Psychological Testing During Adolescence

Erin O’Donohue, Psy.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist

What is psychological testing?

There could be a number of explanations for why a student isn’t doing well and doesn’t enjoy school. Could the reason be an executive functioning disorder such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? Does the student have social anxiety and feel overwhelmed being around others? Could there be depression due to family stressors at home? Is the attentional deficit a result of insomnia? Although the presentation of poor academic achievement may appear similar, the underlying reason could be quite different leading to different ways to address the behavioral problem. Psychological tests and assessments get at the underlying nature of a problem in order to figure out the best way to go about intervening with the behavioral health problem. A comprehensive psychological assessment provides feedback on the strengths and limitations of the individual. It is geared at diagnosing and understanding if there is a psychiatric condition going on. The information from the assessment, along with the behavioral observations will be used to educate the diagnosis and guide treatment planning.

What assessment measures will be selected?

A licensed clinical psychologist is trained in administering and interpreting psychological assessments. The clinician will initially meet with the individual for a diagnostic interview and based on the referral question determine the best combination of tests and assessments. The assessments are standardized, objective, researched based, and reliable measures that explain an individual’s emotional, cognitive, behavioral and interpersonal functioning.

It may be determined that due to attentional disturbances a full psychological evaluation will be administered, which includes a structured interview, assessment of intellectual capability, academic achievement measures, measures of attention, projective measures, objective personality measures, and parent/teacher checklists.

It could be determined a partial or psychological assessment will be recommended, which includes a structured interview, objective personality measures, projective measures, and self-report assessments. This type of assessment can be useful to determine if there is a personality disorder or mood dysregulation that is impacting an individual’s well-being.

What to expect?

 Ultimately, it is important to recognize psychological testing is something a person doesn’t need to be afraid of or study for. It is important that the individual tries their hardest and answers questions as honestly as possible so that an accurate treatment plan can be developed to enhance an individual’s emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal functioning.