HOMESTUDY: Whitney Graff, Psy.D, ABPP When Test Data Come Alive: Integrating Context, Function, and Observation in Child Assessment, 2 CEs

Abstract: Psychological assessment of children and adolescents relies on structured measures, symptom inventories, and diagnostic frameworks that provide valuable information but may not fully explain why a young person behaves as they do. This presentation introduces a functional contextualist approach that complements traditional assessment by examining behavior within developmental, relational, and environmental contexts and considering how it is maintained through interactions with the environment. Attendees will explore how symptoms and behaviors vary across settings, including home, school, peer relationships, and the testing environment. The testing process itself can provide valuable clinical information, as behaviors such as avoidance, distraction, emotion dysregulation, perfectionism, and disengagement may emerge during assessment. Through de-identified clinical examples, participants will practice identifying the context and function of these behaviors and integrating observations into case conceptualization. By identifying functional themes across symptoms and diagnoses, psychologists can better understand comorbidity, clarify test findings, and develop precise, individualized recommendations. This approach supports assessments that are diagnostically sound, developmentally sensitive, and clinically meaningful for children, families, schools, and treatment providers. Objectives: 1. Articulate how a functional contextualist perspective can be applied to pediatric psychological assessment to understand behavior as context-dependent and functionally meaningful. 2. Identify and assess clinically relevant behaviors that emerge during the testing process itself, and integrate these observations with standardized test data to enhance case conceptualization. 3. Apply an integrated, contextual case formulation to generate individualized, coherent, and practically useful assessment conclusions and recommendations.