Roberts-2

Roberts-2Josh Lapin and Amanda Walters2 Assessment FunctionsDevelopmental Adaptive FunctionDocuments changes as children grow older and more socially experienced

2. Clinical FunctionChildren who are experiencing social and emotional problems tend to include more unusual and atypical elements when expressing social understanding than do their nonaffected peersRoberts-2Not a Projective testUses a childs expressive language as an index of his or her social cognitive skillsIntended for use with children or adolescents who have been referred to mental health or special education facilities for social or emotional adjustment problemsRoberts-2Pictures provide a structured set of situations that direct the child to deal with common social situationsThe story the child tells is seen to reflect relatively stronger or weaker abilities to recognize, assimilate, and organize these situations into competent social problem-solving situationsRoberts - 2Use with children and adolescents aged 6-18 yearsUsed as part of a full evaluationintended to supplement info that is obtained through interviews and with the child and parents, objective assessment (Personality Inventory), and intelligence measuresShould not be taken as a substitute for cognitive assessment or other more structured forms of behavioral, social, or emotional assessmentAdministrationStep 1Select the appropriate card set for the child you will be testingWhite, Black, or Hispanic?Male or Female?Choose the set that you feel the child is most likely to find similar to the people in his or her homeWithin each set, 5 cards are used for both boys and girlsAdministrationStep 1 (contd):Place the 16 cards facedown in ascending numerical orderKeep Card 1 on topAdministrationStep 2:Establish rapportTry to present an environment that is both supportive and friendly, as if you are playing a game togetherObserve the childKeep notes on the childs behavior throughout testingNote level of motivation, ability to interact, ability to maintain focus, general emotionality, and nature of the behaviorAdministrationStep 3:Transcribing the storiesWrite what the child says verbatimYou can ask the child to slow down or repeat material that you missedOr you can tape record what the hcild says and transcribe it laterMake sure to obtain a clear recording and to query any unclear remarks during the sessionAdministrationRead the instructions on page 11 of the manual aloudAdd the other directions if the child does not understand the original instructionsUse Cards 1 and 2 to structure the sessionUse inquiring or structured questions during these cards to help the child learn what is expected when completing the storiesAdministrationQuestions to ask during Cards 1 and 2 (page 11)What is happening?How is he/she feeling, or how are they feeling?What is he/she doing or talking about, or what are they doing or talking about?What happened before?How does this story end, or what happens next?Note any prompts that were givenYou may only give prompts related to before, during, after, and feelings on the first two cards only

AdministrationFor children who are younger or less able, it may be necessary to de-emphasize the story aspectInstead encourage these children to describe the picture and then follow up with structuring questionsAdministrationOn Cards 3-16, DO NOT prompt the child with structuring questionsYou may, however use clarifying questionsAsk the child what they mean when they use a particular wordAsk the child which person they are referring to if they say he or she if that clarifies the storyAsk the child what they mean by more vague words such as bad, upset, and frustrated

AdministrationDo not pressure the child to complete a story if they are unable or unwillingAfter completing the 16 cards, return to the cards that were refused during the initial administrationDo not exert pressure to respond during the second presentationInclude any new story with any story the child previously toldNote each effort to administer a cardDiscontinue the test if either of the first two cards are refused after encouraging and promptingGroups of ScalesTheme Overview ScalesAvailable Resources scalesProblem Identification scalesResolution scalesEmotion scalesOutcome scalesUnusual or Atypical scalesTest PicturesCard 1: Family Interaction (Parents and Child)Nature of the interaction varies from a corrective action on the part of the father because the child has done something wrong TO informing the child of bad news TO giving advice and/or help in problem solving. Mother usually plays a passive role or is supportive to the fatherCard 2: Maternal SupportEmbrace of an adult female and her childWhat happened to child?, how mother figure responds, how the story ends.Child usually characterized as experiencing a negative situationReasons for huggingTest PicturesCard 3: SchoolworkCharacterized with being frustrated with the difficulty of the task and may or may not be able to complete the work successfullyAbility or inability of main character to resolve problem and obtain help from his or her support system are important factors in the storyCard 4: Peer SupportCharacterized as being injured or sick for a variety of reasonsGirl who is standing is usually seen as providing help either directly or going for helpTest PicturesCard 5: Parental AffectionAdults usually described as childs parents, but a stepparent or unrelated person may be interacting with a parentChild may be characterized as approving, rejecting, embarrassed about, or angry about the show of affection

Card 6: Peer or Racial Interaction3 adolescent of same gender are depicted in situation in which 2 of the figures are from an ethnic group that differs from the 3rd figure (who should represent that of the child telling the storyPositive interaction? Negative Interaction? Some children ignore ethnical difference, while others reject with racial prejudiceTest PicturesCard 7: Anxiety or IllnessUsually elicits stories involving fearNoises causing fearful reactionFigure characterized as being sick or injured and needing attentionCard 8: Family InteractionCharacterized as the parents discussing punishment for the children, who were involved in some wrongdoingPositive interactions discussing plans and problem solvingParents seen arguingNegative problemdivorce, illness

Test PicturesCard 9: Physical AggressionCharacterized as aggressive interaction between 2 boys in which the standing boy has hit or pushed the second boy to the groundReasons for action varyBoy on ground usually seen as fearful and trying to avoid altercationCard 10: Sibling RivalryOlder child characterized as feeling jealous or rejectedSometimes admiration towards mother for taking care of infant Test PicturesCard 11: FearCharacterized as experiencing fear in reaction to a threat against her or as observing a fearful situation such as an accident or fireReasons for fear vary greatlybeing run over by car, attackedCard 12: Maternal Depression or IllnessCharacterized as a family, with the mother being depressed or illReasons for mothers state varyMost frequent thememother being depressed as the result of conflict with the fatherFathers role variescan be seen as helper or instigator Test PicturesCard 13: Aggression ReleaseChild or adolescent experiencing angry feelings and about to throw chair in angerCause of anger variesIf chair is thrown, usually there is subsequent punishmentInfrequently characterized as nonaggressive situationCard 14: Maternal Limit SettingMessing up walls by smearing paint with his or her handsMothers response is important, and how she handles the problemTest PicturesCard 15: Female in BathYoung male observing older female in bathtubUsually identified as his mother or older sisterWide range of interpretationsReaction of female anger, limit setting, embarrassmentCard 16: Paternal SupportNature of relationship between a child and his or her fatherFather reading material related to the childChild seeking permission, asking for help, moneyMost non-referred say father will be helpfulSome referred may describe rejection by the fatherScoringUse the group scales in the manual to score the childs responsesThe scoring is outlined in detail in Ch 3 of the manualRecord scores on Scoring Profile sheetReliabilityInterscorer AgreementAcross all scales, reliability coefficient = .92Highest on Outcome Scales

Test-RetestScalesNonreferred group r = .71ScalesReferred group r = .75ScalesCombined r = .75

ValidityValidated through statistical tests of its two primary functions:1. its power to document developmental differences2. its power to document different performance in non-referred and referred groups10 Scales showed simple main effects for both development and the clinical factor1 showed effects for just development (Anxiety)12 showed effects for clinicalOnly 1 of 28 scales tested, showed no relation to developmental or clinicalValid distinctions between children and adolescents whose social understanding is at different developmental levels and between those whose social understanding is at different levels for reasons that relate to the presence of social and emotional adjustment difficulties

StrengthsAllows the child to express themselves without specific examination restraintsWeaknessesDifficult to score; objectivity required when scoringImportant to know the scoring scale really wellCannot be given to nonverbal children