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PAR staff has arrived in Denver and we are so excited to see you at the NASP 2023 Annual Convention!

Make sure to stop by the PAR booth and save 15% on any purchases made at the convention. You will also receive free ground shipping!

PAR authors and experts will be presenting throughout the conference. Be sure to check out these informative sessions.

Assessing Written Language Disorders Using the FAW: Interpretive Report and Interventions

Steven G. Feifer, DEd, and Carrie Champ Morera, PsyD, NCSP, LP

PAR Publisher Sponsored Special Session

Wednesday, February 8, 9:00–9:50 a.m. MT

Evidence-Based Assessment With the BRIEF2 to Identify Students With ADHD

Peter K. Isquith, PhD, Gerard A. Gioia, PhD, Steven C. Guy, PhD, and Lauren Kenworthy, PhD

Thursday, February 9, 8–9:50 a.m. MT

Executive Functioning Challenges and Interventions for Students With ASD or ADHD

Lauren Kenworthy, PhD

Thursday, February 9, 8–9:20 a.m. MT

The Neuropsychology of Stress and Trauma: Developing Trauma Informed Schools

Steven G. Feifer, DEd

Thursday, February 9, 10–11:50 a.m. MT

Using Neuropsychology to Identify Dyslexia in Spanish and English

Steven G. Feifer, DEd

Thursday, February 9, 2–3:50 p.m. MT

Looking forward to seeing you in Denver!

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This week’s blog was contributed by Melissa Milanak, PhD, PAR’s clinical assessment. Melissa is a licensed clinical psychologist and internationally recognized academic. She has extensive clinical experience providing therapy and conducting assessments with a diverse array of patient populations.

As your trusted source for assessments for all your clinical needs, PAR is excited to also partner with you in many practical ways as you conduct your research, whether it be a large federally funded grant, a manuscript you are preparing to submit, or a course project with your students and trainees running on zero budget. Here are just a few of the ways PAR can help researchers.

Save time with manuscript writing

The submission deadline is approaching, and it is time to write the methods section. Instead of spending hours pouring through assessment manuals and reading journal article after journal article to extract psychometric data for the one paragraph, consider reaching out to PAR directly. Our psychologists and researchers have already prepared and formatted the assessment info paragraphs for you that you can insert into your manuscripts and grant applications. Don’t see the one you need there? Let us know and we will get you the info you need.

Save money through data sharing

Through our data sharing program, you can partner with our R&D team to help us collect important data on our assessments all while receiving discounts and/or free usage of the related assessments. All data sharing is of course de-identified and confidential to protect participants.

Expand your subject population

Through our digital assessment platform, PARiConnect, you can email HIPAA-compliant links directly to research participants to complete all of your research assessments online, expanding your geographical reach. You can also access observer and collateral research data without requiring additional individuals to come into your data collection site. Plus, if you send out an assessment link and a participant decides not to participate, you can revoke the link and reuse the assessment with another participant without having to pay for an unused assessment.

Improve data integrity

By using PARiConnect, either through a HIPAA-compliant email link or in-person digital entry option, participants enter their own data, removing a layer of data entry error (and the need to invest in time for research assistants to enter and check data entry). Plus, with settings to prevent skipping questions, you can reduce the risk of missing data.

Reduce data processing time

In less than a minute, you can download item-level assessment data to a CSV spreadsheet formatted to integrate with statistics software such as SPSS to increase the ease of data processing and analyzation.

Training for your research team

Through our FREE Training Portal and team of clinical assessment advisors, PAR provides on-demand training for you and your research teams to learn about the assessments from underlying constructs to administration, scoring, and interpretation.

Provide additional support

As you are designing your research, clinical psychologists, neuropsychologists, and psychometrists who have a history of successfully securing federally funded grants and publishing in high impact-factor journals are available to consult with you to build effective, efficient research assessment batteries.

These examples are just the beginning when exploring ways that PAR can partner with you to design, conduct, and publish your research using high-caliber, industry gold-standard assessments. Reach out to our team today to learn more!

Check out this video on ways PAR can help you easily integrate digital assessments into your practice.

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This week’s blog was contributed by Terri Sisson, EdS, educational assessment advisor, national accounts. Terri spent more than 20 years in public schools as a licensed school psychologist. She is a past president of the Virginia Association of School Psychologists. 

 

Many students with executive function deficiencies find their performance in both the home and classroom environments is negatively impacted. When I practiced in the schools, I wrote my recommendations with parents and teachers in mind, as these were the people who would read and use my recommendations. I found that if the intended audience understood executive functions and how they impact learning, they were more likely to be effective at implementing successful strategies. 

Lauren Kenworthy, PhD, coauthor of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, 2nd Ed. (BRIEF2) and the Unstuck and on Target! curriculum, and her colleagues have created a free video series designed for parents and teachers that explains different executive function concepts and provides recommendations for intervention.

Some videos are designed specifically for teachers and offer free training (with continuing education credits). For parents, informative videos and tip sheets help explain the executive functions in a way they can easily understand. Some videos are available in Spanish.

Although the videos support the Unstuck and on Target! curriculum, which improves flexibility, planning, organization, problem solving, and coping, they provide useful information for all parents and teachers about how to improve executive functioning in students. Check out the videos for teachers or parents and share them with others who may benefit.

 

Learn more about Unstuck and on Target!

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This week’s blog was contributed by Darla DeCarlo, PsyS, LMHC, PAR’s regional manager–educational assessments. Darla is a certified school psychologist who spent more than 30 years providing professional services in a variety of settings. 

Anxiety is not always a bad thing. In fact, our ancestors could not have survived without it. Fear and worry are aspects of the human condition that we need—to some degree—in order to survive and thrive. However, when anxiety interferes with daily activities and becomes overwhelming, it can be restraining, debilitating, and even paralyzing. 

School shootings, the pandemic, increased societal violence, and a generally chaotic world have set the stage for an increase in mental health issues in children. As school psychologists and educators, we worry about the impact this has on our students—and about the subsequent impact it has on their ability to learn and succeed in school.

A recent study conducted by the Wisconsin–Minnesota Comprehensive Center (WMCC), in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), confirmed what educators and administrators have been reporting in recent years: Student mental health is suffering, and anxiety is playing a large role.

Parents further confirm this. The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago studied 1,000 parents from around the U.S., and what they learned was astounding: 71% of parents said the pandemic had taken a toll on their child’s mental health, and 69% said the pandemic was the worst thing to happen to their child.

The increase in mental health issues among students predates the pandemic. A recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study showed a significant increase in reported mental health conditions in children ages 3 to 17 years between 2016 and 2020. During this time, anxiety diagnoses in this age group grew by 29% and depression diagnoses increased by 27%.

How can educators recognize when students are overwhelmed because of worry, fear, and stress?

Every child is unique, so responses to stressful situations vary from child to child. Perception also differs from child to child, so what one sees as unmanageable another may see as a challenge.

Symptoms of anxiety in students

Keep in mind, these signs and symptoms are not only associated with anxiety. We might see these same symptoms for completely unrelated reasons.

Physical

•            Headaches

•            Upset stomach or stomach pains

•            Chest pain, palpitations, or increased heart rate

•            Nightmares

•            Bedwetting

•            Decreased appetite, comfort-eating, or binge-eating

•            Pretending to be sick to avoid activities

Emotional

•            Mood swings

•            Clinginess

•            New or recurring fears

•            Increased crying, anger, stubbornness, or aggression

•            Decreased concentration or motivation

•            Regressing toward comforting behaviors from early childhood (i.e., thumb-sucking, nail-biting, sleeping with a stuffed animal)

•            Social isolation, withdrawal, or unwillingness to participate in formerly enjoyed activities

Behavioral

•            Increased irritability

•            Difficulty falling or staying asleep

•            Difficulty separating from parents

•            Refusal to go to school or participate in other activities, including those for fun

•            Difficulty meeting new people

•            Not speaking to people outside of the family

•            Nervous tics

PAR offers a variety of assessment products to address anxiety throughout the life span. Learn more.

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This week’s blog was contributed by Eric Culqui, MA, PPS, PAR’s educational assessments advisor–regional accounts. Eric is a licensed school psychologist with more than 14 years of experience and a NASP-certified crisis response trainer and first responder. 

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, educators were struggling with increases in disruptive behaviors. In a 2019 study of nearly 1,900 elementary school teachers, administrators, and staff, behavioral disruptions including tantrums, bullying, and defiance were noted to have increased in kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms.

Beyond impeding instructional time, these behaviors had a negative impact on the mental health of students. Trauma in the family, untreated mental illness, overexposure to electronic devices, and inadequate playtime, in addition to changes in parenting styles, were cited as suspected factors in these behaviors. Upon the return to school after quarantine, these behaviors were noted to have increased and were observed in much younger students. This was further exacerbated by increased mental health needs of students. Traditional methods and resources were not seen to be sufficient. Given the increased need for mental health intervention and promotion, strengths-based assessment can be used to evaluate strengths and competencies as part of a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation and to plan for an individualized behavioral, educational, and/or treatment plan.

The Social Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales (SEARS) is a system for assessing, from multiple informants, the social–emotional competencies and assets of children and adolescents ages 5 to 18 years across multiple settings. Social–emotional assets and resiliencies can be broadly defined as a set of adaptive characteristics that are important for success at school, with peers, and in the outside world. The SEARS offers assessment professionals the opportunity to measure common constructs of self-regulation, responsibility, social competence, and empathy.

The SEARS utilizes a strengths-based approach to guide interventions that help identify a child’s internal assets as opposed to focusing on their deficits. This allows for a diversity of intervention strategies across a multi-tiered system of supports as opposed to making a referral directly to special education assessment. Addressing the whole child by helping them identify and leverage their strengths is critical given myriad stressors impressed on our students as a result of COVID-19.

Read more about recent research on SEARS that supports its clinical use or visit the PAR Training Portal for an on-demand training course.

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What a year! We at PAR have been incredibly busy creating new products, developing useful webinars, and providing you with the tools and information you need to help those you serve. Here’s a quick look back at some of the things we’ve been up to in 2022.

Spanish releases

To better help you serve Spanish-speaking clients, we released many of our most popular tests for online administration in Spanish on PARiConnect this year. This includes the BRIEF2 Parent Form Spanish, the BRIEF2 Self-Report Form, the EDDT-PF, the EDDT-SR, the PSI-4-SF, and the TSI-2. Learn more about our Spanish-language offerings here.

Furthermore, we released the PAI Spanish: Revised Translation, which enables clinicians to assess personality and psychopathology among Spanish-speaking adults. This translation was reviewed exhaustively by an expert panel of bilingual psychologists and offers Spanish-language client emails and test instructions, providing clients with a seamless testing experience.

More options on PARiConnect

The Feifer Assessment of Writing Interpretive Report (FAW-IR) was recently added to the Feifer product family. This new report provides scores for all FAW subtests and includes detailed interpretations of index, discrepancy, and subtest scores. The FAW-IR offers targeted intervention recommendations tailored to each individual’s age and FAW scores, aiding clinicians in creating personalized and targeted intervention recommendations.

The Iowa Gambling Task, Version 2 (IGT2) is now available for administration and scoring on PARiConnect. The IGT2 evaluates decision making via a real-time gambling task that resembles real-world situations. A complimentary technical paper can be downloaded from the IGT2 product page.

The Multidimensional Health Profile–Health Functioning (MHP-H) form is now available for administration and scoring on PARiConnect. Ideal for use in health care settings, the MHP-H can provide insight to improve long-term health outcomes.

Two Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) reports were added to PARiConnect this year. The NAB Main Modules Score Report and the NAB Screening Module Score Report allow users to enter data from a paper-and-pencil assessment and receive scores via PARiConnect.

BRIEF2 Interventions Handouts are informative ways to provide parents, teachers, and students with detailed information and interventions to improve executive function in children and adolescents. The BRIEF2 handouts are only available via PARiConnect.

And we made updates to the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory Score Report to now include a longitudinal profile and an updated look and feel!

And so much more!

The PAR Training Portal offers a new interactive course on the Social Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales (SEARS) as well as recordings of all the PARtalks webinars from this year. Visit today to catch up on all the content from this year.

Looking forward to serving you even better in 2023!

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The Feifer Assessment of Writing™ Interpretive Report (FAW-IR™) is now available!  

Students spend nearly 60% of their school day engaged in the process of written expression. Deficits in the writing process can wreak havoc on students’ education. The FAW examines the underlying processes that support proficient written language skills. In addition to identifying the possibility of dysgraphia, the FAW is able to determine the specific subtype of dysgraphia.  

In addition to scoring the FAW, the FAW-IR on PARiConnect provides a general overview of a student’s scores, including index interpretations, discrepancy scores, and intervention recommendations. What makes this interpretive report unique is that it provides strategies and recommendations specific to each individual’s scores. Clinicians can use these additional resources to recommend targeted interventions to help their clients.  

The FAW is a diagnostic achievement test designed to examine the underlying cognitive, motoric, and linguistic processes that support proficient written language skills. It is the third and final member of the Feifer family of diagnostic achievement test batteries, joining the Feifer Assessment of Reading (FAR) and the Feifer Assessment of Mathematics (FAM)

Results of the FAW help specify, from a neuropsychological perspective, exactly why a student struggles with written language so clinicians can develop appropriate, customized interventions. It also provides additional information about a student’s writing skills that allow users to dig deeper into a student’s writing abilities.  

The FAW can be administered to individuals from prekindergarten through college.  

Learn more about the FAW-IR now

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One of PAR’s core values is to give back to the community. We participate in many special events during the year that benefit organizations in the Tampa Bay area. Here’s a look at some of the activities and events PAR staff have participated in recently. 

In November, PAR staff supported the American Heart Association (AHA) with a neighborhood walk to raise funds to help people fight heart disease and stroke. Learn more about the work the AHA is doing to save lives.

In honor of Thanksgiving, PAR staff collected donations and delivered 70 Boxes of Hope to Metropolitan Ministries to support their annual holiday food drive. This was the largest donation that PAR has ever gathered for this event and one of the largest single donations the organization has ever received—approximately 2,500 pounds of food! Metropolitan Ministries provides the boxes to families in need so they can enjoy a Thanksgiving meal. 

In December, we collected donations for our annual Angel Tree program. Each year, our generous staff work with many agencies throughout Tampa to make the holidays brighter for those in our community. This year, PAR staff partnered with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Redland’s Christian Migrant Association, the Heart Gallery of Tampa, and the Children’s Cancer Center to bring holiday spirit, food, gift cards, and gifts to those in need. 

We are so grateful to be able to give back to our community with our time, energy, and resources. To learn more about what we are doing to make a difference in the Tampa Bay area, visit our Community PARtners page.
 

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The Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) now offers two reports available for scoring via PARiConnect—the NAB Screening Module Score Report and the NAB Main Modules Score Report. These NAB reports will allow clinicians to enter data from a paper-and-pencil assessment and receive scores via PARiConnect.  

Users of the NAB Screening Module Score Report will receive an estimate of the examinee’s functioning in each of the NAB domains and gather information on whether further examination is warranted. Users of the NAB Main Modules Score Report receive scores and profiles for any of the NAB domains for which they have entered information. Adding these reports to PARiConnect allows clinicians the ability to score these assessments from anywhere they may be.  

Learn more about the NAB

The NAB is a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment that offers the combined strengths of both a flexible and fixed battery, allowing clinicians to focus on specific areas of concern across a wide range of cognitive skills and functions. The NAB consists of five domain-specific modules: Attention, Language, Memory, Spatial, and Executive Functions. The sixth module, Screening, allows clinicians to determine which of the other five domain-specific modules are appropriate to administer to an individual client. Each of the six NAB modules is self-contained and may be administered independently of the other modules. 

Each of the 33 individual NAB tests has two equivalent, parallel forms that were created and normed simultaneously to facilitate reevaluation while avoiding practice effects. 

 

Learn more about the NAB or visit the PAR Training Portal for an on-demand interactive course on this assessment. 

 

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The need for mental health services for Spanish-speaking populations has never been greater. A study published in May reveals that from 2014–2019, the Hispanic population in the U.S. increased by 4.5%, but the number of facilities providing services in Spanish decreased by 17.8%. And these statistics don’t include the overall uptick in demand for mental health services created by the pandemic. 

As part of our commitment to provide access to underserved populations, PAR now offers several Spanish-language assessment tools on PARiConnect, our online assessment platform, providing you with flexible assessment options for your Spanish-speaking clients and students to assess your Spanish-speaking clients.  

Administration for these products is now available in Spanish on PARiConnect: 

The Parenting Stress Index™, Fourth Edition Short Form (PSI™-4-SF) can quickly identify parent–child problem areas. 

The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function®, Second Edition (BRIEF®2) Parent and Self-Report forms help you assess impairment of executive function from the parent or child’s perspective.  

The Trauma Symptom Inventory™-2 (TSI™-2) evaluates acute and chronic posttraumatic symptomatology.  

The Emotional Disturbance Decision Tree™–Parent Form and EDDT™-Self-Report Form assess emotional disturbance from the parent’s or student’s perspective. 

The Personality Assessment Inventory™ (PAI®) Spanish: Revised Translation comprehensively assesses adult psychopathology. 

 

Visit our Spanish-Language Products page for a complete listing of the many other products we offer in Spanish, plus you can download our FREE Language Acculturation Meter

 

 

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