Introduction

I wrote this book to help support psychologists in their goal to provide accurate and meaningful cognitive assessments for children with multiple and severe disabilities. What do we do when a child is not able to use their hands to manipulate blocks? Or when a child is not able to use words to answer any of our questions? What about children who are not able to participate in any standardized measures of intelligence, even with adaptations? How do we get an accurate picture of the child’s capabilities? How can we make the assessment meaningful for the child, family, and team? Some people have described these children as “un-testable”. While it is true that some children will not be able to complete a standardized measure of intelligence, the limits of our clinical skills do not end with an IQ score. What you will see throughout this book is encouraging the reader to turn the focus away from “test results” and to focus instead on “assessment results.”

This book assumes that the reader is competent in conducting psycho-educational (cognitive) assessments. Readers of this book will find information on how to apply their knowledge of psycho-educational assessments to a specialized population – children with multiple, severe disabilities. The specialized assessment skills presented include adaptations for motor, communication, visual, and hearing impairments. Thus, much of the information in this book will also be applicable to children who have specific (singular) impairments in one of these areas.

This book provides many suggestions for further education on the topics presented. If you are reading a print version of this book, you may wish to access the electronic version of the book in order to have a direct link to online resources, videos, and articles. You can find the book (available for free) at the following website: https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/jengle/.

I gratefully acknowledge the technical and emotional support from my husband, Will Engle, and the excellent editing support provided by Dr. Elizabeth Stanford, Head of Psychology at BC Children’s Hospital. I am also incredibly grateful for mentorship from Dr. Roberta Heaven, and for all of the children and their families who I have assessed over the years.