Assessment

On this page, you will find information about assessments with which WPS Psychologists can assist, including a special free offer on child screening assessments.  Firstly Intellectual Assessment will be covered, followed by screening assessment and personality assessment.  Please note that the full range of assessments that can be conducted is not listed here. Please contact us directly to discuss your situation and your needs.

Intellectual Assessment – how it works

Assessment with the Wechsler tests such as the WAIS, WISC and WPPSI can be performed on children from age 2 years 6 months, who are capable of talking. There is no upper age limit. We use the latest iPad-based testing technology. Details on the tests can be found at https://www.pearsonclinical.com.au/products/alpha/W

Session 1 – Initial Assessment

Usually, we meet with the person to be assessed for a session to informally assess their communication skills, and so that they can get to know their expert prior to testing. This initial session is more important for children, in which case we normally meet with the child and the parent together.

Session 2 – Formal Assessment

The assessment process under either test usually takes about 75-90 minutes, depending on the capabilities of the person.  You will need to book a double session to allow time for the testing.  We send a four-page report with identified strengths and weaknesses to the client, along with advice on how to deal with the individual differences noted. This report costs $150. The client is also billed $20 for the cost of the assessment form. If a child is tested, the parent is not present for the testing session.

Session 3 – Feedback

The assessed person (and/or parent) re-attends for feedback, and to discuss the report . This session is optional but recommended.

Formal Report

If a formal report is required, giving specific measurement information from the assessment, this can be arranged and takes about a week. Formal reports are more time consuming, and costs are available on application.

Initial screening assessments for children aged 5-18

At WPS we have access to a comprehensive range of web-based and iPad-based testing. To help you understand your child and their environment better, the following suite of tests is recommended as an initial ‘screening’ assessment.

All tests are questionnaire-based and are arranged by WPS. You will receive an email with a link. Follow the link and fill the questionnaire out at a time that suits you at home. Click  ‘Submit’ when the test is completed, and he will do the rest.

The initial suite recommended is the BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BASC-3 BESS) and the Delis-Rating of Executive Function (D-REF). The charge for the three tests is nil!  The cost is included in your session fee! You will have access to the results as will your GP, providing not only useful clinical information, but also establishing a baseline for tracking your child’s development in the future.

Should further testing be required based on the results of the initial screening, we recommend the Millon Pre-Adolescent Clinical Inventory (M-PACI) or Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory (MAPI), both of which are available through the same system.

BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BASC-3 BESS)

Brief, universal screening system for measuring behavioural and emotional strengths and weaknesses in children and adolescents.

• Author: Randy W. Kamphaus, PhD, Cecil R. Reynolds, PhD
• Year: 2015
• Age Range: 2 years to 18 years 11 months (Teacher and Parent); 8 years to 18 years 11 months (Self-Report)
• Administration Time: 5 – 10 minutes
• Administration Type: Q-global Web-based Administration.

Assessing the behavioural and emotional functioning of children and adolescents can be an effective tool in promoting student success. Academic problems, along with problems associated with developing and maintaining positive relationships with others, can be the result of underlying behavioural and emotional deficits that, when caught early, can be corrected before negatively affecting a child or adolescent.

The BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System offers a reliable, quick, and systematic way to determine behavioural and emotional strengths and weaknesses of children and adolescents in preschool through high school. This comprehensive screening system consists of brief forms that can be completed by teachers, parents, or students, providing one of the most comprehensive and efficient tools available today.

Delis-Rating of Executive Function (D-REF)

A quick measure of an individual’s behaviours related to executive function difficulties

• Author: Dean C. Delis
• Year: 2012
• Age Range: 5-18 years old
• Administration Time: 5-10 minutes per form
• Administration Type: Online

D-REF is online and easy to use!

Delivered online via Pearson’s Q-global scoring and reporting platform, D-REF reports the frequency of observed behaviours that identify executive function problems in children and adolescents ages 5-18. This flexible, sensitive assessment includes parent, teacher, and self-ratings.

Users & Applications

Clinicians and school psychologists working in a variety of settings can use this instrument to evaluate children with:

• ADHD-Combined
• ADHD-Inattentive
• Traumatic brain injury
• Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome
• Neurological/psychiatric disorders
• Learning disabilities
• Enable the identification of patterns of clinically relevant symptoms
• Identify symptoms that create the most stress for the parent, teacher, and child for intervention
• Identify symptoms relevant to diagnostic criteria (DSM-IV)
• Track changes in behaviour after intervention

Millon Pre-Adolescent Clinical Inventory (M-PACI)

Identify psychological problems in pre-adolescent children

• Author: Theodore Millon, Robert Tringone, Carrie Millon and Seth Grossman
• Year: 2005
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Administration Time: 15 to 20 minutes

Unlike instruments that focus on a single clinical area such as anxiety or depression, the M-PACI assessment provides an integrated view that synthesises the child’s emerging personality styles and clinical syndromes, helping clinicians detect early signs of Axis I and Axis II disorders.

Use M-PACI results to help:

• Evaluate troubled pre-adolescents to confirm diagnostic hypotheses
• Contribute to individualised treatment planning by providing an integrated picture of emerging personality patterns and current clinical signs
• Measure progress before, during and after treatment

Key Features

Contains fewer than 100 questions and takes most pre-adolescents only 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
Uses age-appropriate language and requires minimal reading level.
Validated against expert clinician judgments and other leading self-report inventories for this age group.
Developed by Dr Theodore Millon, a leader in the field of personality development.
A summary of potential treatment strategies, tailored to each patient, is provided in the M-PACI interpretive report. This information can help clinicians decide which issues to focus on during treatment and how to address them with the patient.

Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory (MAPI)

For use with both typical and troubled teens

• Author: Theodore Millon, PhD, DSc, Catherine J. Green, PhD, and Robert B. Meagher Jr., PhD
• Age Range: 13-18½ years old
• Administration Time: 20-30½ minutes
• Administration Type: Individual or Group

The Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory (MAPI) instrument is normed on both typical and clinical adolescents. The inventory outlines 3 distinct scale dimensions: personality styles, expressed concerns, and behavioural patterns.

How to Use This Test

The MAPI instrument can be used for diagnosis and treatment planning in clinical, correctional, and educational settings by psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health and guidance professionals.

Key Features

• Most adolescents can complete the test in 20–30 minutes, helping to reduce resistance to test-taking.
• Scales help evaluate adolescent expressed concerns, personality styles, and coping patterns to help select the best approach to treatment and identify patterns and issue that may need further exploration during therapy.

Scales

Personality Styles   1.  Introversive 2.  Inhibited 3.  Cooperative 4.  Sociable 5.  Confident 6.  Forceful 7.  Respectful 8.  Sensitive

Expressed Concerns   A.  Self-Concept B.  Personal Esteem C.  Body Comfort D.  Sexual Acceptance E.  Peer Security F.  Social Tolerance G.  Family Rapport H.  Academic Confidence

Behavioral Correlates   SS.  Impulse Control TT.  Social Conformity UU.  Scholastic Achievement WW.  Attendance Consistency