The Testing Psychologist Podcast 563. Tele-Assessment Research
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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much tele-assessment has changed since the early days of the pandemic, and we’re definitely moving past the “just trying to survive” phase into something a bit more rigorous. I wanted to sit down and look into where the research actually stands right now, especially when it comes to the “spatial problem” and why our tech setups might be accidentally measuring screen resolution instead of actual cognitive ability. Today, I’m summarizing the research on which parts of the assessment are best conducted remotely vs. in-person, along with offering some concrete tips to improve the quality of your remote protocol. At the end of the day, we’re trying to bring the rigor of the clinic into the client’s living room, and that takes a lot more than just a laptop and a prayer.
Main Topics
- 00:15: The foundational research in tele-neuropsychology and the high reliability of remote verbal tasks
- 00:45: The spatial problem and how parallax or mirroring errors can create a tele-assessment penalty
- 01:45: Using the Tele-ASD-PEDS to observe naturalistic parent-child interactions in the home environment
- 03:10: Addressing the sensory bottleneck and hearing loss confounds in geriatric cognitive screening
- 04:40: Comparing developmental distractions in kids versus facilitator influence in older adults
- 06:15: The 2026 remote protocol including the three-camera setup and audio priority requirements
- 08:05: Technical environment audits and the importance of a 10-inch minimum screen size
- 09:20: Establishing a hard “discontinue threshold” to prevent powering through bad data
Cool Things Mentioned
- The Testing Psychologist mastermind groups and business consulting
- Reverb: the premier AI-powered report-writing platform for testing psychologists
Featured Resources
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About Dr. Jeremy Sharp
I’m a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director at the Colorado Center for Assessment & Counseling, a private practice that I founded in 2009 and have grown to over 20 clinicians. I earned my undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina before getting my Master’s and PhD in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University. These days, I specialize in psychological and neuropsychological evaluation with kids and adolescents.
As the host of the Testing Psychologist Podcast, I provide private practice consulting for psychologists and other mental health professionals who want to start or grow psychological testing services in their practices. I live in Fort Collins, Colorado with my wife (also a therapist) and two young kids.
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