PdPVTS Remote Administration Guidelines

RECOMMENDATION

4/5 stand-alone PVTs that make up the PdPVTS are appropriate for remote administration.

Requires minor modification to standard administration and consideration of limitations.

“Find the Animal” is not appropriate for remote administration.
Find the Animal is only available for touchscreen devices. The direction is for the child to “press and hold” the home button. This will not be possible in a remote administration, nor is it feasible for the administrator to “press and hold” and record the child’s verbal response.

The visual tests (Matching, Shape Learning, Silhouettes) are appropriate for remote administration with minor modifications to standard administration guidelines. While the guidelines below may represent the best mode for a remote administration, they may not be the best mode for administration for individuals with limited language proficiency or who are so young as to not yet be capable of verbally articulating their response.

No changes to standard administration are required for the verbal test (Story Questions).

LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

Screen capture and video/audio recording is prohibited and is a violation of copyright laws.

All video/audio recording capabilities of the telehealth platform being used must be disabled to protect test security.

The administrator must advise the parent and child that screen capture and video/audio recording is prohibited.

The presence of third-parties, or legal counsel, during the administration of the tests is strictly prohibited as it significantly compromises test security, unless contrary to local, state, or federal law. A parent or guardian may be present to help setup testing but should then leave the room and allow the child to be alone with the examiner via remote conferencing. Should the child be very young or request the parent or guardian to remain present, they should be positioned such that they do not see the screen and therefore are unable to cue the child toward the correct response or provide feedback as to whether the response was correct or incorrect. If the parent or guardian has a cell phone with them it should be set to silent mode so as not to distract the youth.

We recommend you make contemporary notes of any behavioral observations of the youth during the administration of the test and document the non-standard remote nature of the administration.

PREPARING THE TEST ENVIRONMENT

In a typical administration, the environment should be free from distractions and the test should be done in a quiet environment. This setting is also required for remote administration. All guidelines in the manual regarding administration should be adhered to for remote administration as much as possible.

Please ensure minimum hardware and software requirements from the manual are followed when administering remotely. The child should be using a device with a minimum screen size of 7.9” (equivalent to an iPad Mini). Screen sharing to a mobile phone is not appropriate. If the youth is using a tablet device, it should be in landscape orientation.

The video and audio need to be tested to ensure the stimuli are seen and heard clearly with no distortion.

DURING TESTING

As noted in the test manual, the child should not be chewing gum or have candy in their mouth during testing. In the case of a remote administration it is particularly important that child not be chewing gum, have candy, or be eating during the administration of the test as this will interfere with the audio (you hear yourself chew when wearing headphones/earphones).

TEST SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

“MATCHING”

To administer this test remotely, the examiner will need to record the response for the child rather than have the youth enter the response themselves as is the case for in-person administration.

The item and response screens will need to be shared with the child via a video-conference platform.

The child will be required to provide a verbal response to the administrator who will record the response on their end. The examiner should be careful not to provide any verbal or nonverbal cues to the child regarding which response to select or the correctness of each response provided.

The child may verbalize their response using numbers (1 = left, 2 = centre, 3 = right) or by saying “left,” “centre” (or ”middle”), or “right.” The youth could also provide a verbal response by naming the image of their response. For example, if the child saw a picture of a hat (left), fork (centre), and shoe (right), they could say “shoe” to indicate their response. The administrator should use the practice item to explain to the child how they should verbalize their response (using numbers or words). If using numbers, make sure the youth is very clear which image is 1 (left), 2 (centre/middle), or 3 (right) so that they can communicate their response accurately.

“SHAPE LEARNING”

To administer this test remotely, the examiner will need to record the response for the child rather than have the youth enter the response themselves as is the case for in-person administration.

The item and response screens will need to be shared with the child via a video-conference platform.

The child will be required to provide a verbal response to the administrator who will record the response on their end. The examiner should be careful not to provide any verbal or nonverbal cues to the child regarding which response to select or the correctness of each response provided.

The child may verbalize their response using numbers (1 = left, 2 = right) or by saying “left” or “right.” The administrator should use the practice item to explain to the child how they should verbalize their response (using numbers or words). Make sure the youth is very clear which image is 1 (left) and which image is 2 (right) so that they can communicate their response accurately.

“SILHOUETTES”

To administer this test remotely, the examiner will need to record the response for the child rather than have the youth enter the response themselves as is the case for in-person administration.

The item and response screens will need to be shared with the child via a video-conference platform.

The child will be required to provide a verbal response to the administrator who will record the response on their end. The examiner should be careful not to provide any verbal or nonverbal cues to the child regarding which response to select or the correctness of each response provided.

The child may verbalize their response using numbers (1 = left, 2 = centre, 3 = right) or by saying “left” “centre” (or “middle), or “right”. The administrator should use the practice item to explain to the child how they should verbalize their response (using numbers or words). If using numbers, make sure the youth is very clear which image is 1 (left), 2 (centre/middle), or 3 (right) so that they can communicate their response accurately.

“STORY QUESTIONS”

No modifications to the standard administration guidelines outlined in the test manual are needed in order to administer this test remotely.

The only difference is that the child is required to wear headphones or earphones to ensure that the reading aloud of the story and multiple-choice questions are only heard by the them and no one else in the child’s setting. The audio will also be heard by the administrator in this instance through their own computer or external speakers. Having the audio played aloud through the computer speakers or any other device on the child’s side would allow for the potential that others are hearing the target word and able to cue the child for the correct response.

USING PDPVTS WITH ZOOM

DISCLAIMIER

The information provided may make mention of third-party products or contain links to third party websites and is provided for general purposes only. MHS, Inc. does not recommend, endorse or approve any specific third-party product, procedure, service or other information that may be mentioned. These guidelines are posted in response to customer questions regarding screen sharing of PdPVTS using the Zoom platform.

PDPVTS SETUP

1. Open the PdPVTS app.
2. Log in to the app and choose or set up the client to whom you will be administering the PdPVTS remotely.
3. Select the test you are going to start with. Selecting the test will navigate you to the first instruction screen for that test.
4. Once the instruction screen is displayed on your screen, minimize the PdPVTS by moving your cursor to the top righthand corner and hovering. Click the minimize icon. If you are using a touchscreen, drag down from the top righthand corner and the icons should appear. Do not close the PdPVTS.

ZOOM SETUP

1. Tap Zoom. Begin your meeting.
2. When your participant is ready, tap the green “share screen” icon. Note: only the test screens (instructions, practice, test items) should ever be shared with the examinee so make sure (as per above) that you are on the first test instruction screen before selecting to share screen.
3. Select the first option labeled “Screen” by double clicking.
4. Now, move your cursor to the bottom of the screen to click the PdPVTS. You will see the last screen you were on when the display was local to your device/computer.
5. Make sure the screen is not an administrator screen before sharing. The screen should be on the first test instruction screen for the test selected.
6. Once you are done administering the PdPVTS test (Test Complete screen), move your cursor to the bottom of the screen.
7. The toolbar will popup and you click the Zoom icon.
8. Click the meeting controls popup to return to the Zoom meeting. Click the red ‘end screen share’ if you are ready.
9. If you need to return to the PdPVTS later, you can repeat the process to do so, starting from step 2.
10. If you choose to view results – please do so once you have disabled screen sharing.