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A Personal NDIS Journey – Pre Application Testing
For those of you wondering, Jack is my nephew and his mother, my sister, is a single parent. I am her support. I have also earned Jack’s respect, which has been given out sparsely after the parental split (and I must say this alone has been a HUGE step for us as a family). It took some time to convince Jack that it is OK to be tested. No one wants to be “tagged” and least of all, a tween who has experienced bullying!
The tests used to identify disorders and developmental issues are varied and numerous. In our particular case the following tests were administered (and not limited to) by a Clinical Psychologist:
- Social Responsiveness Scale, 2nd edition (SRS2)
- Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – Second Edition (ADOS-2)
- Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System – Third Edition (ABAS 3)
- Conner’s 3rd Edition (Conner’s 3)
- Conner’s Continuous Performance Test 3rd Edition (Conner’s CPT 3)
- Individual assessment of learning achievement (reading and writing)
“Huh?” you may say (I certainly did)…
A whole new world of acronyms and tests I’d never heard of and to save you some time (to help you learn a little about them) here is the quick run through.
Several of these tests required parental (guardian / carer) and teacher input with questions around home, social and school settings. Forms were submitted to the Psychologist to help “paint a picture” if you will.
1 – Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2)
The SRS-2 is a “multi-informant” questionnaire which is designed to identify the existence and level of social impairment within the autism spectrum and differentiates it from that which occurs in other disorders. This is a questionnaire completed by a parent as well as the school.
2 – Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – Second Edition (ADOS-2)
The ADOS-2 is a semi-structured, standardised assessment of communication, social interaction, play; and restricted and repetitive behaviour. The ADOS-2 presents various activities that elicit behaviours directly related to a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These activities focus on:
- Language and Communication
- Reciprocal Social Interaction
- Imagination
- Restricted and Repetitive Behaviour.
3 – Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System – Third Edition (ABAS 3)
The ABAS 3 is a rating system used for assessing skills of daily living. The ABAS-3 is used for evaluating adaptive functioning of individuals with developmental delays, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, learning disabilities, neuropsychological disorders, and sensory or physical impairments. This also includes a questionnaire completed by a parent as well as the school and covers:
- Communication skills
- Community and social interaction
- Health and safety awareness
- Self-care
- Self-direction
4 – Conners 3rd Edition (Conners 3) – rating scales
The Conners 3rd Edition (Conners 3) is a multi-informant assessment designed to diagnose attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and existence of any specific problems and disorders associated with children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years.
5 – Conners Continuous Performance Test 3rd Edition (Conners CPT 3)
Conners CPT 3 is a 14 minute computer based task which is used for children over the age of 8 to assess attention-related problems. By indexing the respondent’s performance in areas of inattentiveness, impulsivity, sustained attention, and vigilance, the Conners CPT 3 is used in the diagnosing of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), as well as other psychological and neurological conditions related to attention.
Stay tuned for our next instalment – the diagnosis and associated acronyms!
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Published 17 Oct 2022
