Writing Useful, Accessible, and Legally Defensible Psychoeducational Reports (eBook)

MICHAEL R. HASS, PhD, is a Professor of Counseling and School Psychology and Coordinator of the School Psychology program at Chapman University. He has over twenty-five years of experience as a school psychologist in public schools and as a psychotherapist and educational psychologist in private practice. He is a consultant with the Los Angeles County Department of Education Greater Avenues for Independence Program for unemployed adults with learning disabilities and Faculty-In-Residence with The Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. Dr. Hass has published articles in numerous professional journals and is the current editor of Contemporary School Psychology. JEANNE ANNE CARRIERE, PhD, has been a School Psychologist in a large urban school district for over 20 years. She is currently the Director of the Chapman Ability Project, a collaborative program designed to advance the expertise of educators, service providers, community members, and parents working and living with children with neurodevelopmental disorders. As a Clinical Associate Professor at Chapman University, she teaches, supervises, and mentors field-work students. She is on the editorial board of Trainers' Forum and Contemporary School Psychology.

Acknowledgments ix

Chapter 1 Why Is Another Book on Report Writing Needed? 1

Chapter 2 What Makes a Report Legally Defensible? 11

Chapter 3 How Do I Make My Reports More Useful to Consumers? 37

Chapter 4 Step-by-Step, How Do I Write Useful and Legally Defensible Reports? 65

Chapter 5 How Do I Solve Practical Problems along the Way to Question-Driven Report Writing? 101

Appendix I-Checklist for a Useful and Legally Defensible Report 113

Appendix II-What Do These Reports Look Like? 117

Appendix III-Interview protocol 169

References 173

Author Index 181

Subject Index 185

This book focuses on how to write a psychological report that is
first and foremost helpful to consumers, while also being
technically and legally defensible. Like the reports the authors
describe, the book is carefully organized, beautifully written, and
accessible to practitioners as well as graduate students. It is a
brilliant accomplishment that should be required reading for every
school psychologist.

--Brent Duncan, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Humboldt
State University, Arcata, CA