Chapter 4 - Brief Cognitive Assessment of Children: Review of Instruments and Recommendations for Best Practice

Abstract

This chapter deals mainly with issues about and specific tests for the group probably seen most by psychologists for brief intelligence testing: school-age children about 5-16 years of age. There are three contexts in which the use of brief cognitive ability tests may be especially pragmatic. The first is in mandatory reevaluations of children in public schools who are receiving special education services. A second context for the use of brief intelligence tests is when children are referred for other types of assessments, but when it is nevertheless important to screen for overall cognitive status. A final context for brief intelligence tests is that the use of brief intelligence tests helps psychologists to have initial contact with more children and set priorities for later, more extensive testing. The two main limitations of brief intelligence tests are: brief tests tend not to be as reliable as or provide information about as many ability areas as full-battery tests. There is another objection to brief intelligence tests, which is that unlike full-battery scales with their dozen or so subtests, brief intelligence tests do not yield a cognitive ability profile that can be interpreted with scatter analysis. The chapter reviews some individually administered tests for brief intelligence testing. It concludes with note of issues pertinent to brief cognitive assessment. These issues include the evaluation of children who are members of minority groups or who do not speak English as a first language.