Casey is a 16-year-old who has been through a lot. He has no family and has lived in many different places. He has been diagnosed with several emotional and behavioral disorders. He has been in trouble with the law for things like theft and resisting arrest. People who work with him are frustrated because they don’t know how to help him. Judges need information from different professionals to make decisions about kids like Casey. This includes information about their problems, what kind of help they need, where they should live, and how they should be supervised. At disposition hearings in juvenile courts, judges can consider any relevant evidence to determine the appropriate outcome for a child. This is also true for special education staffings. It’s important for judges to make decisions based on high professional standards and important issues, but they often have limited information about the children involved. Judges have the authority to establish policies for how assessment data is presented to the court. There are professional standards that guide how tests are used, and psychologists and assessment specialists are expected to follow these standards. These standards can also help in forming policies for assessment services to best serve the judicial system. Psychological assessment is a thorough evaluation to understand how someone is doing and to predict how they might do in the future. This assessment looks at different aspects of a person’s behavior in various places and over time. It uses different methods, like tests and interviews, and gets information from many different people who know the person well. This helps to create a full picture of the person and how they behave in different situations. Behavior should be looked at over time, from before a child is born to the present. Knowing about a child’s family, health, and development can help us understand their behavior. Psychological assessments and reports are often done to help with legal decisions, diagnosis, personal growth, and planning for help. When courts or others ask for assessments, it’s best if they are clear about what information they need, let the specialists talk to everyone involved, and make sure the information is shared with everyone who needs it. Making decisions about someone’s mental health involves using different sets of rules and guidelines, like state laws, federal laws, and the DSM. It’s important to make sure everyone involved knows which rules are being used. When experts share test results with the person being tested, it should be in a way they can understand. Sharing this information can help people understand themselves better and make positive changes. When it comes to helping young people in the justice system, it’s important to have the right information to make decisions and plan interventions that can lead to a better outcome. But the information used to make a diagnosis doesn’t always help with planning interventions. Assessments that focus on specific qualities that can be improved, like certain behaviors or skills, are more helpful for making plans to help children improve. For example, instead of just looking at a child’s overall intelligence, it’s better to focus on specific skills that can be worked on. This type of information is more useful for planning interventions and seeing if they are working. It’s important for the court and others to know this kind of information so they can make better decisions about how to help children. Intelligence is more than just general knowledge and being good at everyday tasks. It involves things like being able to understand and use language, process what you hear, think in pictures, work quickly, remember things in the short and long term, and think in new ways. It’s important to look at these specific skills to understand a person’s strengths and help them get better at things they may struggle with. Instead of just focusing on how well someone can do everyday tasks, we should look at their abilities in a variety of areas and help them improve where they need to. It is important to identify childrenâs strengths to help them succeed. Many assessment practices focus on finding weaknesses, but it is important to also look for strengths. Tests and data analysis can help identify strengths, and this information can be used to determine the best interventions for a child. Understanding a childâs temperament can also provide valuable information for addressing their needs. For example, knowing how they prefer to learn and make decisions can help tailor interventions to their individual strengths. Children have different temperaments, such as being extroverted or introverted, practical or imaginative, and thinking or feeling. These differences can affect how they learn and behave. For example, extroverted children learn best by talking, while introverted children learn best by reflecting. Understanding a childâs temperament can help professionals create environments that support their development and address behavior issues. Children with oppositional defiant disorders often end up in court because of their repeated and serious rule-breaking behaviors, like being aggressive and deceitful. Casey has ODD and his temperament is mostly extroverted, practical, and thinking. He’s average in his intellectual abilities but struggles with long-term memory and math. His behavior at home and school is a concern, with high levels of delinquency and aggression. Interventions for ODD include group discussions, simple therapy, and promoting listening skills and empathy. Casey was facing going to a juvenile facility because of his criminal record. However, after testing, the court decided that a program that matched his strengths would be better for him. They found a program that provided vocational training in a small group setting. Casey completed the program successfully. This shows the importance of using information to make decisions about kids in the legal system. Judges and others should be aware of professional standards and practices for assessing children, and use that knowledge to make better decisions.
Source: https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/the-value-of-high-quality-comprehensive-information-to-decisionmakers-in-juvenile-cases/
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