Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
The Connors, the ADOS, all those tests...what do they really prove?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="rlsnights" data-source="post: 410265" data-attributes="member: 7948"><p>Here's the thing about forced choice tests (that's what you're talking about - having to choose the best answer even if it's not a really good answer for your child). When the tests are developed and tested on real kids the test developers refine them over and over until they can, with acceptable statistical certainty, identify a certain subset of children based on a certain group or cluster of answers. There will always be kids who are missed who are really disabled and kids labeled as disabled who are not. But those will be a very small number compared to the number who are correctly identified - based on the force choice answers.</p><p></p><p>But without forced choice answers the analysis required to create a reliable and valid test cannot be done. An answer that says "Sometimes but ..." cannot be statistically analyzed in such a way as to enable you to say "when parents mark sometimes on this question (and 8 others on this test) it is highly associated with a diagnosis of autism".</p><p></p><p>Valid and reliable forced choice tests are helpful screening tools when used correctly. Tests are valid when they identify the kids they're supposed to identify with a high degree of accuracy. Tests are reliable when you get the same results over and over with a high degree of accuracy. Using the test correctly means that it is used by someone qualified and trained to administer and interpret the results, administered in the way the test directions call for and it is used with the population it was designed for. So if the test was designed to screen 4-7 year olds in a group and your child is 13 the test is not being used correctly. If your child is 5 but the testing is done alone then it is not being used correctly. If the test directions call for the examiner to have been trained specifically in that test and he/she wasn't then that's a problem. And if the test is supposed to be administered by a psychologist but it's being given by a school nurse then obviously that's a problem.</p><p></p><p>Because there will be errors even when a test/assessment is administered correctly there should be layers of testing and assessment when the outcome is very important. If you only want to know if your child can read at grade level then one test is fine, preferably one that directly measures what you want to know.</p><p></p><p>If you want information that will inform your child's education for years to come then you want lots of layers to the assessment. You want direct and indirect measures. You want direct observation by the examiner as much as possible. And you want the whole shebang administered and interpreted by the most highly qualified professional that you can afford/find. Preferably that person will also administer all the direct testing of your child themselves because a good neuropsychologist or psychologist can draw a lot of conclusions from the way your child behaves during the testing. And they will use the results they get and the observations they make to help decide what to do/test next.</p><p></p><p>So - do they measure anything? Yes</p><p>Do they measure what you want to know? Maybe</p><p>Can you make solid predictions about your child's behavior based on the tests? Maybe. The degree to which you will be able to do this has a lot to do with the ability of the person doing the testing to choose the right tests, to administer them correctly and then to accurately and intuitively interpret the results given the questions that are being asked.</p><p></p><p>Hope this helped a little.</p><p></p><p>Patricia</p><p></p><p>(A research analyst in a previous incarnation)<img src="/community/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/emoticons/whoopdedoo.gif" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":whoopdedoo:" title="whoopdedoo :whoopdedoo:" data-shortname=":whoopdedoo:" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="rlsnights, post: 410265, member: 7948"] Here's the thing about forced choice tests (that's what you're talking about - having to choose the best answer even if it's not a really good answer for your child). When the tests are developed and tested on real kids the test developers refine them over and over until they can, with acceptable statistical certainty, identify a certain subset of children based on a certain group or cluster of answers. There will always be kids who are missed who are really disabled and kids labeled as disabled who are not. But those will be a very small number compared to the number who are correctly identified - based on the force choice answers. But without forced choice answers the analysis required to create a reliable and valid test cannot be done. An answer that says "Sometimes but ..." cannot be statistically analyzed in such a way as to enable you to say "when parents mark sometimes on this question (and 8 others on this test) it is highly associated with a diagnosis of autism". Valid and reliable forced choice tests are helpful screening tools when used correctly. Tests are valid when they identify the kids they're supposed to identify with a high degree of accuracy. Tests are reliable when you get the same results over and over with a high degree of accuracy. Using the test correctly means that it is used by someone qualified and trained to administer and interpret the results, administered in the way the test directions call for and it is used with the population it was designed for. So if the test was designed to screen 4-7 year olds in a group and your child is 13 the test is not being used correctly. If your child is 5 but the testing is done alone then it is not being used correctly. If the test directions call for the examiner to have been trained specifically in that test and he/she wasn't then that's a problem. And if the test is supposed to be administered by a psychologist but it's being given by a school nurse then obviously that's a problem. Because there will be errors even when a test/assessment is administered correctly there should be layers of testing and assessment when the outcome is very important. If you only want to know if your child can read at grade level then one test is fine, preferably one that directly measures what you want to know. If you want information that will inform your child's education for years to come then you want lots of layers to the assessment. You want direct and indirect measures. You want direct observation by the examiner as much as possible. And you want the whole shebang administered and interpreted by the most highly qualified professional that you can afford/find. Preferably that person will also administer all the direct testing of your child themselves because a good neuropsychologist or psychologist can draw a lot of conclusions from the way your child behaves during the testing. And they will use the results they get and the observations they make to help decide what to do/test next. So - do they measure anything? Yes Do they measure what you want to know? Maybe Can you make solid predictions about your child's behavior based on the tests? Maybe. The degree to which you will be able to do this has a lot to do with the ability of the person doing the testing to choose the right tests, to administer them correctly and then to accurately and intuitively interpret the results given the questions that are being asked. Hope this helped a little. Patricia (A research analyst in a previous incarnation):whoopdedoo: [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
The Connors, the ADOS, all those tests...what do they really prove?
Top