to click when he sees or hears the non-target (foil) item (in this case the number "2").
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The test contains two conditions in two modalities for a total of 200 trials.
ANALYSIS OF RESULT
IVA-2 – Evaluate Visual and Auditory Attention
The Integrated Visual and Auditory (I.V.A.) continuous performance test (CPT) is a screening tool used in conjunction with other diagnostic procedures (parent and teacher behaviour rating scales, QEEG, T.O.V.A.) to assist in the screening of individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Developed by John Sandford (psychologist) and Anne Turner (physician). It was designed to discriminate ADHD populations from individuals with Conduct Disorder and without behaviour problems and is based on the research of Chee (1989) and Connors (1994).
FEATURES OF THE I.V.A.
Administration of the test is automated to standardise the presentation of auditory and visual stimuli. The computer "speaks" all test instructions in order to minimise test variability.
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The I.V.A. is a 13 minute computerised test which combines two types of CPTs for both visual and auditory modalities. By combining impulsivity and inattention in a counter-balanced design and presenting each in the auditory and visual mode, the I.V.A. incorporates four CTPs into one.
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The test task is very simple and requires the person to click the mouse only when he hears or sees the target (in this case the number "1") and not to click when he sees or hears the non-target (foil) item (in this case the number "2").
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The test contains two conditions in two modalities for a total of 200 trials.
ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
The scores are divided into four primary diagnostic scale: Response Control, Attention, Attribute and Validity.
1. Full Scale Response Control Quotient based on separate Auditory and Visual Response Control
Quotient scores. The Response Control Quotient score are derived from visual and auditory
Prudence, Consistency and Stamina scales. A. Prudence: is a measure of impulsivity and response inhibition as evidenced by three different
types of errors of commission (impulsivity, propensity and mode shift) B. Consistency : measures the general reliability and variability of the response times and is used to
measure the ability to stay on task C. Stamina : compares the mean reaction times of correct responses during the first 200 trials to the
last 200 trials. This score is used to identify problems related to sustaining attention and effort
over time. . 2. Full Scale Attention Quotient is derived from separate Auditory and Visual Attention Quotients.The
Attention Quotient scores are based on equal measures of visual and auditory Vigilance, Focus and
Speed A. Vigilance : is a measure of inattention as evidenced by two types of different errors of omission
(inattention ie failure to respond to a target when a response set of inhibition has been
established and propensity i.e. non-response to a target immediately after a foil has been
presented.) B. Focus : reflects the total variability of mental processing speed for all correct responses C. Speed : reflects the average reaction time for all correct responses throughout the test and helps
identify attention problems related to slow discriminatory mental processing. The Fine Motor Regulation scale provides additional information by recording off-task behaviours
with the mouse, including multiple clicking, spontaneous clicks during instruction periods,
anticipatory clicks and holding the mouse button down. In behavioural terms, the Fine Motor
Regulation scale quantifies fidgetiness and restlessness associated with small motor
hyperactivity.
3. The Attribute scores provide information regarding the individual’s learning style: A. Balance : indicates whether the individual processes information more quickly visually or aurally,
or is equally quick in both modalities B. Readiness : indicates whether the individual processes information more quickly when the
demand is quicker or when it is slower. This scale also provides a subtle measure of inattention
when the test taker just "can’t keep up" with the demand.
4. There are three Validity scales used to evaluate whether a test taker’s responses can be interpreted in
a meaningful way: A. Comprehension : identifies random responding which would lead to faulty interpretation of other
I.V.A. scale scores. Research has shown this to be the single most sensitive sub-scale in
discriminating ADHD B. Persistence : is a measure of motivation when the individual is asked to do "one more thing". It
can also reflect mental or motor fatigue C. The Sensory / Motor : scales are used to rule out neurological, psychological or learning
problems as evidenced by slow simple reaction time.
VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY
Validity research using the IVA CPT with children ages 7 to 12 had a sensitivity of 92% in identifying individuals diagnosed by a clinician as having ADHD. The IVA CPT also correctly identified the 90% of non-ADHD children (i.e., false positives = 10%). Another validity study for a typical mixed age clinical population (ages 6 to 55) found that as part of a clinician’s comprehensive psychological evaluation, the combination of the ADHD rating scale data with the IVA CPT matched the clinical diagnosis 90% of the time. In addition, this study did not misclassify 89% of individuals who did not have ADHD (i.e., 11% false positives).
PREPARE / ENRICH
PREPARE/ENRICH is one of the most widely used programs designed by Dr. David Olson. It is developed based on the National Norms over 500,000 couples with high levels of reliability and validity have been found for each instrument, making them valuable tools for research as well as clinical use.
It is a customized couple assessment tool intended for premarital counseling premarital education aiming to identify a couple’s strength and growth areas. It is also used for marriage counseling, marriage enrichment, and dating couples considering engagement.
Via 195 statements, the inventory targets marriage expectations, personality issues, communication issues, conflict resolution, finances, having fun together, sexual issues, parenting, dealing with family and friends, spirituality, and flexibility.
Based on a couple’s assessment results, a trained facilitator provides feedback sessions in wchich the facilitator helps the couple discuss and understand their results as they are taught proven relationship skills. There are five versions available:
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PREPARE for premarital couples
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PREPARE-MC for premarital couples with children
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PREPARE-CC for cohabiting couples with or without children
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ENRICH for married couples
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MATE for couples who are over the age of 50
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory II (MMPI-2)
The MMPI, originally published in 1943, is currently the most widely used and studied objective personality test in the world. The MMPI has been translated into over 20 languages and it has become one of the most important personality assessment inventories in the fields of clinical, counseling and industrial psychology. Most professionals routinely use the MMPI-2 as a clinical instrument to integrate diagnostic with treatment activities. This test will comment on the client’s approach to taking the test, estimate consistency and accuracy, describe the client’s general personality (in terms of symptoms, traits, behaviors), elucidate conflicts and defenses, consider factors of risk, control and overall level of adjustment.
16PF® Career Development Report (16PF® CDR)
The CDR is a powerful consulting tool which facilitates the personal assessment and exploration required in discovering and planning an individual’s unique career path and career goals. It is designed for use in a variety of settings, particularly corporate, outplacement, and private consulting. In these settings, the CDR is commonly used as part of personnel selection and job placement programs, employee training and development, career transition consulting, and career and personal life planning.
Marital Satisfaction Inventory, Revised (MSI-R)
The MSI-R has been developed to assist marriage and family therapists, pastoral counselors and other mental health professionals to assess the level of distress among the couple relationship. It is a self-report questionnaire which contains 150 inventory items measure that identifies, separately for each partner in a relationship, the nature and extent of distress along 11 key dimensions of their relationship (such as affective communication, problem-solving, aggression, sexual satisfactory, agreement on finance, role orientation, family history of distress, and conflict over child rearing etc.).
Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI)
The Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAITM) is a training instrument designed to provide information to an individual about his or her potential for cross-cultural effectiveness. It is not targeted to one particular cultural; it is designed to be culture-general. The culture-general approach assumes that individuals adapting to other cultures share common feelings, perceptions, and experiences. This occurs regardless of the cultural background of the person or the characteristics of the target cultural. The culture-general approach addresses the universal aspects of culture shock and cultural adjustment. A person who is universally adaptable is one who can adjust to any culture’s idiosyncrasies. The inventory contains 50 items that assess cross-cultural adaptability (Emotional Resilience, Flexibility / Openness, Perceptual Acuity, and Personal Autonomy). The profile graphically portrays the individual’s scores on the four CCAI dimensions and clearly shows how the scores compare with one other.
Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure (ROCF)
The Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure (ROCF) was developed for the purpose of assessing perceptual organization and visual memory in brain injured patients with standardized procedures.
ROCF allows assessment of a variety of cognitive processes, including planning and organizational skills and problem-solving strategies, as well as perceptual, motor, and memory functions.
Test of Memory and Learning - Second Edition (TOMAL-2)
Test of Memory and Learning - Second Edition (TOMAL-2) provides the most comprehensive coverage of memory assessment currently available in a standardised battery.
This assessment permits a direct comparison across a variety of aspects of memory in a single battery. This allows the assessment of strengths and weaknesses, as well as potentially pathologic indicators of memory disturbances.
This nationally standardised test evaluates general specific memory functions using eight core subtests, six supplementary subtests and 2 delayed recall tasks.
TOMAL-2 is useful for evaluating children or adults referred for learning disabilities, traumatic brain injury, neurological diseases, serious emotional disturbances and ADHD.
16PF Adolescent Personality Questionnaire (APQ)
The APQ is a self-report personality inventory that was specifically developed and normed for adolescents. It elicits valuable information regarding the youth's personal style, problem-solving abilities, preferred work activities, and areas where the youth is having problems, making the APQ appropriate for screening and for introducing sensitive topics in a counseling situation. The test includes four sections: Your Personal Style (normal personality items); Problem Solving (a short measure of general reasoning ability); Work Activity Preferences (measures six career-interest variables); and Life's Difficulties (optional questions concerning matters of sex, aggression, significant low mood, low sense of self, etc.). The APQ is useful in situations where personality is relevant - educational adjustment, personal or social difficulty, and passage through one's developmental tasks. The Work Activity Preferences section is particularly helpful with career exploration. In addition, the normal personality section (Your Personal Style) and the Work Activity section help professionals adjust their approach to the characteristics of the young person. The optional Life's Difficulties section is set off from the other three sections with a page that instructs respondent's to proceed only if specifically instructed to do so by the test administrator.
Bender Gestalt Test
Bender Gestalt is one of the most widely used clinical tests which can be used to reflect the process of maturation of visual-motor perception in young children.
The test consists of nine figures which are presented one at a time and in which the child is asked to copy on a blank piece of paper.
BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version
(BarOn EQ-i:YV)
The Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (BarOn EQ-i:YV) is a self-report instrument designed to access the various factorial components of the Bar-On model of emotional intelligence in young people aged 7 to 18 years.
According to the Bar-On model, emotional intelligence is defined as an array of emotional, personal and interpersonal abilities that influence one’s overall ability to cope with environmental demands and pressures. It comprises abilities related to understanding oneself, and others, relating to people, adapting to changing environmental demands, and managing emotions.
As such, one’s emotional intelligence is an important factor in determining one’s ability to succeed in life.
Conners’ Parent Rating Scale - Revised (CPRS-R)
Conners’ Rating Scales - Revised (CRS-R) is an instrument that uses observer ratings and self-report ratings to help assess attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and evaluate problem behavior in children and adolescents.
It provides a perspective of the child’s behavior from those who interact with the child on a daily basis. It is a comprehensive examination used to assist in determining whether children between the ages of three and 17 years might suffer from ADHD.
Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment
Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment has been developed in the U.S. based on decades of research and practical experience since 1960.
It comprises an integrated set of forms for assessing diverse aspects of competencies, adaptive functioning, and problems of a child from multiple sources.
Robert’s Apperception Test for Children (RATC)
The Robert’s Apperception Test is designed to measure a child’s developmental adaptive social perception and clinical maladaptative or atypical social perception through the child’s expression of social understanding in their stories.
The test provides a series of 16 pictures depicting social situations that are part of children’s everyday experience. Given each picture, a child is asked to tell a complete story. The content of the stories is scored according to objective criteria for the presence or absence of specific characteristics.
A series of scales are scored that reflect the child’s social cognitive competence in relating a story that successfully integrates the elements depicted in the picture, and the results are compared to the standardized norm according to the child’s age. Typically, as children become more socially experienced, their stories reflect greater awareness of social convention, more differentiated themes, and clearer resolution of themes and conflicts.
Moreover, the inclusion of clinical scales calls attention to the likely presence of social and emotional problems that are outside the norm.