The Animated Movie Test (AMT)
Online Training Course
About
What is this assessment?
The Animated Movie Test (AMT) is a criterion-referenced assessment with standardised administration and scoring. It is designed for young people between the ages of 8 years and 15 years. It takes a maximum of 30 minutes to administer. There are two sections, which are: 15 minutes to set up the movie, and 15 minutes to narrate and act out the movie.
The AMT measures how the young person sets up and prepares for a complex task, their ability to sequence events, generate problems and sub-plots, initiate and create cohesive text and plots, their emotional engagement in the task, use of precise vocabulary and decontextualized language, understanding of character roles, and use of symbols and representational thinking. It has been designed to be non-threatening and enjoyable while gathering information about how young people process and function when given a complex task.
The AMT is based on the assumption that early self-initiated pretend play ability is a complex ability that involves, and is related to, the following aspects of development:Â social competence, emotional understanding, self-regulation, metacognition, language, narrative language, creativity, and problem-solving.
Pretend play is an ability, and not all young people have developed this ability. If a child has lower complexity in their pretend play development in early childhood, then in older childhood and adolescence, they may show difficulties with: social interactions with peers, understanding narrative and be literal in their thinking, thus missing nuances in social interactions, problem-solving, creative thinking, and ability in metacommunication and metacognition. They may also present as having difficulty thinking ‘on the spot’ and difficulty in being flexible in the moment. Essentially the AMT is a test of pretend play ability for a young person. Research so far on the reliability and validity of the Animated Movie Test has shown that inter-rater reliability is good to excellent (ICC – .8 to .99) and that the Movie Items on the Animated Movie Test are related to narrative language and theory of mind.
The Animated Movie Test is administered with the young person standing or sitting at a table. Young people aged 8 years to 11 years are invited to choose 4 prop boxes from a selection of 7 prop boxes. Young people aged 12 years to 15 years are presented with 7 prop boxes. The examiner is the ‘camera person’ and stands or sits to the side of the young person. For the Animated Movie Test, the examiner supplies the movie props (a selection of miniature play materials).
The manual and score sheets are essential for standardised administration and scoring of this assessment. Interpretation of scores are available in the manual.
Do I need to have the AMT Manual and Scoring Sheets?
The AMT Manual and Scoring Sheets are included in the price of the training, and will be posted to you upon your registration to the course. You will need these as you work through the modules, and during the supervision sessions.
Below is more detailed information on the training.
The training has 2 components:
The 3 Modules are detailed below. You work through this content at your own pace, in your own time. You will have 6 months access to the Modules, both to work through them, and refer back to them during the supervision sessions. The total time of all recordings is approximately 1 hours 12 minutes.
The Modules take you through the Manual and Scoring of the AMT. You will require the AMT Manual and Score Sheets with you as you work through the Modules. These are included in the cost of the course and will be posted to you once you register.
There is a short quiz after Module 2. This is a self-check quiz, therefore it doesn't require a specific pass rate.
Module 1
Module 2
Practice
Module 3
Optional Module for Suggested Learn To Play Therapy Sessions
Section 2: 5 hours of Live Zoom Sessions
In the supervision session you will be involved in 5 hours of live Zoom meetings. These will be in small groups of up to 5 people, plus the trainer. The times for the 5 hours of supervision sessions are arranged according to the availability of the group (with consideration for the time zones covered by the group), and the trainer. These sessions are usually run in one hour blocks, depending on the complexity of the young person's case.Â
For this part of the training, you will be invited to provide at least one video of yourself administering an AMT assessment. If this is not possible in your workplace, you will need to discuss the assessment in depth instead. The video will be shared by you, over Zoom, and no other person in the group will have a copy of your video recording. A consent form for parents to sign is available for download from the course portal.
Learn To Play and the trainer will not have a copy of your video, nor will they store a copy. The group only views your videos during the live Zoom supervision sessions. You will have the video on your device, and share your screen so the group can score and interpret the AMT assessment together. One AMT video will be scored and interpreted at each 1 hour supervision session.
The 5 hours of scoring and interpretation practice is aimed to provide you with training on being consistent (reliable) and accurate when scoring and interpreting an AMT assessment. After you have completed the training, you will be given a certificate to indicate you are trained in the administration, scoring and interpretation of the AMT.
Included Resource
Animated Movie Test:
AMT Manual: 33 pages colour print double-sided on 100gsm bond. Cover (1 x Front, 1 x Back) gloss laminate in colour 300gsm satin. Wire bind finishing. Published in 2018.
AMT Score Sheet (10 per pack): 11 pages, self-cover on LIGHT YELLOW 80gsm, double sided black & white print, A4 size; saddle stitch finishing.
Discounts
Enrolling multiple people in the course?- Group discounts are available for multiple people interested in enrolling in the course and undertaking supervision at the same time.
- Price per person:
- 1 person (1:1 supervision) = $900
- 2 people (2:1 supervision) = $600 each
- 3 people (3:1 supervision) = $550 each
- 4 people (4:1 supervision) = $500 each
- 5 people (5:1 supervision) = $450 each
- To enrol multiple people, click on the Enrol Now button below and add the course to your cart. Once added, view your cart and update the quantity of enrolments from your cart. Your discount will automatically be applied upon updating your cart. Automatic discounts will only be applied for to up to 5 registrations, if you would like to enrol more than 5 people please contact us directly.