Why Psychological Testing / Psycho-Educational Testing?
Psychological testing and assessment provides an array of information regarding overt and underlying psychological processes. Although observation and direct clinical interview can elicit important findings, psychological testing provides greater detail, accesses the inner workings of brain functioning, assesses personality traits and characteristics, and offers insight into hidden or repressed emotional functioning. The comprehensive information these evaluations provide helps Dr. Hartman develop a unique understanding of a person's functioning and enables him to build a specific, targeted plan that strengthens weaknesses and enhances strengths in everyday life. Identifying learning disabilities, psychiatric conditions, spectrum disorders, and other conditions gives individuals and families a framework for understanding how they function differently — and guidance on how to move forward.
What Types of Psychological Testing Are Used?
Evaluations may include any or all of the following techniques or assessments:
- Biopsychosocial History / Background Information
- Dr. Hartman interviews the patient and significant others to develop a comprehensive history of the presenting problems and patterns of behavior over the course of one's life, including an in-depth account of medical concerns and influences, to rule out any medical conditions that may be impacting functioning.
- Clinical Interview
- A structured interview of patient functioning to access a greater depth of information and assess patient symptoms, personality characteristics, and anecdotal information.
- Questionnaires
- Detailed questionnaires for parents, teachers, and/or patients to self-report symptoms and functioning. Using multiple raters and sources helps identify consistencies and differences across relationships and settings.
- Intellectual / Cognitive Tests
- Often referred to as "IQ tests," these provide information regarding one's innate intelligence and assess global and specific cognitive abilities that underlie learning, adapting to the environment, and problem-solving.
- Discrete Functions
- Alternate instruments that target specific cognitive processes such as memory, visual-motor integration, executive functioning (higher-order thinking), and language processing.
- Educational Assessment
- Tests that assess acquired knowledge and academic achievement skills, including reading (mechanics, fluency, decoding, comprehension), math (calculation, concepts, multi-step problems), and written expression (spelling, mechanics, grammar, and idea generation).
- Personality / Emotional Assessment
- Instruments that delve into underlying and subconscious processes — including projective instruments — to provide information regarding personality traits, problem-solving skills, and emotional regulation.
- Adaptive Functioning
- Often used with developmentally disabled or intellectually deficient populations, these questionnaires and structured observations assess social skills, communication abilities, daily living/self-care skills, motor skills, and maladaptive behaviors.