Comprehensive Diagnostic Assessment Functional Behavior Assessment Program Assessment Neuropsychological Assessment

to others, as well as criterion-referenced tests that compare students to themselves. A Comprehensive Diagnostic assessment may result in a diagnosis such as Autism or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

The psychologist or a behavior analyst may also perform a Functional Behavior Assessment. A Functional Behavior Assessment examines the functions of the behavior via direct and indirect methods helping guide the development of a Behavior Support Plan.

Another type of assessment that may be helpful is a Program Assessment. A Program Assessment includes a visit to your child’s school to determine whether their needs are being met and their Individualized Education Program is being implemented properly.

Lastly, a Neuropsychological Assessment examines executive functioning skills, attention, and memory, in addition to cognitive and adaptive skills.

To speak to the above examples, Patrick would need a Comprehensive Diagnostic Assessment and a Functional Assessment to ascertain the function of his aggressive and disruptive behavior. The fact that he is gifted intellectually does not rule out that he may be struggling with Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Autism, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Latoya would need a neuropsychological assessment that will examine executing functions, language, and attention to ascertain the impact of the accident on her neuropsychological functions. Typically, a complete neuropsychological assessment is conducted immediately after the accident and then repeated every six months.

Meanwhile, Maria would require a Program Assessment to determine whether her school program is meeting her needs. This assessment should include a complete review of her progress reports in addition to a visit to her school. She may also need a Functional Assessment of her aggressive behavior at home.

Lastly, Autumn urgently needs a Comprehensive Diagnostic Assessment to rule out Autism. If she does have Autism, she will need intensive early behavior analytic intervention to be implemented as soon as possible so time is of the essence.

Whatever the assessment process holds for your learner, it is important that the instruments used are both reliable and valid, and ideally, they would be able to be utilized to track progress over time. Every child is different; therefore, no assessment process will proceed identically. Y

Mariela Vargas-Irwin, PSYD, BCBA-D, LABA obtained her doctoral degree from Rutgers University, completed her internship at Boston Children’s Hospital and did post-doctoral training at Baker Children’s Center and has over 30 years of experience working with children with autism and other developmental disorders. For over 21 years, Vargas-Irwin has been a part of Applied Behavioral Learning Services team in Wellesley and is currently the Executive Director of the organization. www.ablspartners.org