As everyone is aware, COVID-19 continues to be of significant concern in the U.S. and worldwide. We want to assure everyone that we are closely monitoring updates from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and the Federal Government to ensure we are following their recommendations to protect the safety of our staff, Customers, and partners.

As part of these measures, we are discouraging all business travel into the foreseeable future.

In response to the recent outbreak in Florida, PAR has implemented our emergency response procedures. To protect the health and safety of our staff, we have put in place a remote working schedule for most of our team members. We do not anticipate any interruptions in service and will continue to provide the same best-in-class Customer support you have come to expect.

While this is an unprecedented moment, it’s important that we approach it with a sense of calm and responsibility.

In the meantime, please continue to take care of yourselves and each other.

With great appreciation, Kristin

It’s a simple reminder, but a powerful message. At PAR, we strive to live by these values. It’s part of our culture.

be kind. We are kind when we treat people with respect and compassion, when we offer support and sympathy, and when we help in ways large and small.

do good. We do good by helping others as we can and by contributing resources to our communities.

We want to promote these values around the world—one sticky note, note pad, bookmark, and thank you note at a time—as a reminder that sometimes doing the little things can make a big difference.

Each year, PAR will contribute a minimum of $25,000 to its bkdg fund, and all profits from the sales of our be kind. do good. merchandise will be added to this account. These funds will be donated during the year to organizations that are doing good things.

We invite you to help spread our be kind. do good. message in your community. Learn more or order now!

With several students each day to evaluate, assess, and refer, your time is at a premium. Finding time to score assessments, interpret results, and write reports is never easy, but your job is to help students on the path to academic success, so you do what it takes.

The Feifer Assessment of Mathematics (FAM) is a comprehensive assessment of mathematics that determines if a student is at risk for dyscalculia. It is useful for educators, math specialists, and school psychologists not only because it identifies possible neurodevelopmental causes of math learning difficulties—but also because it offers intervention recommendations based on a student’s specific areas of strength and weakness.  It truly helps put “individual” back into your IEP.

A new Interpretive Report—available only on PARiConnect—uses the power of the FAM to get your students the help they need and saves you valuable time. 

After entering scores from a FAM administration, the report generates a detailed score summary and profiles that you can easily copy and paste into your own report; comprehensive interpretations of all FAM indexes, index discrepancies, and subtests; targeted math intervention strategies and programs based on your student’s age and unique profile of strengths and weaknesses.  

With quick scoring, thorough interpretation, and tailored recommendations, the FAM Interpretive Report saves you time and helps you get your students on the path to math success. Volume pricing is available.

Learn more

When you need to measure visual organizational ability in patients or clients with traumatic brain damage or central nervous system compromise, you need a tool that’s not only reliable and valid but also one that uses clear and realistic illustrations, one with up-to-date normative data, and one that requires low motor demand.

Identi-Fi is a new measure of visual organizational ability that can be used to assess the effects of traumatic brain injury or central nervous system compromise, monitor recovery following a brain injury, evaluate visual perceptual or processing skills deficits (as seen in some reading disorders), determine right hemisphere dysfunction, and measure visual attention.

It was conormed with the Trails-X, a measure of adaptive planning and executive function, and standardized with individuals ages 5 to 79 years. Normative data is representative of 2017 U.S. Census statistics, and percentile ranks, T scores, z scores, normal curve equivalents, and stanines are available.

Unlike similar measures, Identi-Fi features two subtests. The Visual Organization subtest requires the examinee to view a series of cut-up, puzzle-like images and identify what each would be if assembled. Visual Matching uses the same cut-up images but provides a series of foils for each from which the examinee must choose the correct assembled image.  Administration takes only 10 minutes. 

Designed with large, full-color stimuli that feature modern illustrations, Identi-Fi is more salient to current populations and more adaptable to mildly visually impaired individuals. And without the confounds that accompany similar tests (such as the rapid assembly of physical puzzle pieces) Identi-Fi is an easier-to-interpret and more accurate measure of visual organization.

It’s time for the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Annual Convention. This year’s event will take place February 18 to 21 in Baltimore and PAR will be there. If you’re going to NASP, please stop by the PAR booth (#413) to visit us. You can see samples of our products, pick up some giveaways, and enter a raffle to win a BRIEF2 or FAR kit!

While you’re at NASP, make sure to attend some of the many presentations being hosted by PAR authors. For a complete listing of sessions, dates, and times, see our author presentation schedule.

Yet another reason to visit the PAR booth—we will be offering special discounts on all purchases made at our booth during NASP. You’ll save 15% on your order plus we’ll include free ground shipping!

One of PAR’s core values is to give back to the community, and our dedicated staff provide time and resources to a variety of causes. This blog is the first in a series about what drew our staff members to become involved with various charities. Today’s blog focuses on Jim Eddy’s relationship with Trinity Café.

When he was in high school, PAR Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Jim Eddy’s mother left for good. Soon after, his father decided to leave town. He told Jim he had minutes to move out. Suddenly, Jim found himself without a home.

The youngest of five children, he needed to find a way to support himself, so he walked into First Florida Bank in Fort Myers looking for work.

“Gotta eat; need a job,” he told them. They walked him into the computer room—which no one in the bank wanted to learn. He didn’t know how to operate a computer, either, he told them. A woman pointed to some manuals nearby and told him, “That’s what the big books are for. You better start reading.” That was the day Jim started on his career path in computers.

About six years ago, Jim, who came to PAR in 2013, learned about Trinity Café. A program of Feeding Tampa Bay, Trinity Cafe is a free full-service restaurant for those in need. Seven days a week, guests take part in a restaurant-style experience, complete with a three-course meal. Volunteers serve, act as hosts, and bus tables. Trinity Café’s message resonated with Jim, and he organized a group of volunteers from PAR—known for its commitment to community—to serve. Today, Jim spearheads a group from PAR to make the trip to Trinity Café three times each year.

“You do a lot of things and often never see the outcome,” Jim said. “At Trinity Café, you serve and you see the outcome as you do it. It’s not abstract.” Jim believes that many other PAR staff members continue to volunteer at each opportunity because they can see how their work helps someone in an immediate way.

“My career has been fast-paced and I’ve raised a family with my wife Shari,” said Jim, who sees his involvement with Trinity Café as one way to integrate his strong Christian faith into the workplace, “but it limited my time to help others. It bothered me that I wasn’t able to do more. If you aren’t helping others, then faith is meaningless. PAR makes it easy to help others.”

Make sure to stop by the PAR booth (#3) at INS to learn more about our latest products. The Trails-X assesses executive function through an innovative trail-making task. We’ll also have a sneak peak of our latest test, Identi-Fi, which provides a modern, realistic, and reliable way to measure visual organizational ability. You can also satisfy your sweet tooth with our delicious chocolates and we’ll have other giveaways, including door hangers and notebooks.

Mark your convention calendar for a poster presentation by Jennifer Greene, PhD. Held in conjunction with Session 2 (Pediatric Assessment and Neurodevelopmental Disorders), Dr. Green will discuss Development of the Language Acculturation Meter for Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners on Thursday, February 6, from 8 to 9:15 a.m. in the Centennial Ballroom Foyer.

The Language Acculturation Meter is a free tool that helps you makes informed decisions when testing culturally and linguistically diverse clients or students. It measures education history, everyday English usage, and self-reported English Comprehension to provide a framework for assessment testing and clinical decision-making, ensuring bilingual and ELL examinees receive a fair and ecologically valid assessment.

Remember: All orders taken at the PAR booth during INS receive a 15% discount plus free shipping and handling!

Let the EDDT family of products help you find the way when navigating the challenging path of an emotional disturbance diagnosis. The EDDT family of products offer school/clinical professionals a standardized approach to gathering information from parents, teachers, and the student him or herself about the individuals functioning in the areas that make up the federal ED criteria. Now training on how to use the EDDT products is available on the PAR Training Portal.

Whether you are a long-time user and want a greater understanding of the products or are considering purchasing for the first time, this course will give you greater insight into the assessment of emotional disturbance, the decisions made when developing the EDDT, and how the different components work together to promote a comprehensive assessment of the student across school and home environments.

The PAR Training Portal is a free, on-demand resource available 24/7.

Visit partrainingportal.com today!

Simply use your parinc.com account to log in. Don’t have a free account? It’s easy to register.

In December 2019, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated their recommendations for the screening of autism for the first time since 2007. Here is a brief summary of the new guidelines issued by the AAP.

·       All children should be screened for symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at all visits.

·       Developmental and behavioral screenings should be performed at the 9-month, 18-month, and 30-month visits.

·       Standardized autism-specific screening tests should be performed at 18 and 24 months of age.

One of the primary reasons for the change is that children with ASD can be identified as young as toddlers. As with many conditions, early intervention is crucial and can influence outcomes.

PAR is proud to publish an instrument that can help clinicians adhere to these new guidelines. The PDD Behavior Inventory™ Screening Edition (PDDBI-SV) can be used to screen children at risk for autism spectrum disorder as young as 18 months. It can be administered in 10 minutes or less, letting you know quickly if the child is at risk.

If further evaluation is warranted, PAR’s PDDBI and the PDDBI ASD Decision Tree can also be used with children as young as 18 months of age.

This week’s blog was written by Carrie Champ Morera, PsyD. Dr. Champ Morera is a project director at PAR. She is also a nationally certified school psychologist and licensed psychologist with more than 20 years of experience in the field. She enjoys traveling and exploring beaches.

Traumatic experiences are widespread. More than 38% of children have experienced a traumatic event. Though many children are able to demonstrate resiliency and continue to thrive in school after experiencing an adverse event, others are not as fortunate without intervention. The impact of trauma too often interferes with children’s behavior and learning in school. On average, children spend about 1,000 out of 6,000 waking hours in school each year; therefore, it is critical for school professionals to become knowledgeable about trauma and learn how to help children improve their emotional, behavioral, and academic functioning so that they can be successful.

PAR author Steven G. Feifer, DEd, has written a new book, The Neuropsychology of Stress & Trauma: How to Develop a Trauma Informed School, meant to educate and help professionals, parents, and other caregivers. The book includes a foreword by Robert B. Brooks, PhD, faculty at Harvard Medical School, provides information on the physiological, psychological, environmental, and educational impacts of childhood trauma. The book also provides an abundance of additional resources for trauma information including evidence-based interventions for addressing trauma in the schools and at home. Key learning points, figures, and tables are provided in each chapter, making the information easy to digest and providing the reader with major takeaways.

Furthermore, the book examines how trauma and stress impact the brain. Dr. Feifer explores how the impact of trauma can disrupt behavior and learning, particularly in the school setting, an area that only has been explored recently. Strategies and interventions on how to develop a trauma-informed classroom are provided. Finally, Dr. Feifer provides guidance in the area of assessment by providing a framework for trauma-informed assessment, with a review of important areas to assess and suggested tools.

Dr. Feifer will present on trauma at the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) annual convention in February. In his workshop, The Neuropsychology of Trauma: Trauma-Sensitive Assessment, Dr. Feifer will discuss steps in developing trauma-informed schools, cover trauma assessment techniques, and explore classroom and school-wide interventions to foster emotional growth. If you attend the convention, feel free to stop by the PAR booth to learn more about how PAR can meet your assessment needs.

Dr. Feifer is also the author of the Feifer Assessment of Math (FAM), the Feifer Assessment of Reading (FAR), and the Feifer Assessment of Writing (FAW).