Psychologists offer an increasing variety of services to the public.
Among these services, psychological assessment of personality and
behavior continues to be a central activity. One main reason is that
other mental health professionals often do not possess a high level of
competence in this area. And when dealing with children and adolescents,
psychological assessment seems to take on an even greater role.
Therefore, it follows that comprehensive graduate-level instruction in
assessment should be a high priority for educators of psychologists who
will work with these youth.
This textbook is organized into three sections, consistent with the
authors' approach to teaching. Part I provides students with the
psychological knowledge base necessary for modern assessment practice,
including historical perspectives, measurement science, child
psychopathology, ethical, legal, and cultural issues, and the basics of
beginning the assessment process. Part II gives students a broad review
of the specific assessment methods used by psychologists, accompanied by
specific advice regarding the usage and strengths and weaknesses of each
method. In Part III, we help students perform some of the most
sophisticated of assessment practices: integrating and communicating
assessment results and infusing assessment practice with knowledge of
child development and psychopathology to assess some of the most common
types of behavioral and emotional disorders in youth.
A text focusing on assessment practices must be updated every four to
six years to keep pace with advances in test development. For example,
several of the major tests reviewed in the text, such as the Behavioral
Assessment System for Children and the Child Behavior Checklist, have
undergone major revisions since the publication of the last edition
making the current content outdated. Further, another major test, the
Conners' Rating Scales, is undergoing substantial revisions that should
be completed before publication of the next edition. Finally, the
evidence for the validity of the tests and the recommendations for their
appropriate use evolve as research accumulates and requires frequent
updating to remain current. For example, there was a special issue of
the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology published
focusing on evidenced-based assessment of the major forms of childhood
psychopathology that will need to be integrated into the chapters in
Part 3.
This latter point reflects an important trend in the field that should
influence the marketing of the book. That is, there are several
initiatives being started in all of the major areas of applied
psychology (e.g., school, clinical, and counseling) to promote
evidenced-based assessment practices. These initiatives have all
emphasized the need to enhance the training of graduate students in this
approach to assessment. This has been the orientation of this textbook
from its first edition: that is, Clinical Assessment of Child and
Adolescent Personality and Behavior has focused on using research to
guide all recommendations for practice. The ability of the textbook to
meet this training need should be an important focus of marketing the
book to training programs across all areas of applied psychology.
