Psychological and Psychoeducational Evaluations
Get a Clearer Picture with Psychological and Psychoeducational Evaluations
When you or any member of your family exhibit psychological symptoms you can’t explain, seeking help early is an essential part of overcoming them. If your child or adolescent shows potential signs of autism, learning disability or ADHD, this service is highly recommended.
What is the difference between a psychological and a psychoeducational evaluation?
A psychological evaluation includes various aspects of psychological functioning. These may include domains of cognitive/intellectual performance, attention and memory, phonological skills, executive skills, developmental milestones, social-emotional and behavior, adaptive, and personality functioning. The psychological evaluation domains are structured depending on the age of the person being evaluated.
A psychoeducational evaluation includes most aspects of the domains discussed above, in addition to academic functioning. Without an academic assessment, a psychoeducational evaluation is not complete. However, a psychological evaluation does not require academic assessment.
Why is Evaluating Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) Important?
While these services are often delivered as part of a referral from schools, colleges or neurologists, you should feel empowered as a parent to seek them out if it feels necessary. Children with SLDs often find school more challenging than others but still go without the help they deserve. Waiting for them to grow out of it or treating it later down the line can create a host of deficits and delay their education in the years to come.
By communicating with teachers and identifying potential problems, you can make sure your child has the proper support and tools they need.
Our Assessment:
1-hour interview with the parents and child.
Direct observation in the clinic during testing. Video recordings are reviewed for remote assessments.
State-of-the-art assessment tools to increase the accuracy of the diagnosis. This includes remote assessment tools for clients unable to attend in-person appointments.
3-6 hours of independent testing to assess concerns, evaluating intelligence, memory, behavior, development, and/or achievement.
Questionnaires for parents, teachers and children to assess emotional, behavioral and adaptive functioning.
Our Results:
10-15 hours of data analysis and reporting to provide comprehensive and informative results.
1- hour of testing feedback to explain results and recommendations.
Recommendations made for Section 504 accommodations or suggestions for an individualized education plan (IEP) for more effective teaching based on weaknesses discovered.
Detailed recommendations for parents to enhance the child's learning and overcome present and future difficulties.
When applicable, specific recommendations are made to the college board to ensure the student is equipped to learn in the best way possible (may take up to 7 weeks to be approved after submission).
Our Process:
Parents of children or adults being evaluated are emailed an intake form ahead of time to complete.
During the first appointment, the parent and the child meet with the evaluator to complete a thorough online interview, lasting approximately one hour.
During the second and third appointments, the evaluation process continues in the office.
The child or adult is evaluated with a cognitive/processing measure to determining intellectual functioning. We will also assess attention and memory skills, depending on the concern. This frequently requires around 1.5-2 hours.
For some children, we conduct direct observation with the ADOS-2, or a thorough parent interview with the ADI-R.
If a psychoeducational evaluation is being sought out, a separate appointment(s) is needed for academic testing. This can take anywhere from 1.5-2 hours.
The parents will fill out clinical rating questionnaires needed to determine their child’s overall functioning from home or in our clinic. Teachers will also be sent rating forms to complete (with your permission).
Approximately 3 weeks later, the parent will receive the psychological report by email and asked to read it. Any questions or concerns will be addressed during the feedback session to review the results and the recommendations.
If you’re looking for expert guidance on ADHD, ADD or autism, you’ve come to the right place. We use both ADOS-2 and ADI-R to confirm or rule out a diagnosis of autism, in addition to several other assessment tools.
Insurance may cover part of these evaluations, significantly reducing your cost. Check with your insurance plan to see if this is possible or call our office at 305.269.3900 for more information about our assessments.