I decided to write more about educational assessments as parents seem to be confused by exactly what educational assessments are due to the many variations and abuse of the term “assessments” as seen in the Malaysian market. Untrained people claim they do “assessments” all the time and feel very good about being deceptive of their true abilities and skills.
Understand that educational assessors and/or psychologists who conduct these assessments should first be registered with one of the many internationally recognized bodies, such as the Australian Psychological Society, the American Psychological Association, or the British Psychological Society. Each of these boards will provide registered and recognized members with a registration number, which we are ethically expected to display in the signature or somewhere where the credentials are. If the professional you go to does not have this, know that whatever they do in the name of assessment is not going to be valid by these accreditation bodies. Therefore, you are not getting a psycho-educational assessment.
Second, only people trained at the postgraduate level call themselves psychologists. Someone who has an undergraduate degree in psychology is neither a therapist, psychologist, or teacher. Parents get hoodwinked by organizations that claim to be “therapists” all the time.
Another point that must be highlighted is that, it is quite unreasonable to expect a “special education teacher” to have completed SPM or O-Levels, done a certificate or diploma, to be a trained professional. In order to become a special education teacher, one should first be a teacher first, and then have gone on to specialize. Does this not sound logical? If one is not aware of what a regular classroom or regular teaching protocols look like, then how on earth are they going to be capable of tailoring programs for learners with difficulties?
Conducting an IQ test in isolation is not enough for a diagnosis of any kind to be made. Observations do not constitute a diagnosis, especially if they come from a medical doctor concerning a learning disability. A learning difficulty is defined as a difficulty that exists without any medical reason and causes a problem with learning. For example, if someone has had a stroke and, as a result, is unable to read, then this can be diagnosed by a medical doctor. But if someone is dyslexic, a medical doctor who has not had some formal training in psychometrics and special education is not able to make a diagnosis. They could, at best, make an observation.
These are not tools used to make a diagnosis. Here are some examples of what rating scales look like: They are like surveys. It does not provide objective, comparable information between subjects. The most common place where people see these is at the customer service desk of any service provider. They ask you to judge and rate the person who offered you some services or advice. Would you call that a formal diagnosis of that person’s character? Certainly, not!. Likewise, in the special education domain.
Rating Scale Example 1:
They are subjective means of identifying a possible difficulty, and in no way do they constitute a diagnosis. The only exception to that rule is if you are consulting with a child psychiatrist for ADHD or for a diagnosis of ASD. Even in that instance, the specialist doctor will not give you a diagnosis in 10 minutes. They will conduct detailed observations that will take hours and then compare the findings to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V (or IV) to confirm a differential diagnosis. Most rating scales, especially the ones medical doctors use to “diagnose” learning difficulties, are nothing more than self-rated scales. These are a terrible way of measuring any behavior or learning difficulties, as they are so subjective, and numerous factors can affect the results from person to person and day to day!
Rating Scale Example 2:
Reading tests, spelling tests, and numeracy tests that do not indicate standard scores or any score for that matter are not diagnostic. They are no different than a spelling test done in school and marked by the school teacher, who probably has more experience in that anyway!
We are in 2023 and it is time for professionals in Malaysia to wake up and keep up with international standards, get trained properly and stop spoiling the special education market with rubbish and hogwash programs!
ABA therapists should go and get trained properly because these days, ABA can be studied at postgraduate level, making them expert therapists. I am tired of watching so many children with ASD go nowhere after years and years of so-called ABA done by people who refuse to get trained properly. Parents, go to the internet and search for success stories and videos of children who have undergone ABA conducted by highly qualified therapists. Compare that with what you get. Just stop getting taken in by word of mouth and nonsense.
Right brain and left brain programs that claim to help those with dyslexia and ADD overcome difficulties—another lot of untruths! If humans were meant to have only one side of the brain, don’t you think we would be born with just one side or the other?? What is the rationale for training only one side? Can we walk on one leg because we trained our “right” leg more? What research supports this nonsense? Refer to journals, parents, and not the testimonial section of some websites!
If we truly want to see change in the field of special education, you parents need to be equipped with the knowledge and truth and have some level of expectations from people you consult with as professionals. While I understand that cost is a huge issue, at the end of the day, proper training costs a lot of money, time and resources too! That is why there are so few of us who are properly trained. We practice the highest level of ethics and are committed to delivering quality services.
Reach out today!
Special Education Centre for Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Learning Difficulties Assessments & Intervention.
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