Table 1 Considerations for test development or selection relevant for clinicians working with Aboriginal clients
Criteria | Example/justification |
|---|---|
Brief | Less than 30 minutes |
Portable/mobile | Delivery outside the office, playing cards, drawing in the sand |
Easy to administer and interpret | Neuropsychologists not always available in remote regions, administration with interpreter or cultural consultant |
Not timed | Accuracy or ability more important |
Concrete, tangible, visual | Less reliance on abstract processes. Interactive stimuli that can be physically manipulated |
No/plain/little language | Interpretable into client’s first language |
Intuitive | Little reliance on language |
Fun/engaging | Game-like tasks, visually appealing |
Performance based – role modelling | ‘Do’ rather than ‘say’ tasks |
Practice | Allows experience of success and learn by observation and doing |
Repeatable/sensitive to change | Multiple alternate forms |
Not reliant on question/answer format | Yarning/storytelling preferable |
Not reliant on literacy, numeracy | Use ecologically relevant tasks |
Accessible | Ideally freely available and widely accessible |
Standardised | But modifiable administration and interpretation to include contextual info |
Utilise synchronous or simultaneous processing | Spatial relations, contextually presented information |
Relevant and meaningful tasks | Relationships, kinship mapping, yarning |
Familiar and relevant stimuli | Animals, relationships, bush foods |