School Psychologist — Assessment & Diagnosis
Your 7-Day Learning Journey
0 of 7 days completed
Your Learning Path is Saved!
We're tracking your progress automatically. Create a free account to permanently save this learning path and access advanced features like detailed analytics and personalized recommendations.
What you'll learn:
[Description] This day provides a foundational understanding of school psychology. - **Description:** Learn the roles and responsibilities of a school psychologist, the history of the profession, and the settings in which school psychologists typically work. Focus on understanding the ethical principles that guide the practice (e.g., confidentiality, informed consent, boundaries). Familiarize yourself with relevant legislation like IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). - **Specific Resources/Activities:** - **Expected Outcomes:** Understand the core functions and settings of a school psychologist, grasp the importance of ethical practice, and identify key legislation impacting the field.
Personal Notes:
What you'll learn:
[Description] Begin to explore the world of assessment. - **Description:** Introduce the concept of psychological assessment, including its purposes and limitations. Focus on the distinction between norm-referenced tests (e.g., standardized achievement tests) and criterion-referenced tests (e.g., curriculum-based assessments). Cover fundamental concepts of reliability (consistency of a test) and validity (accuracy of a test) – understanding their importance in test selection and interpretation. - **Specific Resources/Activities:** - **Expected Outcomes:** Grasp the core principles of psychological assessment, differentiate between types of tests, and understand the importance of reliability and validity in choosing and interpreting assessment tools.
Personal Notes:
What you'll learn:
[Description] Delve into the assessment of cognitive abilities. - **Description:** Learn about intelligence tests, including their purpose, administration, and interpretation (begin with a general overview, not specific test administration). Understand what intelligence is, the history of IQ tests (e.g., Wechsler scales, Stanford-Binet), and the importance of considering cultural factors. Introduce the concept of adaptive behavior and its assessment. - **Specific Resources/Activities:** - **Expected Outcomes:** Understand the purpose and general procedures of intelligence testing, learn about the different subtests, and be familiar with assessing adaptive behavior.
Personal Notes:
What you'll learn:
[Description] Explore the assessment of academic skills. - **Description:** Focus on the purpose of academic assessment. Learn about standardized achievement tests (e.g., Woodcock-Johnson, WIAT) used to measure academic skills in reading, writing, and math. Introduction to Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) as an alternative approach. Review how test results can assist in diagnosing learning difficulties (e.g., dyslexia, dyscalculia). - **Specific Resources/Activities:** - **Expected Outcomes:** Understand the purpose and uses of standardized achievement tests and CBM, and gain the ability to apply test results to the identification of learning disabilities.
Personal Notes:
What you'll learn:
[Description] Start to focus on observation and Functional Behavior Assessment. - **Description:** Introduce the basics of behavioral assessment: the process of gathering information about behavior using observations, interviews, and rating scales. Focus on different types of observation techniques (e.g., anecdotal records, event recording, time sampling). Provide a brief overview of the Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) process, including identifying antecedents, behaviors, and consequences. - **Specific Resources/Activities:** - **Expected Outcomes:** Understand the principles of behavioral assessment and the FBA process, and be able to identify antecedents, behaviors, and consequences in hypothetical scenarios.
Personal Notes:
What you'll learn:
[Description] Begin to address the process of Diagnosis. - **Description:** Introduce the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a diagnostic tool. Focus on how the DSM-5 is used to diagnose childhood disorders. Provide a general introduction to the diagnostic criteria for specific disorders. Discuss eligibility criteria. Begin to explore common diagnoses. - **Specific Resources/Activities:** - **Expected Outcomes:** Understand how the DSM-5 is used, familiarize themselves with diagnostic criteria for common childhood disorders, and become aware of the eligibility criteria for various disorders.
Personal Notes:
What you'll learn:
[Description] Consolidate learning and look at case studies. - **Description:** Continue learning about the DSM-5 and diagnostic criteria for additional childhood disorders. Discuss the complexities of differential diagnosis (distinguishing between different diagnoses). Work through a case study to demonstrate the process of assessment, diagnosis, and intervention planning, integrating all the knowledge gained throughout the week. - **Specific Resources/Activities:** - **Expected Outcomes:** Refine diagnostic skills and integrate knowledge to build a comprehensive understanding of the assessment and diagnostic process. Be able to apply skills to a case study.
Personal Notes:
Share Your Learning Path
Help others discover this learning path