Empirically Supported Assessment of Children and Adolescents

Typical assessment training and practice have not kept pace with advances in evidence‐based practices due to shortcomings of clinical judgment, misperceptions about burden, and literature gaps about matching assessment and treatment. We offer an evidence‐based approach to assessment, focusing on principles to select high‐utility methods for key clinical functions of prediction (i.e., identifying risk factors, quantifying symptoms), prescription (i.e., matching treatment with diagnosis and patient values), or process (i.e., monitoring progress, defining goals). Each function emphasizes different psychometrics. Assessing youths adds issues of development, multiple informants, and confidentiality. Knowing base rates for common problems and matching these with curated tools creates an efficient assessment process that will yield more accurate diagnoses, better patient engagement, and improved outcomes.