An Overview of the PSLE Clinical Experience

Test practice assignment (see website). Due by the end of the quarter to receive credit for PSLE.

General Overview

·        This is a pediatric evaluation  practicum. The clinical clock hour target is 18 – 20 hours for the quarter.

·        ASHA KASA (Knowledge and Skill Areas) learning objectives for this practicum:

·        Credit/No credit grading policy, including the procedures for documenting and helping students who are identified as receiving a No Credit rating by midquarter, is located on Docushare at:

·        Office hours

·        Readings

·        Deadlines

Expectations for Student Clinicians:

1)  Students are expected to become increasingly independent in their ability to plan, carry out and write-up evaluations.

2)  Students are expected to communicate evaluation findings to parents/caregivers in a coherent, compassionate way and in language accessible to persons who are not experts in our field.

3)   We are providing a professional service to the public. Students are expected to present themselves in a professional manner including being appropriately dressed and using appropriate language.

Please do not wear:

We appreciate that you will often be working on the floor with children and thus must dress accordingly; however, we ask that you use care in what you choose to wear. The simple rule is "Look groomed." Also, keep in mind we work in a "fish bowl" - be mindful of what happens to your outfit and what is underneath when you bend over or sit down.

When speaking to other professionals or families, please err on the side of formality:

If you have questions please talk to your supervisor.
Required Reading:

 

Structure:

1)  Typically there is one PSLE per week with the parent conference occurring the following week.

2)  If there are 2 students assigned to the practicum they will alternate with one student giving the tests and procedures and the other carrying out the interview.

3)  If there are 3 students: 2 students will engage in the testing and the third will do the interview. Students will rotate through being lead clinician, assistant, and interviewer.

a.  lead clinician - presents the case during preplanning meetings, plans the assessment (e.g., chooses tests and procedures), carries out parent/caregiver feedback, writes report the main body of the report.
b.  assistant - helps lead clinician set up room, gives some of the tests/procedures, may simultaneously score tests for reliability, looks up scores.
c.  interviewer - obtains more relevant information from the family, clarifies confusing information from the file, explains what is going on in the assessment, writes the history portion of the report..
Planning:
1)  Preplanning meeting
a.  Everyone should have read the file.
b.  The lead clinician should be prepared to present the information as well as the initial assessment plan.
2)  Reading the file
a.  Carefully read the application and any other relevant documents to determine why people are bringing their children to us. What are the questions that need to be answered through the assessment?
b.  If there is discrepant information, note that and make sure the interviewer clarifies that information.
c.  If there are references to other assessments/reports/documents that would be helpful in understanding the case (e.g., school district assessments/IEPs; other agency reports) but those reports are not in the file, call the caregivers and ask if you can have access to that information.
3)  Deciding what to do for the assessment
a.  What is/are the question/s that you want to answer through this assessment?
b.  What tests or procedures will help you answer those questions? (your old notes from classes in assessment etc. will probably be quite helpful)
c.  Check that your tests/procedures are age-appropriate for your client.
d.  Practice the tests/procedures several times before you come in for the assessment.
4)  Make a plan
a.  Decide what tests/procedures you would like to give. Be prepared to share these with the team at the preplanning meeting.
b.  Decide in what order you want to do you want to do your tests and procedures.
c.  Write down your final plan and give a copy to the supervisor at least a day before the assessment (see examples).
Doing the assessment:
1)  The use of at least audio-tape, and even better audio- and DV recording, is required. See the PSLE website for directions about recording in 184.

2)  Make sure that you are very familiar with the tests you are giving. That means practicing a couple of times. Make sure you understand the basal and ceiling rules.

3)  Prepare your room

  1. Have your tests and protocols organized and ready to go.
  2. Check your equipment (e.g., audiometer, video-tape, tape-recorder).
  3. Depending on the age of the child have a variety of reinforcers available (e.g., stickers).
  4. Be careful not to make your room too chaotic - keep it simple. Do not put anything out that you do not want little fingers to get into.
4)  Getting the client
  1. Be prompt in getting the clients from the reception area.
  2. Greet the clients/families/caregivers, take a few moments to explain what will be happening, who they will meet, where they will go, etc.
  3. Bring them back to the PSLE room, introduce the client/family to your team, including your supervisor.
  4. If a child seems to be very anxious, invite the parent to come into the room for awhile until the child is more comfortable.
5)  Following the plan
  1. Your plan is not set in stone. If , after you have met the client, you feel that the tests/procedures that you have planned will not be appropriate, it is OK to make modifications to the plan. This is called "thinking on your feet."
  2. It is OK to omit items on your plan of lower priority if you have a time crunch.
  3. If you do not feel like you have seen enough of the client, we can bring that client back for further evaluation.

6)  Please have copies of the test forms in the observation booth. Please use copies, not originals. These will be used by the interviewer and/or supervisor in the observation booth to follow along and score as is necessary.

 Doing the Interview:
1)  The interviewer plays a critical role in the assessment process:
  1. They provide clarification of confusing application information.
  2. They obtain a more thorough picture of the development of the client.
  3. They obtain a more thorough picture of what the family’s concerns are.


2)  It is critical that the interviewer demonstrate the following, difficult to define skills:

  1. Skill at drawing relevant information or feeling from the client/family member - which includes asking questions directly, yet tactfully.
  2. Use appropriate voice, language and articulation - which includes not using excessive professional jargon, speaking clearly and coherently, giving the interviewee enough time to answer.
3)  The interviewer needs to touch on a number of different issues - typically very individual to the case. See attached handout on the interview process.


Doing the parent conference:

1)  This is typically carried out by the lead clinician.

2)  The other team members are required to observe the conference and provide insightful feedback at the end to the lead clinician.

3)  The supervisor typically will sit in with the lead clinician to field any very difficult questions. The supervisor will attempt, however, to allow the lead clinician to take charge of the conference and do most of the talking.

4)  The lead clinician needs to be able to:

  1. select pertinent information to convey to the client (address the concerns that families came in with)
  2. explain results to the client sufficiently
  3. answer all questions regarding test results or follow-up recommendations clearly and correctly
5)  It is highly recommended that visual aides are used in conjunction with the verbal feedback. Parent conferences can be emotional times for some families and it is easier for them to process the news (which can be bad) if they have something to see.  Example of a parent conference outline.

6)  Be very careful not to get hung up on "percentiles" or "standard scores" or dealing with the statistical meaning of these things. Most parents do not understand these concepts. It is more fruitful to say something like "We tested his understanding of language and we found it to be within normal limits." Basically people want to know if there is a problem or not. And if there is a problem, what can we do about it.

7)  Along the same lines - keep in mind that terms like "language comprehension", "language production", "language use", "articulation/phonology", "pragmatics", intelligibility" etc.  are often understood in a different way by non professionals. Try to avoid using those terms. If you do accidentally use them, define them clearly. But be careful not to constantly use a jargon term then define it, it can be insulting and put up a barrier between you and your clients. Instead, use simple language to begin with and give specific, simple, concrete examples to illustrate what you are saying.

 

Writing the report:
1)  The report must be
  1. accurate and concise
  2. logical in development and organization
  3. carefully edited and proofread
  4. must conform to clinic format - please use the report template provided
2)  Avoid using excessive professional jargon. Remember - the parents will be the first people to see the reports. It is always helpful for them, and other non-experts, to be able to understand what you have spent so much time writing.

3)  Keep the reports as brief as possible.

4)  Keep in mind that many professionals simply flip to the back page to look at your "Summary/Impression" paragraph and recommendations. Make them very good.


Thank you!