CASES STUDY

Choosing appropriate tests and assessments for mental health concerns is an important and complex endeavor. The pediatric population will be of special focus as an additional test and assessment considerations are analyzed and evaluated.

Note: Review this previous student’s paper that earned a very high A. The student’s name has been redacted for privacy. Pay attention to the student’s formatting, structure, organization, and use of sources. Also note that this is specific to a pediatric case.

Assignment Instructions

Review the following case study:

Adam is an 8 year old Asian male in second grade. Adam has been accompanied to the community mental health clinic by his single mother. Adam is very hyper, and his mother reports that he is “constantly” in trouble at school. She states that she believes Adam needs medication for his “ADD” immediately. She states that his behavior is very inappropriate for her culture, and that she is judged very harshly by her parents and siblings for Adam’s behaviors. She is frustrated by the many calls that she gets from the school each day, and is in danger of losing her own job (she is a nurse practitioner) over it. Adam’s mother reports that there is not a history of mental illness in the family, but that Adam’s dad had a drug and alcohol problem. Adam does not see his dad at all. Adam seems to be very active in your office, knocking things over, talking very loudly, and laughing a lot. Adam is very talkative and extroverted. He says that he does not like school because he doesn’t have any friends there and his “teachers don’t like” him. He is physically healthy per his mother’s report. She states that he is of average height and weight but believe that he is potentially gifted cognitively. However, the school will not test for this due to Adam’s many disruptive behaviors that must be addressed first.

Using the Online Assessment Measures (https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/educational-resources/assessment-measures) identify three pediatric-appropriate instruments that you would suggest for Adam’s clinical mental health professional to use with her.

One from Level 1
One from Level 2
One from either: Disorder-Specific Severity Measures, Disability Measures, Personality Inventories, or Early Development & Home Background)