D. Using VR Assessment/Evaluation Tools
- Barry Smith
Summary of Assessment Methods and Techniques
Purpose of Assessment:
Assessments must have a clear purpose aligned with the goals of informed consent.
VR professionals must adhere to ethical standards, avoiding unnecessary information gathering.
The assessment's purpose dictates the type and scope of information collected.
Types of Assessments:
Evidence-Based: Tracks progress and supports accountability, essential for reimbursement from payers.
User-Led/Form-Led: Centered on client input or structured formats.
Standardized/Non-Standardized Tools: Both can be valid if used appropriately and ethically.
Benefits of Evidence-Based Practices:
Facilitates goal-setting and treatment planning.
Tracks changes in behavior, mood, and attitudes effectively.
Can align with various theoretical approaches to therapy.
Client Engagement:
Builds a therapeutic alliance crucial for effective treatment.
Encourages client participation and sharing of relevant information.
Rapport Building:
Actively listen to verbal and non-verbal cues.
Reflect on the client’s statements to show understanding.
Use culturally sensitive communication and address clients by their preferred names.
Validation and Clarification:
Check in with clients to normalize emotions and clarify information.
Address inconsistencies respectfully to maintain trust and understanding.
Communication Patterns:
Analyzing patterns (e.g., neuro-linguistic programming) helps tailor responses and assess subjective experiences.
Purpose of Vocational Evaluation:
Determines a client’s potential to return to work.
Identifies vocational skills, occupational options, and barriers to employment.
Summary of Assessment Tools – Types and Instruments
Overview:
Assessment tools measure various aspects of an individual's function, including achievement, aptitude, intelligence, personality, and behavior. The validity of results depends heavily on the sample group used for norm-referencing.
Intelligence Tests:
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS):
Used for older children and adults.
Provides scores for Verbal, Performance, Full Scale IQ, and subcategories like Verbal Comprehension and Working Memory.
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC):
For ages 6–16.
Yields a Full Scale score and measures Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, and Processing Speed.
Stanford-Binet:
Assesses Fluid Reasoning, Knowledge, Quantitative Reasoning, Visual-Spatial Processing, and Working Memory.
Compares verbal and nonverbal performance.
Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities:
Measures general intellectual ability, working memory, and executive function skills.
Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children:
Evaluates simultaneous and sequential processing skills.
Includes subscales for academic achievement.
TONI-4 (Test of Nonverbal Intelligence):
Nonverbal IQ test used for individuals with language barriers, hearing impairments, or neurological conditions.
Key Scoring Insight:
IQ tests typically have a median score of 100 with a standard deviation of 15. Scores are ranked based on a standardization sample.
Achievement Tests:
Achievement tests assess developed skills and knowledge, often to determine educational or training suitability.
Canadian Adult Achievement Test (CAAT):
Measures functional levels in mathematics, reading, and language for adults.
Scores:
Content-Referenced: Identifies strengths and weaknesses based on raw objective scores.
Norm-Referenced: Compares performance to reference groups using grade equivalence (ranges from K.0 to 12.9, with scores above 12.9 as post-secondary).
Wechsler Achievement Test:
Evaluates academic skills and progress.
Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT):
Measures basic academic skills in reading, spelling, and math.
Application in Vocational Rehabilitation:
Achievement tests help VR professionals determine educational readiness, training suitability, and vocational planning.
Key Takeaways:
Intelligence Tests: Assess cognitive abilities, problem-solving, and reasoning. Essential for psycho-vocational assessments.
Achievement Tests: Evaluate developed skills and knowledge, aiding in vocational and educational planning.
Norm-referenced tools rely on comparisons to standardized samples, ensuring validity and reliability.
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)
Purpose: Assesses academic achievement across ages 4–85.
Scales and Subtests:
Reading: Word Reading, Reading Comprehension, Pseudoword (Phonetic) Decoding.
Math: Numerical Operations, Math Reasoning.
Written Language: Spelling, Written Expression.
Oral Language: Listening Comprehension, Oral Expression.
Administration: 16 subtests (e.g., Oral Reading Fluency, Math Fluency, Early Reading Skills).
Scoring: Mean score of 100, standard deviation of 15 (range: 40–160).
68% score between 85–115; 95% score between 70–130.
Duration: 45–90 minutes depending on age.
Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT4)
Purpose: Measures basic academic skills (reading, sentence comprehension, spelling, and math).
Age Range: 5–94 years.
Key Features:
Two equivalent forms (Blue and Green) allow retesting without practice effects.
Measures skills critical for learning, communication, and thinking.
History: First published in 1946; widely used in educational and vocational contexts.
Aptitude Tests
Purpose: Predict future achievements by measuring specific abilities (intellectual, motor, etc.).
Common Tests:
General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB):
Used in vocational counseling, rehabilitation, and occupational selection in Canada.
Measures nine aptitudes:
General Learning Ability (G): Understanding instructions and principles, reasoning.
Verbal Ability (V): Comprehending and effectively using language.
Numerical Ability (N): Accurate arithmetic processes.
Spatial Perception (S): Visualizing geometric forms and 3D objects.
Form Perception (P): Noticing details in shapes, shading, and lengths.
Clerical Perception (Q): Detecting errors in written or numerical material.
Motor Coordination (K): Coordinating hands, eyes, and fingers.
Finger Dexterity (F): Manipulating small objects quickly and accurately.
Manual Dexterity (M): Performing hand movements skillfully.
Scoring: Percentile or aptitude levels (1–5, with 1 being the top 10% of the population).
Differential Aptitude Test (DAT):
Measures eight areas: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Ability, Abstract Reasoning, Clerical Speed/Accuracy, Mechanical Reasoning, Space Relations, Spelling, and Language Usage.
Widely used and adapted for Canadian populations.
Key Takeaways
WIAT: A comprehensive tool for assessing academic skills across all age groups.
WRAT4: Focuses on basic academic abilities essential for effective learning and communication.
Aptitude Tests (GATB & DAT): Provide insight into specific skill sets and are valuable for vocational guidance and career planning.
These tools enable tailored interventions, training, and career pathways based on individual strengths and weaknesses.
Summary of Interest Inventories for Exam Preparation
Interest Inventories Overview
Purpose: Tools for self-assessment to evaluate likes and dislikes regarding activities, objects, and people.
Use: Career planning and vocational guidance. Based on the premise that satisfied individuals in similar careers share interests.
Key Interest Inventories
1. Canadian Work Preference Inventory (CWPI)
Purpose: Measures five occupational interests; links to the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
Interests Measured:
Directive (D): Taking charge, planning, organizing, decision-making.
Innovative (I): Problem-solving, experimenting, creativity.
Methodical (M): Preference for structure, routine, and rules.
Objective (O): Working with tools, machinery, and understanding operations.
Social (S): Caring for and assisting others, interpersonal work.
Administration: 15–20 minutes; normed on 2,000 Canadians.
2. Strong Interest Inventory (SII)
Purpose: Aligns personal interests with vocational and educational pathways.
Features:
Based on Holland Codes (RIASEC): Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional.
Measures:
6 General Occupational Themes
30 Basic Interest Scales (e.g., art, science, public speaking)
244 Occupational Scales
5 Personal Style Scales (e.g., leadership, risk-taking).
Administration: 291 items; 25 minutes to complete; requires scoring via computer.
3. Self-Directed Search (SDS)
Purpose: Matches skills and interests with occupations or fields of study.
Based on RIASEC: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional.
Features:
Questions assess aspirations, activities, occupational interests, and competencies.
Produces a 3-Letter Code for career matches.
Administration: 35–45 minutes.
4. Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS)
Purpose: Focuses on work roles and styles without gender bias.
Features:
Work Roles: Specific activities (e.g., Medical Service, Human Relations Management).
Work Styles: Preferences for work environments (e.g., stamina for problem-solving).
Equal emphasis on male and female interests; measures common dimensions for all genders.
5. Career Occupational Preference System (COPS)
Purpose: Assesses interests across 14 career clusters tied to education and occupation.
Features:
168 items; focuses on hands-on career exploration.
Includes educational and activity-based planning tools.
6. Reading-Free Vocational Interest Inventory
Purpose: Nonverbal tool for individuals with learning or intellectual disabilities.
Features:
Depicts 55 job tasks through drawings.
Focus areas: Automotive, Animal Care, Food Service, Patient Care, Horticulture, etc.
7. Career Assessment Inventory (CAI)
Purpose: Aligns interests with 111 careers in technical and professional fields.
Use: Helps students and adults create career/study plans.
Key Takeaways
CWPI: Career interests specific to Canadians with a link to national standards.
SII & SDS: Broad tools based on Holland Codes, connecting interests to careers.
JVIS: Gender-neutral approach to vocational preferences.
COPS: Cluster-based for hands-on exploration.
Reading-Free Inventory: Accessible for those with disabilities.
CAI: Targets technical and professional career matches.
Each inventory provides unique insights, enabling vocational professionals to guide individuals effectively toward suitable career paths.
Personality Tests Overview:
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI):
A psychological test to assess personality traits and psychopathology, often used to diagnose mental health conditions.
Available in versions: MMPI-2 (567 items) and MMPI-2-RF (338 items). The MMPI-A is for teenagers.
Administered by psychologists, it includes 10 clinical scales and 4 validity scales to measure abnormal behaviors and test-taking attitudes.
It requires interpretation by a trained psychologist, often preceded by a clinical interview.
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI):
A 21-question multiple-choice inventory to measure the severity of depression.
The BDI-II is used for individuals aged 13+ and assesses symptoms, cognitions, and physical signs of depression.
The BDI has been widely used by healthcare professionals since its creation by Aaron T. Beck in 1961.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI):
Based on Carl Jung’s concepts of perception and judgment, this test categorizes personality into 16 types based on 4 dimensions:
Extroversion (E) vs. Introversion (I)
Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N)
Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)
Judgment (J) vs. Perception (P)
Commonly used for career guidance and personal development.
House-Tree-Person (H-T-P) Interrogation Form:
A projective technique where individuals draw a house, tree, and person to reveal aspects of their personality.
Scoring involves assessing details like proportion, perspective, and other visual features to interpret personality characteristics and cognitive functioning.
Rorschach Psychodiagnostic Test (Inkblot Test):
Uses 10 inkblots to assess a person’s personality and emotional functioning.
The subject's responses to the inkblots are analyzed to provide insights into cognition, motivations, and interpersonal relationships.
The test follows a free association phase (where the subject responds to the blots) and an inquiry phase (where the subject explains their responses).
Sentence Completion Tests:
A semi-structured projective technique where individuals complete unfinished sentences to reveal mental states, beliefs, and motivations.
The responses can be analyzed subjectively or objectively to gain insights into unconscious thoughts.
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT):
A projective test using ambiguous pictures to evoke storytelling responses that provide insights into the subject's self-view, worldview, and interpersonal relationships.
The subject tells a dramatic story based on pictures, including the backstory, current situation, and feelings of the characters.
The TAT includes 31 cards featuring various characters and situations, used to stimulate creativity and reveal underlying personality traits.
Each of these tests is used to gain a deeper understanding of an individual’s personality, emotional state, or psychopathology. They are often employed by psychologists in clinical settings for diagnostic purposes, career counseling, and personal development.
Summary of Assessment Tools for Vocational Rehabilitation:
Values Inventories:
These tools measure work-related values and broader life values, important for vocational rehabilitation planning. Key examples:
Work Values Inventory (WVI):
Developed by Donald Super, this tool assesses work values like achievement, prestige, and economic returns.
It uses a five-point scale to rate the importance of 15 values.
Differentiates between work values (qualities sought in work) and interests (activities that express these values).
Work Environment Preference Schedule:
Measures "bureaucratic orientation," reflecting preference for structured work environments with clear rules and authority.
High scores indicate preference for impersonal relationships and job security within bureaucratic organizations.
Neuropsychological Evaluations:
These evaluations assess cognitive, motor, behavioral, and emotional functioning to diagnose and treat conditions. They measure areas like:
Intellectual Functioning: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Stanford-Binet.
Academic Achievement: Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT), Woodcock-Johnson.
Language Processing: Boston Naming Test, Token Test.
Visuospatial Processing: Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, Hooper Visual Organization Test.
Attention and Concentration: Digit Span, Trail Making Tests.
Memory (Verbal and Visual): Wechsler Memory Scale, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test.
Executive Functions: Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Test.
Speed of Processing: Simple Reaction Time, Symbol Digit Modalities Test.
Sensory-Perceptual Functions: Halstead-Reitan Battery, Tactual Performance Test.
Motor Speed and Strength: Grooved Pegboard, Hand Grip Strength.
Personality Assessment: MMPI, Beck Depression Inventory, Rorschach.
These tests are used to diagnose cognitive deficits, confirm diagnoses, and guide treatment for impairments.
Work Samples:
Work samples simulate real work tasks to assess vocational skills, interests, and behaviors. They are used to measure:
Vocational aptitudes: Dexterity, physical tolerance, temperament.
Learning style and ability: Measured through task performance.
Temperament and work habits: Assessed based on how the individual performs tasks under observation.
Examples of Work Samples:
McCarron-Dial Evaluation System:
Predicts community-based employment potential through tests assessing five factors: verbal-cognitive, sensory, motor, emotional, and integration.
The basic version takes about 3 hours, while the comprehensive version lasts 5 days.
VALPAR Component Work Samples:
Includes 18 work samples measuring worker characteristics, applicable for different groups, including those with sensory impairments.
Micro-Tower System:
Measures aptitudes needed for semi-skilled/unskilled occupations (e.g., verbal, numerical, motor skills).
Suitable for various populations, including physically handicapped and emotionally disturbed individuals.
Key Takeaways:
Values inventories help identify the client's work-related preferences and values.
Neuropsychological evaluations provide detailed insights into cognitive and emotional functioning, guiding diagnosis and rehabilitation.
Work sample tests allow clients to perform job-related tasks, demonstrating practical abilities and helping evaluate vocational suitability. These tests provide hands-on experiences that can reveal strengths and weaknesses in work habits, skills, and temperament.
This knowledge is important for understanding the assessment tools used in vocational rehabilitation to match individuals with suitable employment opportunities.
Transferable Skills Analysis (TSA) for Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals
Introduction:
TSA is a valuable tool for vocational rehabilitation professionals (VRPs) to help injured workers identify alternative career paths.
It focuses on analyzing past work and education history to identify transferable skills that can be applied to new job opportunities.
While software tools can assist in TSA, they are not always accessible due to cost constraints, and the professional's expertise remains critical in the process.
Key Concepts:
Transferability: The ability to apply skills and traits from past jobs to other job roles.
TSA Process:
Develop a profile of the worker’s past occupational/education history.
Adjust the profile based on the worker’s current functioning level.
Identify potential alternative occupations based on adjusted profile.
Consult labor market information to assess job availability.
Assist the worker in determining a new career direction.
Advantages:
Valid Results: Based on the client’s proven work and education history.
Real-World Basis: Unlike clinical assessments, which may be impacted by medication, injury, or test anxiety, TSA is grounded in real-world experience.
Cost-Effective: Low cost, requiring only basic tools like the NOC Career Handbook and an internet connection.
Disadvantages:
Under/Over Employment: Issues can arise if the worker’s work history does not reflect their true skill level (e.g., unqualified individuals holding high-level positions).
Experience Dependent: The quality of TSA depends on the VR professional’s knowledge and skill.
Mismatch of Job Title and Description: A job title alone may not accurately reflect the duties, potentially leading to flawed results.
Not Isolated: TSA should be used in conjunction with other assessments (e.g., clinical, psychological, medical) to provide a comprehensive understanding of the worker’s capabilities and needs.
Steps in TSA:
Information Gathering:
Collect comprehensive details about the client’s education, work history, and additional activities (e.g., hobbies, volunteer work).
Pre-Accident/Illness Profile:
Develop an unadjusted profile using the NOC Career Handbook to analyze past job duties, education, and skill level. This profile reflects the worker’s pre-injury capacity.
Example: A Motorcycle Mechanic with a low back injury.
Residual Profile:
Adjust the profile to account for changes in the client’s functioning due to injury. For instance, if the client’s physical capacity is limited (e.g., can only perform light work), the adjusted profile will reflect this.
Identify Alternative Occupations:
Based on the residual profile, determine alternative occupations that match the client’s skills and limitations. This is done by referencing the NOC Career Handbook.
Labour Market/Training Information:
Evaluate the feasibility of the alternative occupations based on job availability, income expectations, and the need for additional training.
Conclusion: The TSA is a practical tool for vocational rehabilitation professionals to help clients transition into new careers after an injury or illness. It should be used carefully and in conjunction with other assessments to ensure comprehensive and effective decision-making.
Situational Assessments and Testing Levels
Situational Assessments:
Purpose: Situational assessments evaluate a client’s job performance and work behaviors in a realistic, controlled environment (e.g., rehabilitation facility, sheltered workshop). They are used to observe a client’s employability skills.
Assessment Focus: These assessments help evaluate various work-related abilities, including:
Acceptance of supervision
Ability to get along with co-workers
Task adherence
Sustained productivity (e.g., for 8 hours)
Tolerance for frustration
Terminology: Situational assessments may be referred to by various terms such as job tryouts, community-based situational assessment, and supported employment evaluation. These terms are often used interchangeably.
Testing Levels (A, B, C):
Vocational rehabilitation professionals require specific qualifications to administer vocational evaluations. These qualifications are categorized into three levels: A, B, and C.
Level A:
Qualifications: No special qualifications are required to purchase or administer these tests.
Example: Career Decision Making System (CDMS).
Level B:
Qualifications: Individuals must have one of the following to administer these tests:
A master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., psychology, social work, counseling).
Certification or full membership in a professional organization (e.g., ASHA, AOTA, ACA, NBCC).
A degree or license to practice in healthcare or allied healthcare.
Formal, supervised training in relevant areas such as mental health or occupational therapy.
Note: Level B qualifications also require formal training in the ethical administration, scoring, and interpretation of clinical assessments.
Level C:
Qualifications: These tests require the highest level of expertise to administer and interpret:
A doctorate degree in psychology, education, or a related field with formal training in clinical assessments.
Licensure or certification to practice in a relevant field in the state.
Certification or full membership in organizations requiring specialized experience and training (e.g., APA, NASP, NAN).
Conclusion:
Situational assessments are a valuable tool for assessing a client’s real-world work behaviors and employability, which help in guiding vocational rehabilitation strategies.
Testing qualifications are categorized into three levels (A, B, C), with increasing levels of education and expertise required as the complexity of the tests increases. This ensures that only appropriately trained professionals are administering and interpreting vocational assessments to avoid ethical breaches and ensure accurate results.