An Integrative Theoretical Framework for Cognitive Test Interpretation in School Neuropsychological Evaluations

In this chapter, the authors describe further the three major assessment developments and demonstrate how they can improve the way practitioners understand and interpret assessment findings. These include the integration of psychometric Fluid-Crystallized theories and the Cross-Battery Assessment approach; the emergence of Response-to-Intervention and the patterns of strengths and weaknesses alternative research-based procedure for SLD identification; and the integration of theories from the psychometric and neuropsychological traditions. Attention is paid to describing how the assessment developments are related, in particular neuropsychology and CHC theories, and how, when integrated, they have the potential to inform diagnosis and intervention more thoroughly. To that end, they begin with a brief description of each of the major assessment developments in the field of school psychology and its contributions to the various levels of assessment and evaluation in the schools. The late 1990s marked the first of three developments that influenced cognitive test selection and interpretation and school neuropsychological evaluations.