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Although NASP 2021 will not be in person this year, there are still so many opportunities to connect, learn more about your favorite PAR products and authors, and interact with PAR staff members. Join us during one of the following sessions:

 

LIVE session! Attendees will receive NASP CPD credit

Wednesday, February 24, 1:30–2:30 p.m.

Teleassessment With Children: Strategies for Success

Presented by Carrie A. Champ Morera, PsyD, NCSP, LP; Terri D. Sisson, EdS; and Dan Lee, BS

 

On-demand sessions! Attendees can claim CPD self-study credit

A Process Oriented Approach for Identifying and Remediating Reading Disabilities

Presented by Steven G. Feifer, DEd, and Jack A. Naglieri, PhD

The Neuropsychology of Written Language Disorders

Presented by Steven G. Feifer, DEd, author of the FAR, FAM, and FAW

Identifying Students with ADHD: Evidence-Based Assessment with the BRIEF2

Presented by Peter K. Isquith, PhD, coauthor of the BRIEF2

Tests and Scales: Evidence for Integrative Assessment of Executive Function

Presented by Peter K. Isquith, PhD, coauthor of the BRIEF2

Helping Students Show What They Know: Enhancing Executive Functioning

Presented by Steven C. Guy, PhD, coauthor of the BRIEF2

State of Affairs: Trauma Assessment Practices in Children and Adolescents

Presented by Carrie A. Champ Morera, PsyD, NCSP, LP, PAR Project Director

 

Visit the booth!

Enjoy our industry-best Customer Support at our virtual booth. Make sure to stop by the virtual booth to download your coupon for 15% off all orders placed February 23 to March 9.

Register for NASP now! We can’t wait to “see” you online!

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February 14-21 is Alzheimer’s and Dementia Staff Education Week. This week brings awareness to the importance of properly training individuals from a variety of fields. Whether you are a health care provider, 911 operator, first responder, clergy member, elder care attorney, or have another role working with the elderly, this week focuses on the importance of comprehensive dementia education. 

Beyond educating individuals beyond those in mental and physical health care about the importance of dementia education, the week also shines a spotlight on caregivers supporting individuals with these diagnoses. 

 

Some resources for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care 

The National Institute on Aging is the primary government agency conducting research on Alzheimer’s disease. 

The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support, and research. The association’s website offers resources for caregivers as well as those living with Alzheimer’s. 

The National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (NCCDP) provides resources, including seminars and training. NCCDP members may download a free Alzheimer’s and Dementia Staff Education Week toolkit from their website. 

 

Need help assessing for neurocognitive impairment? 

Patients with neurocognitive impairment such as dementia are often unreliable reporters of their symptoms. An observer—such as a family member, friend, or home health care nurse—can often provide valuable insight into an individual’s functioning. The Older Adult Cognitive Screener™ (OACS™) is a quick informant rating scale that helps provide information on a patient’s mental status and determine if there is a need for more in-depth testing. Learn more about the OACS

The Dementia Rating Scale–2™ (DRS-2™) measures mental status in individuals with cognitive impairment. It assesses an individual’s mental status over time. 

 

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PARiConnect is the industry’s best online assessment platform. And now it has gotten even better with the introduction of the Digital Library.

What is the Digital Library?

It’s an online location within PARiConnect that stores all e-Manuals purchased from PAR in one convenient place.

How do you access the Digital Library?

Simply log into your PARiConnect account to access all your materials. Once you are logged in, you can find the Digital Library under the Quick Links section.

What are the benefits of the Digital Library?

Additional flexibility! Now you can easily access your materials from most internet-connected devices.

Have digital manuals, but don’t have a PARiConnect account?

Register for free and get 3 free assessments and reports plus easy access to your digital e-Manuals.

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Whether you are new or experienced PARiConnect user, Director of Customer Support Daniel McFadden will teach you tips and tricks to help you get the most out of PAR’s online assessment platform. 

On Thursday, February 4, new users can get a real-time tour of the platform. This webinar is ideal for users who are just getting started. 

On Friday, February 5, users who are looking to delve deeper into the lesser-known features of the platform will get an opportunity to learn time-saving shortcuts and understand advanced settings and options. 

Furthermore, both sessions will introduce users to the newest features on PARiConnect—the interactive bell curve and Digital Library! 

Register now for these free webinars! Space is limited. 

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Administration and scoring for the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is now available on PARiConnect! The WCST assesses perseveration and abstract thinking, and is considered a measure of executive function due to its reported sensitivity to frontal lobe dysfunction. Now with the WCST on PARiConnect, you can assess for executive functions in a way that fits your practice and your patient’s needs. Plus, the WCST on PARiConnect allows you to: 

  • Practice social distancing by administering remotely. 

  • Save valuable clinical time by letting PARiConnect score for you. 

  • Choose 64- or 128-card version—one inventory gives you added flexibility! 

  • Know that research has demonstrated general equivalence between computerized and card administration of the WCST. 

 

Now you can purchase the quantities you need without the expense of software or licenses! Learn more about the WCST on PARiConnect

 

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The pandemic has made it difficult to do many things, and it’s also had a huge impact on printed and mailed materials. Many people find that their magazines and catalogs are delayed or are no longer available.   

PAR’s Winter 2021 print catalogs were delivered to your home or office last week. However, we know that many of you continue to work from home or have restrictions on your mail and may not have been able to access them.   

Our new e-Catalogs allow you to conveniently browse our catalog pages from your computer or tablet 24/7.  See what’s new! 

Our Clinical Assessment Solutions catalog showcases the importance of wellbeing, offers solutions on how to stay safe during therapy sessions, and provides tips to overcome “Zoom fatigue.”  

Our School Assessment Solutions catalog helps you understand how trauma affects students, offers ways to assess the impact of trauma, and provides strategies to help you develop a trauma-sensitive environment.  

 Choose the catalog you need! 

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PARiConnect is already the most reliable platform in the industry, but our new improvements make it even easier for you to navigate the transition to remote administration.

Digital library

Manage your digital assets easier! With centralized storage provided by the digital library, all e-Manuals you have purchased from PAR are now available in one convenient location. Simply log into your PARiConnect account to access your materials. With this added flexibility, you can now access your manuals from most internet-connected devices—no matter where you are!

Interactive bell curve

Use the interactive bell curve to quickly assess and visually capture scores and see how they relate to  others. This tool is a great way to help explain assessment results to clients.

Both the digital library and the interactive bell curve can be accessed within the PARiConnect Quick Links section.

Don’t have a PARiConnect account? Register for free!

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Have you found forms from outdated assessments taking up space your office? Many Customers are unsure what to do with unused or obsolete test protocols or materials from prior versions of an instrument. Rather than letting old forms collect dust on a shelf, PAR recommends that you destroy and discard these materials in a secure manner. 

If you or your institution does not have access to a secure recycling program, PAR is happy to help! Simply e-mail custsup@parinc.com or call our Customer Support line at 1.800.331.8378 and a specialist will help you obtain a prepaid return label so we may discard the materials through our own corporate recycling program. This program is available only to our Customers in the U.S. 

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Many adjectives can be used to describe 2020, but for those of us at PAR, the word busy is one that comes to mind! In case you missed any, look back on some of the innovative products that PAR released this year.

BRIEF2 ADHD Form: Use BRIEF2 scores to predict likelihood of ADHD.

ChecKIT: A library of popular mental health checklists that allows users to mix-and-match their inventory as needed.

Identi-Fi: Measure visual organizational ability.

Feifer Assessment of Mathematics (FAM) Interpretive Report on PARiConnect: A new report that provides scores for all 19 subtests and includes detailed interpretations.

Feifer Assessment of Writing (FAW) with scoring on PARiConnect: Examine the underlying processes that support written language skills. Scoring available on PARiConnect.

Older Adult Cognitive Screener (OACS): Screen for neurocognitive impairment.

PAI Plus: Interpret PAI data in a new way; available on PARiConnect.

Pandemic Anxiety Screener for Students–12 (PASS-12): Assess the impact of a pandemic on a student’s everyday functioning.

Spanish Forms: Serve your clients with Spanish forms for the NEO-FFI-3 Form S Adult Item Booklet, the NEO-PI-3 Reusable Form S Item Booklet, and the NEO-PI-3 Hand-Scorable Answer Sheet, the PAI-A Hand-Scorable Answer Sheet, the PAI-A Softcover Reusable Item Booklet, the PAS Hand-Scorable Response Form, the RADS-2 Hand-Scorable Test Booklet, and the RCDS-2:SF Test Form.

Plus, we’ve added many new ways to use your favorite PAR products in remote settings, including introducing in-person e-Stimulus Books, e-Manuals, and remote assessment solutions. Learn more about these offerings on our School Resources page or our Remote Assessment Solutions page.

And make sure to stop by the PAR Training Portal to catch up on new interactive courses on the EDDT Family of Products, the NEO, and the FAW, as well as numerous videos, recorded webinars, and supplemental materials!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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More than 640,000 children and adolescents visit the emergency room each year for concerns related to traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI can have a negative impact on an individual’s learning and memory, affecting educational attainment in school and beyond. New research on TBI provides more insight into its effect on children and adolescents. 

Just-published research in the journal Assessment provides evidence of clinical utility of the Child and Adolescent Memory Profile (ChAMP; Sherman & Brooks, 2015) as part of a more comprehensive evaluation of traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents. The ChAMP assesses visual and verbal memory that allows for both in-depth evaluation and memory screening.  

Kate Wilson, Sofia Lesica, and Jacobus Donders from the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan assessed 61 children and adolescents with TBI using the ChAMP within 1 to 12 months after injury. They found that most ChAMP index scores demonstrated significant negative correlations with time to follow commands following TBI. After comparing ChAMP scores to a matched control group, they found that individuals with TBI had statistically significantly lower scores on all indexes, though sensitivity and specificity were suboptimal.  

The researchers concluded that the ChAMP has modest utility as part of a comprehensive evaluation of TBI in children and adolescents. Learn more about their research or learn more about the ChAMP

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