ADVER: Computerized Youth Assessment tools

First, I would like to thank Ellen for inviting me to this forum. It appears to be a WONDERFUL place to be! Now, I would like to introduce you all to my new creations: AAMI and SUAMI. I actually created them over a year ago, as paper assessments--but have just computerized them. Read on:

FREE evaluation copies of computerized youth assessment programs from my computer to yours! There are two programs: AAMI-- which is designed for youth in grades K-5, and SUAMI--created for adolescents.

SUAMI is a comprehensive, structured diagnostic and assessment interview tool designed specifically for adolescents to measure substance use, health history, educational functioning, legal history and current status, family functioning, family substance use, peer relationships, employment status, psychological functioning, HIV risk behaviors, gang affiliation/risk, and child welfare involvement) --with a heavy emphasis on the area of substance use. This tool not only helps you assess the adolescent's life functioning, it also yields a substance use disorder diagnosis that is consistent with DSM-IV criteria.

AAMI is also a comprehensive, structured interview program that allows the child (K-5th grade) to offer information about his or her life functioning in an open-ended format, avoiding "leading questions." AAMI is a non-threatening non-frightening tool used to discover the child's strengths, weaknesses, problems and needs. AAMI includes "warm-up," or rapport-building, items at the beginning--and "cool-down," or esteem-building, items at its close. Once you type in the child's age, then AAMI "knows" which age-appropriate questions to ask. AAMI also knows (as does SUAMI) when to probe, and when to simply go on to the next item area. In other words, if a child answers a question in a manner that might indicate a potential problem for the child in that area, AAMI and SUAMI will ask more detailed questions of the child. If no problem seems apparent, the programs simply go on to the next topic.

Both programs (tools) are designed to run in MSWord for Windows (version 2.0 or higher). Both programs are easy to use. You simply answer questions in the pop-up window dialog boxes, and watch as AAMI insert your responses into the assessment report (which you can print, immediately, at the interview's close). You can respond with one word or a short phrase, and the program converts you response into a complete sentence within the report.

Best of all, because the programs run in MSWord, you can edit the narrative reports as much as you like. You can even save them as a regular Word file.

Both programs personalize the report by inserting the child's name throughout the report.

If you would like to order a FREE demo version of AAMI, SUAMI, or both programs, simply send your request to me via this email address: njanet@bayou.uh.edu and I will send the program(s) to you ASAP. If you discover that you like the program(s), and simply can't do without them, you can complete the order'form (included in the program) and send me $99 (intro rate good until Feb. 15), and I will U.S. mail (or e-mail)the un-timed version to you. The demo version is good for only 30 days, and then it self-expires.

Please write to me if you would like to test-drive either (or both) instruments.

Have a Happy New Year! Janet Ng (njanet@bayou.uh.edu)

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