Publisher's Synopsis
For anyone involved in the special education process, here is a comprehensive practical guide to the most frequently used and helpful tests for diagnosing suspected disabilities of all kinds — intellectual, perceptual, language, achievement, psychosocial and social maturity — from the early childhood years through adolescence.
You′ll find detailed information on the make–up and purpose of each of 109 different tests, including subtests, scoring diagnostic patterns if any and specific strengths and weaknesses, all conveniently organized into the following sections:
- Wechsler Scales of Intelligence. This section covers the three most commonly used individual intelligence tests in education, which measure a variety of intellectual areas and compute a Verbal Performance and Full–Scale IQ.
- Intellectual Assessment Measures. Nine different tests measuring skills such as perceptual organization, processing speed, and long and short term memory skills are described here, including the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scale, Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Columbia Mental Maturity Scales, Slosson Intelligence Test–Revised, and five others.
- Achievement Assessment Measures. 31 measures of reading, spelling, writing, and math achievement are covered, including tests such as the Gray Oral Reading Test–3, Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests–R, Test of Early Written Language–2, Test of Written Spelling–3, Key Math–R, and Wide Range Achievement–3.
- Perceptual Measures. The 14 tests in this section help diagnose process and modality strengths and weaknesses and include measures like the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test, Test of Auditory Perceptual Skills– R, and the Woodcock Johnson Psychoeducational Battery–R.
- Language, Psychological & Social and Adaptive Measures. This section describes 25 tests in the areas of language, behavior, emotional and social development, such as the Peaboy Picture Vocabulary Test–3, Conners′ Parent and Teacher Rating Scales, and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale.
- Early Childhood, Hearing Impaired, Occupational & Physical Therapy, and Bilingual Tests. The 29 tests in this section are concerned with a variety of potential disabilities and include measures such as the Denver Developmental Screening Test–R, Carolina Picture Vocabulary Test for Deaf and Hearing Impaired, Purdue Perceptual Motor Survey, and ESL Literacy Scale.
In addition, the Guide thoroughly covers the various stages of evaluation, interpretation, diagnosis, prescription, and remediation and offer up–to–date guidance on gathering information, the parents′ role in the assessment process, understanding children′s behavior during testing, writing and developing IEPs, and implementing remediation techniques in the classroom.
The valuable appendices at the end of the Guide give you the names, addresses, phone and fax numbers of test publishers... test reference guide by category and by name...a glossary of test & measurement, special education, psychological, and occupational therapy terms...and special education abbreviations.
As the authors point out, "With the proper tests and their proper interpretation, many problems exhibited by students with special needs can be more rapidly and appropriately addressed. As with any event, early diagnosis and intervention can mean all the difference in an individual′s life."
