What narrative approach is encouraged in assessment reports to help families understand their children’s needs?

• A. More jargon and dense descriptions of tests and data
• B. Narrative-based descriptions that tell the story of the person being assessed, explain the problem, restore hope, and inspire change
• C. Short bullet-point summaries of scores only
• D. Dense, test-centric summaries with little context

Answer: (B)

Communicating assessment results in a narrative, person-centered way helps families understand their child’s needs by telling the child’s story, explaining what the findings mean, and outlining practical next steps. This approach makes the information relatable and actionable, showing how strengths and challenges play out in everyday life and what supports can make a difference. It also invites collaboration with families, fosters hope, and motivates changes that can be implemented at home and school.

A narrative-based description that tells the story, explains the problem, restores hope, and inspires change best fits this goal because it moves beyond numbers to meaning and action. In contrast, using jargon and dense test descriptions can be hard to grasp; short bullet-point scores omit context; and dense, test-centric summaries often leave families with little guidance on how to support the child day to day.