Psychologists’ Learning Disability Assessment Practices and Attitudes Toward Evidence-Based Change in Nova Scotia
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Date
2010-09
Authors
Blotnicky, Pamela
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the actual and preferred psycho-educational
assessment methods and attitudes toward evidence-based practices among Nova Scotian
psychologists and candidates registered. Forty-seven practitioners completed an online
questionnaire with items targeting current and preferred test and procedure use, attitudes toward
empirically based practices, satisfaction with assessment techniques, and demographic variables.
Results showed that the majority of practitioners have positive attitudes about evidence-based
practice and prefer to use tests and procedures supported by a strong research base. However,
many are not endorsing research-based methods in actual practice, due to limited resources,
training, and support, leading many to feel less satisfied with their current approaches to learning
disability assessment. Implications of this study are discussed in terms of affecting evidencebased
changes in learning disability assessment at the organizational and provincial levels, and
opportunities for future research are discussed.
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Keywords
Psychologists-Nova Scotia , Evidence-based psychotherapy , Learning disabilities-diagnosis