Straight Talk about Psychological Testing for Kids

Ellen Braaten, PhD, is Executive Director of the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School (HMS), and Visiting Professor at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. She has been affiliated with MGH and HMS since 1998. Dr. Braaten is widely recognized for her expertise in pediatric neuropsychological and psychological assessment, particularly in the areas of assessing learning disabilities and attentional disorders. Her research and numerous publications focus on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, gender and psychopathology, intelligence, and assessment. She has published numerous books for professionals and parents, including Bright Kids Who Couldn't Care Less and Bright Kids Who Can't Keep Up.Gretchen Felopulos, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist on the Massachusetts General Hospital staff in Child Psychiatry and in its Psychology Assessment Center. She is also on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and has a private practice in Lexington, Massachusetts. In addition to her specialization in pediatric neuropsychology and psychological testing, Dr. Felopulos provides psychotherapy to children as well as parental guidance. She is a primary supervisor for psychology interns studying the process of testing, and she teaches many seminars each year to interns and residents on the topic of children and testing.

Straight Talk about Psychological Testing for Kids, by Harvard psychologists Ellen Braaten, PhD, and Gretchen Felopulos, PhD, would have saved me many sleepless nights. It covers just about everything parents need to know about testing....The book takes a user-friendly 'who, what, when, how' approach, with many case studies. Odds are, you'll find your own questions answered, as I did.--Terry Matlen, MSW, mother of a child with special needsPsychological testing is an invaluable resource in helping to determine what may be problematic with your child. This book is an extraordinary reference for parents and professionals in truly understanding when to use, and how to interpret, the various psychological tests available. Drs. Braaten and Felopulos provide an exceptional service by distilling complex information into a very readable and pragmatic guide.--Timothy E. Wilens, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolAt last! A superb book for the lay person about psychological testing. It is highly informative, extremely interesting, and it is really fun to read. Braaten and Felopulos have written a totally engrossing book on a topic that is usually deadly dull. Their secret is to give testing a human face and describe how it points the way to solutions for many kinds of human suffering. They write with clarity, but also with heart. They are clear, without oversimplifying. They cover a huge amount of ground, but allow the reader to enjoy the ride. This is the best book of its kind that I have ever seen.--Edward M. Hallowell, MD, author of The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness and coauthor of Driven to DistractionFor parents wrestling with the question of how best to help a child struggling with school or with social or behavioral problems, this book is an absolute godsend. Clarifying what psychological testing is and what it can tell parents about their child, Drs. Braaten and Felopulos manage not only to demystify these complex diagnostic tools but also to teach parents about child development in general. Warm and wonderfully reassuring, the authors convey their extensive knowledge and clinical experience in language that is clear, direct, and accessible. Parents will appreciate the effort to highlight important terminology, the Q & A sections, and especially the affirming message that their 'non-expert' insights and understanding of their child are invaluable.--Bonnie Ohye, PhDProfessional psychologists, while mindful of the complexities associated with psychological testing, often fail to remember how intimidating the process can be for parents and families. Drs. Braaten and Felopulos provide an excellent review of the psychological testing process from the beginning to the closing stages. The book will be both enormously helpful to parents and instructive to professional psychologists, social workers, school-based professionals, and graduate students. This is a very valuable book.--Tanya L. Eckert, PhD, School Psychology Program, Syracuse University- The authors offer extensive, readable information for parents regarding the many tests for various disorders of childhood. The presentation is in format that makes the information easily accessible....Contains a wealth of information that is accurate and practical. It can be recommended to parents, or used as a textbook. One of the strengths of this book is its acknowledgment of the place that speech and language pathologists have in the treatment of many of the disorders presented. In this regard, the book can be an adjunct text for graduate students in speech and language pathology, educational psychology, or pastoral counseling. In each case, the professional will have very practical information for working with parents and children. --Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health, 11/28/2003

• I. Where Do I Begin?1. How Do I Know My Child Needs Testing?2. What Is Involved in a Testing Evaluation?3. Who Is Qualified to Conduct the Evaluation?II. A Practical Guide to Commonly Used Tests4. The Tests: What Are They and What Do They Do?5. What Do All the Numbers Mean?III. Common Childhood Disorders6. Dyslexia7. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder 8. Nonverbal Learning Disorders and Asperger Syndrome9. Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder 10. Mathematics Disorder and Disorder of Written Expression11. Children at the Extremes: Mental Retardation and Giftedness