Psychoeducational Assessment and Report Writing

Edited by Stefan C. Dombrowski

Book Description

This book is designed to help graduate students in school and clinical child psychol-

ogy acquire the needed knowledge and necessary skill set to evaluate students

(K-12) and write effective psychoeducational assessment reports. Psychoeducational

assessment reports, most of which are conducted by psychologists working in a

school setting, are by far the most prevalent form of child psychological evaluation.

The lack of availability of a training text on psychoeducational assessment and

report writing makes this book a useful resource that fi lls a needed gap in the litera-

ture. Existing texts are too broad, offering simultaneous guidance on clinical assess-

ment, psychoeducational assessment, adult assessment, and preschool assessment.

The contents of these sources are primarily geared toward students (or practitioners)

who seek to work in a private practice, university clinic, or hospital setting and span

all age ranges (infant through geriatric). None of the existing books provide suffi -

cient coverage of the process of psychoeducational assessment and report writing

particularly in relation to the IDEA/state special education classifi cations for which

psychologists in the schools will become responsible: learning disabilities, emo-

tional disturbance, autism, intellectual disabilities, and other health impairment.

Unlike other volumes, this book presents an approach to assessment and report

writing that may be readily adopted by trainers in school and clinical child psychol-

ogy, understood by professionals and parents alike, and effectively utilized by IEP

teams. The book casts a narrow net, seeking to offer specifi c guidance on the prac-

tice of psychoeducational assessment and report writing for school-aged children.

Because no other books suffi ciently focus on this topic, this text portends to become

a useful resource for instructors in school and clinical child psychology who teach

coursework on the evaluation of children. It will also be useful to graduate students

in those disciplines as well as early career psychologists who wish for a refresher to

their knowledge base.

The book comprises four sections. The fi rst section furnishes a general overview

of the process of psychoeducational assessment and report writing. The second section

offers a section-by-section report writing discussion (e.g., Reason for Referral;

Assessment Methods and Sources of Data; Assessment Results; Conceptualization and Classification; Summary and Recommendations) with a chapter devoted to each

major report component. The third section furnishes general guidance regarding the

psychoeducational evaluation of major IDEA classifi cation categories (e.g., LD, ED,

autism, OHI, and intellectual disability). It also presents sample reports for those

categories in an appendix at the end of each chapter. The fi nal section discusses

miscellaneous legal, ethical, and professional issues including practical guidance on

the process of oral reporting.

Psychoeducational Assessment and Report Writing