PSY 640 Week 6 Discussion Forensic Assessment Cases- Reply to Karin’s Post

Question

Details: Indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with your colleague’s choice of information to include in the summary of test results. Suggest any additional significant test results that you would have included in the summary. Identify additional assessment measures you would recommend for the client. Assess the personality instrument(s) suggested by your colleague. Would these measures provide reliable, valid, and culturally appropriate results for the given scenario? Use scholarly and peer-reviewed sources published within the last fifteen years to support your assertions. (SEE KARIN’S POST BELOW)

Karin Donnellysmith Post

I chose Mr. W (scenario #1) who is 90 years old and trying to keep his son from gaining or keeping legal guardianship. He was previously diagnosed with “dementia” after a blackout and hallucination. The testing was at his son’s urging. The son took over finances at that point. Money and possessions of value have been taken since. These events were isolated and do not indicate Alzheimer’s as a primary problem. The report does not state which test was used to determine dementia previously. Mr. W takes several medications for bone strength, immunity, for better breathing, to reduce blood clots, maintain blood pressure, to prevent bacterial infection, and finally for better memory. Mr. W has a 6th-grade education. Current tests primarily the Repeat Battery for the Assessment of Neurological psychological Status (RBANS) scores show functioning is average or below in most areas. There is weakness in attention, working memory and intellectual function, visuospatial function was difficult.
Forensic Guideline 2.08 from the APA says Forensic practitioners need to try to understand variables of difference that affect people and their ability to interact with the legal system, (American Psychological Association, 2013). Elderly people in particular may find legal proceedings frustrating and confusing.
I would recommend the following assessments to determine Mr. W’s level of ability for self-care and money management.
Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) It is a computerized 30-point tool. When it is used with game-based content that tests stimulation, attention, and memory clients/patients are more willing to participate repeatedly. The test can determine between normal and mild dysfunction. The activities may also improve the dysfunction and can be tracked electronically, (Liu, Chen, and Huang, (2017).
The Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT) has 10 questions that can provide a quick assessment of dementia that can determine the need for further investigation, (Foroughan, et al, 2017).
The Clock Drawing Test (CDT) Clock drawing has been used commonly do screen for impairment. Traditional version has been subjectively scored. A computerized version would provide for better analyzation, (Xu, Ding, Ling, Li, Li, and Wang, 2020).
I feel like it is important to start with short tests to not frustrate elderly people beyond necessary. Further testing may however be warranted. I feel that people need to be independent as long as they are not a danger to themselves or others.

American Psychological Association. (2013). Specialty guidelines for forensic psychology (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) [PDF]. American Psychologist, 68(1), 7-19. doi:10.1037/a0029889
Foroughan, M., Wahlund, L. ‐ O., Jafari, Z., Rahgozar, M., Farahani, I. G., & Rashedi, V. (2017). Validity and reliability of Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS) among older Iranian. Psychogeriatrics, 17(6), 460–465. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1111/psyg.12276
Liu, K.-Y., Chen, S.-M., & Huang, H.-L. (2017). Development of a game-based cognitive measures system for elderly on the basis of Mini-Mental State Examination. 2017 International Conference on Applied System Innovation (ICASI), Applied System Innovation (ICASI), 2017 International Conference On, 1853–1856.
Xu, F., Ding, Y., Ling, Z., Li, X., Li, Y., & Wang, S. (2020). DCDT: A Digital Clock Drawing Test System for Cognitive Impairment Screening. 2020 IEEE 36th International Conference on Data Engineering (ICDE), Data Engineering (ICDE), 2020 IEEE 36th International Conference On, 1762–1765

Image preview for “identify additional assessment measures you would recommend for the client.”

Click the purchase button to get full answer.