Tips for choosing and using standardised assessments

Tell Clare what you think here! (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2625442/fa...) Do you feel like you are choosing standardised assessments on "autopilot," or struggling to explain why a test score doesn't match what you actually observe in clinic? Discover five practical tips to select, administer, and report standardised assessments so every tool you use genuinely guides decision-making adds value.   Episode Summary: In this episode of the How to Be a Better OT podcast, host Clare Batkin tackles a topic that touches every occupational therapy caseload: choosing and using standardised assessments. Clare breaks down five actionable tips to help OTs avoid the twin traps of "over-assessing" and "under-utilising" results. From evaluating psychometrics and preparing the testing environment to handling conflicting client data, establishing baseline outcome measures, and writing "so what" summary reports for NDIS planners, this episode gives you the clinical reasoning tools to make every assessment count.   Key Takeaways: • Tip 1: Choose Based on Purpose and Psychometrics: Why you should never use an assessment just because "we always do it." Learn how to match tools to your specific clinical goal, evaluate sensitivity, check validity, consider cultural safety and avoid overlapping assessments. • Tip 2: Preparation is the Key to Success: Discover why what you do before the assessment makes or breaks its validity. Learn how reading manuals, watching online training videos, conducting peer test-runs, and structuring the testing environment are winning strategies. • Tip 3: Question and Explain Conflicting Results: What to do when a score suggests a client is doing fine, but your direct observations show a significant struggle. Consider administration errors, insight gaps and stoicism, and how to manage conflicting information in report writing. • Tip 4: Before-and-After Outcome Measurement: Why outcome measurement fails when treated as an afterthought at the end of a therapy block. Learn how to set baseline measures at the activity and participation level right from day one to demonstrate tangible progress and prove the value of your service provision. • Tip 5: Presenting Results with the Audience in Mind: How to write assessment findings for NDIS planners, including how much content to include and how to present the results of standardised assessments for maximum impact.     Links & Resources Mentioned: • Official List: Review the NDIS Preferred List of Assessment Tools: https://www.ndis.gov.au/applying/gath... • Directory: Search rehabilitation outcome measures in the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab: https://www.sralab.org/rehabilitation... • Tool / Library: Access mental health and psychosocial tools in the NovoPsych Assessment Library: https://novopsych.com/assessments/  • Course: Enrol in the on-demand course Measuring Outcomes to Prove Our Value: https://yott.au/measuring_outcomes  • Freebie / Video: Watch the free 30-minute NDIS Report Writing Tutorial (featuring a demonstration on reporting standardised assessment results) on YouTube (    / @yourottutor  ) or in the Free Learning Library: https://yott.au/learninglibrary    If you found these practical tips on standardised assessments helpful, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a colleague! Be sure to tune in next time for Episode 3, where Clare will be sharing her tips for setting and achieving billable KPIs, with practical advice for both managers setting targets and clinicians working to hit them. Want to continue learning with Clare? Here are your options: • Check out my FREE Learning Library (https://yott.au/learninglibrary) full of resources and courses • Sign-up for one-on-one or group training and support (https://yott.au/services) • Book a time for a chat (https://link.tekmatix.com/widget/book...) to see how I can help • Sign-up for a Your OT Tutor membership (https://yott.au/membership) • Follow me on social media (https://yott.au/clarebatkinlinktree) – vist my Linktree for the links you need!