Recommendations

1
Recommendations

• Confirm L.D. diagnosis
• Lists strengths and weaknesses
• Identify processing deficits
• Implications on specific academic skills and
  learning ability
• Outline list of educational supports

2
Learning Disability vs. Mild Intellectual
Disability

• These two diagnoses are often confused with each
  other, but represent
• vastly different conditions
• Learning Disability (L.D.)
• I.Q. gt90
• Reading 70 Borderline
• Client is intellectually functioning at age
  appropriate levels, but
• academically achieving below expectations
• Mild Intellectual Disability (M.I.D.)
• I.Q. 50-55 - 70
• Reading 70 Borderline
• Learning difficulties are commensurate with
  general impairment in intellectual functioning

3
Factors Affecting Test Performance

• Cultural Background and Native Language
• Motivation
• Pain and Medications
• Emotional State Psychiatric History
• Personality

4
Cultural Background

• ESL clients
• Limited in expressive language
• Biased on Vocabulary and Information subtests
• Limitations with an Interpreter

5
Motivation

• The higher the motivation and interest, the more
  likelihood of performing better on psychometric
  tests
• Less effort/motivation may be underestimate of
  clients true potential

6
Pain Medications

• Chronic pain symptoms
• Interfere with attention and focus/concentration
  and hence, impede with performance level
• Use of medication during evaluation
• Short-term or intermittent medication use
• Long-term medication use

7
Emotional State Psychiatric History

• Distressed and emotional unstable client is often
  distracted and unable to focus/concentrate
  lower performance scores
• Certain psychiatric disorders affect performance
  on certain WAIS-III subtests
• E.g., Schrophenrics score low on Comprehension
  and Similarities subtests

8
Personality

• Anxious, emotional reactive or sensitive
  individuals may become uneasy in the test
  situation and perform less optimally
• Conscientious, Type A personality will likely put
  forth more effort and will perform to the best of
  his/her ability
• A careless or less goal-focused client may not be
  overly concerned with achievement and may put
  forth less effort

9
Re-Training Recommendation Exercises
10
Example A

• Gender Female Age 37
• Pre-Injury Occupation
• Electronics Assembler
• Pre-Injury Wage
• 13.02/hr. x 40 hrs. (27,081.60)
• Injury Details
• Bi-lateral arms and shoulders
• Education
• O.S.S.D. in 1986
• 1 year Hair Dressing Program in 1991
• Various correspondence courses taken in 1993
• ESL No

11
WAIS-III
12
WRAT-3 Reading Comprehension Scores
Reading Comprehension Grade 8.3
13
CAPS

• MR (2nd percentile)
  Very Low
• SR (68th percentile)
  Slightly Above Average
• PSA (68th percentile)
  Slightly Above Average
• MSD (8th percentile)
  Low
  
• WK (50th percentile)
  Average
• NA (2nd percentile)
  Very Low
• LU (17th percentile)
  Below Average

14
NOC APTITUDE PROFILE

• General Learning Ability (4) Below
  Average
• Verbal Ability (4)
  Slightly Below Average
• Numerical Ability (5) Low
  
• Spatial Perception (3)
  Average
• Form Perception (3) Average
• Clerical Perception (3)
  Average
• Motor Co-ordination (4) Slightly
  Below Average
• Finger Dexterity (4)
  Slightly Below Average
• Manual Dexterity (4) Slightly
  Below Average

15
What would be your training recommendations?
16
Answer

• Retraining options include
• entry-level
• informal - upon completion of upgrading in
  Math to
• a Grade 10 level
• formal (vocational school, or
• college, certificate or diploma
  programs) - upon
• completion of upgrading in Math
  Spelling to a Grade
• 12 level
• May benefit from receiving academic supports in a
  formal educational setting to compensate for
  weakness in working memory
• Due to potential Learning Disability, a
  Psycho-Educational assessment is advised

17
Example B
Gender Male Age 42 Pre-Injury
Occupation Machine Set Up and
Maintenance Mechanic Pre-Injury Wage
13.00/hr. x 42 hrs. (28,392.00) Injury
Details Right Eye Education Grade 9 in Spain
in 1978 Two weeks of ESL training in 1979 ESL
Yes
18
WAIS-III
19
WRAT-3 Reading Comprehension Scores

• WRAT-3

Reading Comprehension Grade Test Was Not
Administered
20
CAPS

• MR (68th percentile)
  Slightly Above Average
• SR (68th percentile)
  Slightly Above Average
• PSA (50th percentile)
  Average
• MSD (68th percentile)
  Slightly Above Average
• WK Incomplete
  Incomplete
• NA (50th percentile)
  Average
• LU Incomplete
  Incomplete

21
NOC APTITUDE PROFILE

• General Learning Ability (3) Average
  
• Verbal Ability (0) N/A
  
• Numerical Ability (3) Average
  
• Spatial Perception (3) Average
• Form Perception (3) Average
• Clerical Perception (4) Below
  Average
• Motor Co-ordination (3) Average
  
• Finger Dexterity (3) Average
• Manual Dexterity (3) Average

22
What would be your training recommendations?
23
Answer

• Retraining options include
• entry-level upon completion of ESL/literacy
  training
• (English conversational and reading
  skills)
• informal retraining upon completion of
  upgrading in all
• academic areas to a Grade 10 level
•         
• Upon successful completion of ESL/upgrading, a
  Vocational re-assessment is advised to explore
  the clients potential to undertake formal
  retraining

24
Understanding Psychometric Assessments

• Presented By
• Keith Chambers (Executive Director)
• Presentation Written and Designed By
• Lan Mee Hong-Chambers (Director of Operations)
• Anna Gorbatski (Manager of Psychometric and
  Vocational Services)
• Lori A. Sheppard (Executive Assistant)

25
Assessments Services

• Vocational
• Psycho-Vocational
• Neuro-Psycho-Vocational
• Psycho-Educational
• Psycho-Educational-Vocational
• Transferable Skills Analysis
• Labour Market Survey