What do I need to do to be qualified to administer the MEGA ?
You must complete the MEGA one-day specialized certification training.
How do I order the MEGA
Once you have completed the MEGA one-day specialized certification training, you will receive instructions on how to place your order for the number of risk reports needed (pay via PayPal).
Why is there a cost for the MEGA reports?
Court systems opt for accuracy, preferring not to rely on unscientific methods (guess-estimates) on risk assessment. Court systems expect solidly empirically based methods and measures.
MEGA established normative data according to age group and gender is scored accordingly. There is no guess-estimate. The cost is related to funding the various scientific research projects and expertise of MEGA.
How do you know that the MEGA is accurate?
MEGA has been validated and multiple cross validated on an international and national US sample of over 4,000 youth, yielding significant findings with each study on its predictive accuracy; the tool consistently demonstrated acceptable level of accuracy.
Did the MEGA validation studies show any differences between males and females?
Yes. Males were at higher risk for sexually abusive behaviors and are significantly more likely to reoffend.
Can I use the MEGA to assess youth with low intellectual functioning?
Yes. Over 20 percent of the MEGA validation international samples were youth with low intellectual functioning.
Can I use the MEGA to assess non-adjudicated youth?
MEGA is applicable to both adjudicated and non-adjudicated youth who are in variety settings (i.e., outpatient, inpatient, foster care, group homes and residential facilities, and juvenile detention facilities).
You indicated that MEGA can be used with youth ages 4-19, boys, girls, and transgender. How can one tool be used with such a wide age range?
MEGA has normative data, cut off scores, and risk levels, all, calibrated (statistical algorithms) specific to gender and age. MEGA assesses risk for coarse sexual improprieties and/or sexually abusive behaviors and protective factors in youth. Applicable to youth of a broad age range (4-19 years), regardless of judicial status (adjudicated and/or non-adjudicated) or gender (males, females, or transgender), including youth who have low intellectual functioning of borderline or below average. MEGA has four distinctive scales: (a) Risk Scale, (b) Protective Scale, and two clinical scales, (c) Estrangement Scale, and (d) Historic Correlative Scale, providing a baseline risk assessment. It is an outcome measure, that is, it can evaluate progress, tracking changes every 6 months in terms of increased or decreased risk levels and protective factors. MEGA is a proprietary tool, similar to other scientifically anchored measures (e.g., MIDSA, YSL/CMI) generating a comprehensive report idiosyncratic of the youth and able to be used in forensic settings.
Does the MEGA assess protective factors?
MEGA is the only risk assessment tool that has incorporated a protective scale, tested on over 4,000 youth, ages 4-19 years, males, transgender, and females, including youth with low intellectual functioning, adjudicated and non-adjudicated.
What does it mean when you say, MEGA is an "outcome measure?"
The MEGA is initially administered to get a "baseline" of risk for sexually abusive behaviors and can then be administered every six months assessing the changes in risk over time, thus an "outcome" measure.
How can the MEGA help me when I am assessing a very dangerous offender (someone whose sexual behaviors are potentially lethal)?
The MEGA differs from other risk assessment tools in that it has four risk levels, one of which assesses for dangerous and very high-risk youth.
Did the construction of MEGA rely on any research findings on risk assessment for adult sex offenders?
The MEGA meets in the strictest sense, the standard of being an empirically based risk assessment tool, solely on youth.
When should I administer the MEGA ?
Administer the MEGA on first contact with the youth to establish the youth's baseline risk level.
Why does the title of the MEGA have a musical note?
The title and musical note is a trademark of the tool and is so copyrighted.
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