Tag - Clinical Assessment

A young boy sitting outdoors with his friends, all facing the same direction and smiling.

Assessing Youth Functioning, Strengths, and Goals: CAFAS and PECFAS

Key takeaways: The CAFAS and PECFAS are vital tools for mental health professionals to assess youth functioning, strengths, and goals, aiding in treatment planning and outcome evaluation across various domains. Developed by Dr. Kay Hodges, these assessments streamline decision-making processes by informing treatment type and intensity, level of care,...

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A person sitting at a table, resting their forearms, and viewing their phone.

Clicks, views, and evaluations: Understanding the rise of ADHD diagnoses

Key takeaways: The diagnostic process for ADHD is complex due to the varying degrees and presentation of symptoms and impairments, leading to challenges when defining the lower threshold for diagnosis and leaving many in a "gray zone" of uncertainty. Social media platforms like TikTok have significantly influenced perceptions and...

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Revolutionizing Healthcare Delivery: An Interview with Scott Millar

Healthcare institutions are grappling with significant challenges, including workforce and staff shortages, ever more technical processes and practices, and rising costs. As a result, the healthcare system is struggling to increase its capacity to deliver services and keep up with the demand for care. The impact of these challenges on healthcare...

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Navigating the transition to digital assessments

As the evolution of assessment best practices continues, the surge in professionals embracing digital assessments is driven by efficiency, accuracy, and convenience. These tools offer streamlined administration, standardized processes, and the ability to provide tailored, engaging assessments while facilitating remote services and data-driven decision-making. However, some clinicians and school psychologists are...

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Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales 2nd Edition Now Available!

MHS is proud and excited to announce the upcoming release of the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales 2nd Edition (CAARS™ 2), a measure that provides improved accuracy, greater insight, and enhanced utility for assessing and managing Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults. The Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS™; Conners, Erhardt,...

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The critical role of measurement-based care in mental health treatment

Despite its potential benefits, only a small fraction of clinicians currently use measurement-based care practices. This article explores the importance of measurement-based care and highlights why assessments are important within this approach and what features are critical to support measurement-based care. What is measurement-based care? You may have heard of phrases like...

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A School Psychologist’s Guide to Restoring Developmental Milestones

Rebecca Ragland is an Assessment Consultant in our Education division at MHS. As an experienced school psychologist with a background in public education, she shares her knowledge of how other school psychologists can better support students and their families in the upcoming school year. We talk about disruptions in youth...

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Autism and the Pandemic: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Symptom Changes

The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated public health response led to the enforcement of restrictions such as physical distancing, in-person school and office closures, shifts to online learning and virtual work, and reductions in community and school-based services and extracurricular activities. While these restrictions helped control the spread of COVID-19,...

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The long-term effects of COVID-19 on cognition

According to Harvard Health Publishing, “brain fog,” a term used to describe slow and sluggish thinking, has been cited as a lasting symptom post-COVID-19 infection. The highly contagious virus has been reported to affect various aspects of an individual’s cognition, including executive function. Sam Goldstein and Dr. Jack A. Naglieri’s...

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ADHD Evaluations: Examining Impairments Beyond Symptomology

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder marked by symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity that interfere with functioning and development. Both the outlined criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR; APA, 2022) and the determination of educational eligibility under the...

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