Services

Psycho-educational Evaluations

What is a psychoeducational assessment? A psychoeducational assessment is a comprehensive evaluation that helps parents, school staff and the students themselves understand why they may be struggling at school, academically, behaviorally or emotionally and how to best support them.
Who benefits from a psychological assessment? A psychoeducational assessment is usually recommended for children/adolescents who:

Are struggling academically and a Specific Learning Disorder is suspected
Are delayed in their development and an intellectual disability is suspected
Have complex developmental issues and detailed insight into their cognitive and academic abilities is needed
Are very bright and there is speculation that they may have skills that are developing at an advanced rate (i.e. gifted).

Gifted assessments

When is an assessment for intellectual giftedness indicated? Children and adolescents who are showing advanced academic skills often show advanced cognitive skills. These students generally benefit from a curriculum that is moving at a faster pace, is more complex in terms of breadth and/or depth or is more tailor-made in terms of accommodating their interests. A formal assessment is typically required in order to provide these students with accommodations to support their faster than average learning.
Some students who have advanced cognitive skills also have specific learning challenges. It is important for classroom teachers to know all aspects of the student’s learning profile so that they can enrich the student’s curriculum while helping to strengthen any learning challenges. The process is similar to that of a psycho-educational assessment.

Neuropsychological evaluations

A neuropsychological assessment is a specialized assessment that looks at brain – behavior relationships. This is especially relevant for children and adolescents with a medical history that can impact brain development and functioning (e.g. a brain injury, treatment for CNS cancers, prematurity, seizure disorder). A change in brain development can affect how your child pays attention, learns and recalls information, thinks and reasons, and solves problems. A neuropsychological evaluation provides an understanding of your children’s learning strengths and challenges, both cognitively and academically.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Assessment

ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental condition that can have a significant impact on a child’s or adolescent’s learning/academics and social development. Individuals with ADHD might show mainly weak attention, or hyperactive and impulsive behaviors, or a combination of these behaviors. Individuals with attentional deficits often miss instruction in school, struggle to get and stay on task and follow through with instruction. Individuals with hyperactivity and impulsivity can be extremely fidgety, very active and behave without thinking things through first. Assessment for ADHD is done by determining whether symptoms are present in various environments (e.g. home, school) and have been present for some time. Information is collected through a detailed history with a parent, review of 2-3 standardized questionnaires typically completed by parent and teacher and a careful review of school and other pertinent reports. It is frequently helpful to determine whether or not the student also has an underlying learning challenge as sometimes students are distracted because they are struggling to learn to read, write or learn math concepts. ADHD and Specific Learning Disorders (previously called learning disabilities) often co-occur. Accurate diagnosis is always important because it helps to determine the most appropriate and effective treatment.