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Psychological
tests assess and evaluate information that you give to the examiner, given either in the form of answers to interview questions
or as responses on paper—or on a computer—to specific questions or tasks. Ultimately, a test’s
accuracy depends on how carefully and seriously you answer the questions you’re asked. Psychological tests fall into several categories: - Achievement and aptitude tests
- Intelligence tests
- Neuropsychological
tests
- Occupational tests
- Personality tests
- Specific clinical
tests
Psychological
tests are usually administered and interpreted by a psychologist because studies in psychopathology, along with academic courses
and supervision in psychological testing, are an integral part of the doctoral degree in clinical psychology.
The American Psychological Association
- Based in Washington, DC, the American Psychological Association (APA) is a scientific and professional organization that represents psychology in
the United States.
http://www.apa.org/science/testing.html
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A learning disability is a neurological disorder. In simple terms, a learning
disability results from a difference in the way a person's brain is "wired." Individuals with learning disabilities
are as smart or smarter than their peers. But they may have difficulty reading, writing, spelling, reasoning, recalling and/or
organizing information if left to figure things out by themselves or if taught in conventional ways. With
the right support and intervention, individuals with learning disabilities can succeed in school and go on to successful,
often distinguished careers later in life.
By completing a learning disability evaluation, also known as a psychoeducational evaluation, significant weaknesses
or a specific learning disability could be identified. Thereafter, the individual may need specialized
interventions to help them overcome or compensate for these weaknesses. Interventions can include accomodations
or modifications to the individual’s current curriculum or learning program, allowing the individual to have an equal
opportunity for academic success. Early detection and intervention for a learning disability is critical
to help prevent further academic delays, and avoid damaging self-confidence. LDONLINE.ORG - LD OnLine is the
leading website on learning disabilities, learning disorders and differences. Parents and teachers of learning disabled children
will find authoritative guidance on attention deficit disorder, ADD / ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dysnomia, reading
difficulties, speech and related disorders. http://www.ldonline.org/
Download LD Article by Dr. Gomez
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An estimated 3,000,000 gifted individuals sit in classrooms across the U.S.
today. Because learning styles and levels vary widely, the needs of the gifted students are far too often overlooked in the
logical quest to meet minimum standards. The gifted
individual generally shows evidence of higher performance capability in such areas as intellectual, creative, artistic, or
leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields. As a result.they may require services or activities not ordinarily
provided by the schools in order to develop such capabilities fully. With the appropriate intellectual testing, such
strengths can be identified and suggestions can be made about an appropriate educational placement for that student.
National Association of Gifted Children
- NAGC invests all of its resources to train teachers, encourage parents and educate administrators and policymakers on how
to develop and support gifted children and what's at stake if high-potential learners are not challenged and encouraged.
http://www.nagc.org/default.aspx
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Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD) |
Previously known as Attention Deficit Disorder
(ADD), ADHD is generally considered to be a developmental disorder, largely neurological in nature, affecting about 5% of
the world's population. The disorder typically presents itself during childhood, and is characterized by a persistent
pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity, as well as forgetfulness, poor impulse control or impulsivity, and distractibility.
In early childhood, many children are very active and restless, and this is typically
considered to be developmentally appropriate behavior. However, some children are so inattentive, so impulsive, or so
hyperactive, that it is considered to be maladaptive or inconsistent with the child's developmental level. For the
concerned parent, it is important to differentiate what is considered to be a normal level of activity from that of a diagnosable
disorder, such as ADHD. With proper testing and diagnosis, one can attain an understanding as to what may be causing
a problem, and the necessary interventions can be pursued.
For more information visit http://www.add.org
Download ADHD Article by Dr. Gomez
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When a surgeon assesses a patient for surgery, he / she ascertains
their general health, in order to identify potential risk factors or other medical conditions that need to be treated, stabilized,
or managed for surgery to be worth its risk. A psychologist can not predict a particular psychological
outcome any more than a medical doctor can predict a surgical or medical complication. However, through
a pre-surgical evaluation, we can identify psychosocial risk factors and make recommendations to both the client and surgical
group that are intended to facilitate the best possible outcome for the patient.
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Adoption agencies and programs often require prospective adoptive parents to
undergo some level of psychological evaluation prior to placement of a child in the home. The psychological
evaluation is intended to add assurance that families have been evaluated for risk factors which might interfere with parenting.
While no evaluation can predict behavior 100%, the psychological evaluation can help identify whether certain individuals
are likely to be able to cope with the special needs of adoptive children and the stresses of parenthood.
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A personality test aims to describe aspects of a person's character that
remain stable throughout a person's lifetime. These include the individual's personality patterns,
behavior patterns, attitudes, thoughts, feelings, and indicators of major mental illness. Personality tests
are often used in different types of evaluations as an objective source of information to supplement other subjective sources
of data.
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The cultural diversity of our country is continually
increasing. It is estimated that by the year 2050, no more than 50% of the population will be of Anglo
ancestry. In addition, advances in technologies have increased each person's ability and likelihood
of interacting with people of cultural backgrounds quite different from his/her own.
Throughout the course
of her studies and work experiences, Dr. Gómez has obtained a level of expertise in multicultural issues.
This expertise is always utilized when she is meeting an individual client who may be of a different culture.
However, services are also available to organizations who would like consultations or presentations about multicultural
issues that have presented themselves in their organization. National MultiCultural Institute - engages
in development of multicultural and cross-cultural awareness through diversity training workshops, conferences, and educational
resource materials. http://www.nmci.org/index.htm Center for Multilingual Multicultural Research - strives to make language and culture part of the
solution through research, publications, training, and public service. http://www.usc.edu/dept/education/CMMR/
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