Psychoeducational Assessments
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What is a Psycho-educational Assessment?
What’s Involved in Creating a Psycho-educational Assessment?
The psychoeducational evaluation process includes the following five components:
- Intake Interview and Psychosocial Questionnaire. Parents and assessment clinician meet to discuss current issues, review developmental and academic history, and any other pertinent sources of information, which may include: school report cards, previous psycho-educational reports, Individualized Education Plans (IEP), behaviour intervention plans and/or supports plans that may be in place at the school, and medical records.
- Formal Standardized Testing Sessions. The actual cognitive and achievement testing is usually accomplished over three sessions that last approximately 2 hours each and include interactive administration of various standardized tests that assess cognitive ability, academic skills, executive functioning, memory, and attention. Periodic breaks are taken, depending on the client’s needs.
- Screening of Social/Emotional and Behavioral Functioning. Clinical interviews with parents and child and questionnaires and rating scales completed by parents, teachers and student (if appropriate) are used to gather pertinent information from people observing the child in different settings.
- Report and Recommendations. This is the behind-the-scenes portion of the assessment process where the psychologist scores and interprets results from the assessment measures that were administered. Based on test results, interviews, and questionnaires, the psychologist produces a comprehensive, diagnostic report summarizing and explaining the findings. In addition, the report will make meaningful recommendations to help remove barriers and make learning at school easier for your child. This report is frequently used to assist teachers in creating an Individual Education Plan (IEP), accessing extra reading and math supports, or to obtain academic accommodations. Information provided can include: a clear understanding of you or your child’s academic strengths and challenges relating to learning aptitudes, information processing, and academic skills.
- The diagnosis of a learning disability, ADHD or developmental disability if present.
- An action plan for improving academic performance.
- A list of recommended accommodations to seek from schools such as:
- More time to complete tests and exams.
- Access to a laptop and specialized software, e.g. Word to Text.
- Access to audiobooks for course texts or material.
- Option of having multiple choice tests or exams.
- Taking tests or exams in a quiet, supervised environment.
- More frequent breaks from class.
- Breaking up work or assignments into smaller components.
- Feedback Conference. The purpose of the final meeting is to review the results, consider recommendations, and answer questions.
What Instruments are Utilized in the Assessment Process?
Tests that are commonly used to measure academic performance may include the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement, or some other specific test of reading, oral reading, math skills, writing and so on. These tests measure the current academic skill level the student is able to demonstrate.
Other tests are used as needed, based upon all of the information and data that have been gathered (e.g., BASC-3, Conners 3, BRIEF-2, Vineland-3). These tests might look at things like behaviour, phonological processing, learning and memory, executive functions, attention regulation, sustained attention, vigilance, impulsivity, hyperactivity, social skills, or more specific academic skills.
Understanding Your Child’s Learning Needs
Understanding your child’s unique learning needs is a key aspect of nurturing their educational journey and overall development. A psycho-educational assessment sheds light on these needs, allowing you to make informed decisions and provide tailored support.
Here’s how:
Identify Strengths and Challenges
Through comprehensive testing, we uncover your child’s cognitive strengths and areas that might require further attention. This is invaluable in addressing any obstacles to learning.
Discover Learning Disorders
Sometimes, learning challenges such as dyslexia, ADHD, or processing disorders can hinder a child’s progress. A psychoeducational assessment can identify these disorders, bring clarity and allow the development of targeted strategies to assist your child.
Gain Insight into Learning Styles
Most educational institutions present and provide information in a highly regularized and standardized manner. Some children simply cannot learn and, much less thrive, with these typical methods. A child’s academic struggles at school can often lead to a lack of confidence in their abilities and self-worth, impacting other areas of that child’s life. A psychoeducational assessment helps reveal your child’s learning style which, in turn, can help educators enhance comprehension and engagement at school, and help parents support their kids at home, preventing future learning, social and emotional issues.
Enhance Communication
Awareness of your child’s learning needs will help you engage in more effective communication with teachers and specialists. We strongly believe that “it takes a village” – and the collaboration enabled by a psychoeducational assessment will help ensure that everyone is on the same page in supporting your child’s journey, both inside and outside the classroom.
Empowering Your Child
Understanding your child’s learning needs empowers them to take ownership of their education. This equips them with self-awareness and tools for self-advocacy, helping your child build independence and a lifelong love of learning. A psychoeducational assessment also helps you to address any emotional or social challenges your child may face, promoting emotionally healthy development even beyond academics.
What do Psych-Ed Assessments Evaluate?
- Cognitive intelligence
- Learning Disabilities
- Giftedness
- Expressive and Receptive Vocabulary
- Memory
- Learning
- Attention/Concentration (ADHD if present)
- Executive functioning (planning and organization)
- Reading (phonetic skills and reading comprehension)
- Spelling/Writing
- Mathematics
- Academic fluency and accuracy
- Listening comprehension
- Social-Emotional functioning
- Behavioural strengths and challenges
- Pencil based fine motor skills
- Visual Perception
- Visual and Motor Coordination Skills
Psych-Ed Assessment Cost
The cost for a typical psychoeducational assessment is $3400-$3600. This is based on a standardized battery of tests. This cost includes review of historical information provided, intake assessments, testing and scoring, report writing, review meetings and final report production. Occasionally, we may identify that additional review of records and/or testing is advisable, based on information at intake or during testing. Prior to engaging in additional review or testing, we will present the cost for an additional review and/or testing with you and seek signed consent to do the additional work and charge for additional costs.
Fees for a psychological assessment are not covered by the Medical Services Plan of B.C. You will receive a receipt after full payment of the assessment and all appointments have been completed. If you have extended health benefits that cover psychological assessments, you may be able to submit for reimbursement of the fees to the extent that your plan covers. We are unable to direct bill insurance companies, and we are unable to advise you of your coverage. Please contact your insurance company prior to engaging in working with us if you have any questions about your insurance coverage.