Creating a Trans-Affirmative Assessment Practice

Neuropsychological assessments can have marked impacts on individuals because outcomes directly inform interventions, medication management, and accommodation services. Higher level psychological assessments have a tremendous amount of empirical backing and standardized norms; however, they often rely on gender-based norms, resulting in problems with translating findings to nonbinary examinees. Research and guidance are currently lacking on how to translate binary gender-normed assessments to be inclusive of transgender and gender diverse clients. Until more inclusive assessments are extensively studied and normed, clinicians need a process to use current materials while incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion. The following includes recommendations for creating a trans-affirmative assessment practice, including measure selection and interpretation and how to provide gender diverse clients with a respectful and supportive assessment environment.
Keywords: assessment, guidelines, transgender, trans-affirmative