The Children’s Psychological Processes Scale (CPPS) Dr. Milton J. Dehn

Children’s Psychological Processes Scale (CPPS) Brief Overview Standardized teacher rating scale Ages 5-0-0 to 12-11-30 121 items across 11 subscales Entirely online, internet-web based Online administration time of 15 minutes Online scoring and report Author: Milton Dehn; published by Schoolhouse Educational Services, 2012 Measurement Consultant: Kevin McGrew

The Needs for the CPPS IDEA definition of LD “disorder…..basic psychological processes” Several states mandate a processing component for LD identification Neuropsych interest Even with RTI, some practitioners evaluate it The previous processing rating scale (PPC) has limitations "

Uses of the CPPS LD Evaluations (Primary Purpose) Screening Identify psych processing deficits Pattern of strengths and weaknesses Planning further assessment Screening Identifies need for intervention Predicts academic skills development Useful in planning comprehensive assessment Measure progress during interventions Through the use of change-sensitive W-scores

What is psychological processing? Brain processes, operations, functions Any time mental contents are operated on When information is perceived, transformed, manipulated, stored, retrieved, expressed Whenever we think, reason, problem-solve Basic and higher level processes Can’t learn and perform without processing Learning depends on these processes Doesn’t include knowledge or academic skills

What is a Processing Disorder? A group of symptoms involving abnormal behaviors A within child, brain-based deficit That impairs academic learning Not many official processing disorders E.g. CAPD, aphasia, amnesia, dyspraxia

Evidence for a Processing Disorder and SLD Diagnosis It’s not specific to one environment A normative weakness (below average score) Intra-individual: score is significantly weaker than predicted from discrepancy analysis Best if it’s an intra-individual weakness and a normative weakness (this is a deficit; these are rare) It’s impacting academic learning The low psychological processes and low academics have research-based links The linked process and academic skills both have low scores (consistency approach)

Processes and Academic Learning Psychological processes are like “aptitudes” Relations established through research Flanagan et al., & McGrew’s review of research Swanson, Geary, and others The influence of processes varies by age Look for academic area and related psychological processes to both be low

Characteristics of CPPS Processes Brain-based Interrelated Necessary for academic learning They underlie academic performance They are broad processes Observable in classroom Processes can be validly assessed through ratings; similar to BRIEF

Psychological Processes Measured by the CPPS Attention Auditory Processing Executive Functions Fine Motor Fluid Reasoning Long-Term Recall Oral Language Phonological Processing Processing Speed Visual-Spatial Processing Working Memory General Processing Ability (Composite)

Attention In classroom: Necessary for learning Attention deficits part of LD; not necessarily ADHD Types: Selective, focused, divided, sustained The problem is attentional control & lack of inhibition On CPPS, links to Executive Functions and Working Memory

Auditory Processing Ability to perceive, analyze, synthesize, and discriminate auditory stimuli, mainly speech In classroom: Perceiving and comprehending instruction; being able to understand words with background noise

Executive Functions Management of cognitive functions and psychological processes Effectiveness depends on self-monitoring, self-regulation, and metacognition Has a longer course of development More to do with classroom performance than learning of academic skills

Fine Motor Hits developmental plateau by age 7 On CPPS, has weaker relations with cognitive processes in general but has strong relations with academics On CPPS, pairs up with visual-spatial process.

Fluid Reasoning Deductive, inductive reasoning, especially with novel materials Has a longer course of development More important for applied academics

Long-Term Recall Close connection with other processes and with academic learning in general Includes encoding, consolidation, storage, and retrieval Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) is part of

Oral Language Not the content (vocabulary) or receptive language but the oral expression processes

Phonological Processing Processing of phonemes, e.g. blending Phonemic awareness is part of

Processing Speed How quickly information flows through the processing system; a matter of efficiency Too slow: info. lost, process not completed

Visual-Spatial Processing The ability to perceive, analyze, synthesize, manipulate and think with visual patterns A strength in most LD cases Weak relations with all academics; more of a “threshold” process

Working Memory Processing while retaining information On CPPS includes short-term memory Both verbal and visual

General Processing Ability (GPA) GPA score is the average of all process scores Emerges from factor analysis; similar to concept of general intelligence Processes function in an inter-related fashion Most processes contribute to any given behavior, task On CPPS defined as “the underlying efficiency of processing automaticity”

CPPS Items For report, grouped by subscale In developmental (ability) order from lowest item to highest item

CPPS Development Initial pilot study with 75 items and 10 scales Result: More range needed Item tryout with 147 items 11 scales in standardization version Items reduced to 121 Rasch item analysis used throughout W-scale used throughout Exploratory factor analysis

CPPS Standardization 1,121 students rated by 278 teachers 128 communities in 30 states All data collected online Demographics match U.S. Census well Scores were weighted Included children with disabilities Demographics details

Reverse Scoring Relative to achievement & cognitive tests High scores mean high difficulty and low ability All items stated negatively 0 = Never; 1 = Sometimes; 2 = Often; 3 = Almost Always Inconsistent ratings when positively stated items were tried during item tryout

Norms and Scores 4 age groups (5-6; 7-8; 9-10; 11-12) T-scores derived from linear transformation of actual standardization distribution T-Scores, W-Scores, confidence intervals, and conversion to standard scores

Sex Differences Boys have more processing problems No sign. Sex differences in fluid reasoning, phonological, and visual-spatial Norms not divided by sex Combined sex norms better for identification

CPPS Administration Online rating scale 12-15 minutes for teachers to complete Can print free paper copy and enter later Must answer all items (but can save incomplete) Responses: Never, Sometimes, Often, Almost Always This file is stored, and then accessed for report

CPPS Report Brief narrative, graph, and a table of scores Change-sensitive W-scores T-scores; percentiles; confidence intervals Intra-individual strengths and weakness discrepancy table T-score to standard score converter Can be re-run with different options (without a charge)

Item Printout Teacher ratings can be viewed and printed, even before report generated Numerical values will be shown Grouped by subscale Arranged in developmental/difficulty sequence from low to high

Discrepancy Analysis Use discrepancy table to determine pattern of strengths and weaknesses Predicted score based on mean of other 10 Regression toward the mean included +/- 1.00 to 2.00 SD of SEE discrepancy options Strengths and Weakness labeling is opposite of discrepancy, e.g. “-” value = a strength Non LD also have a pattern

Reliability Internal consistency subscale reliability ranges from .88 to .98 Link .99 on Total Score Inter-rater reliability Range of .21 to .90 Median coefficient of 76.5

Validity Evidence Content Validity Developmental Evidence WJ III Achievement WJ III Cognitive BRIEF LD Diagnostic Accuracy

Validity: Developmental Evidence Skewed distributions because Very few children have processing problems Fewer processing problems in older children Most processes fully develop early Teachers rate relative to that grade level Dev. changes observed in younger children Changes observed in upper half of problem distribution W values used to arrange items in order

Factor and Cluster Analysis A general factor; all subtests load on General processing ability (GPA) may reflect processing efficiency or automaticity More GPA presence with younger children Second factor is Attention, EF, sometimes WM: Self-Regulatory Processes Third factor is Fine Motor and Visual-Spatial: Visual-Motor processes Results fairly consistent across age groups