Does your child need a Psychoeducational Assessment?
Most kids struggle in school from time to time, whether it’s difficulty mastering fractions or learning to read. How do you know if your child’s difficulty is just a bump in the road or whether it is a sign of something more serious, like a Learning Disability or ADHD?
An assessment may be needed if:
- Your child is falling significantly behind classmates
- She seems to understand a concept one day but then forgets it later in the day or the next day
- Teachers share concerns that something may be getting in the way of your child reaching his or her potential
- Your child consistently resists school work or shows other signs of emotional or behavioural difficulty
WHAT IS A PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT?
A psychoeducational assessment is comprehensive in that it goes beyond obvious symptoms and focuses on the factors that affect your child’s functioning. For example, attention and memory are underlying factors that may contribute to learning problems with reading, writing, and math. An assessment identifies your child’s strengths and needs related to intellectual and academic functioning, as well as identifying any emotional or behavioural needs that may be contributing to their difficulty.
A psychoeducational assessment is a critical piece in identifying children with learning and behavioural difficulties, as well as children who may be academically talented (gifted).
Psychoeducational assessments are conducted by psychologists who have received specialized graduate level training in test administration and interpretation.
HOW LONG DOES AN ASSESSMENT TAKE?
As the process is comprehensive, a typical assessment takes approximately 6-8 hours. Test interpretation and report preparation requires additional clinical time.
WHAT INFORMATION DOES AN ASSESSMENT PROVIDE?
A comprehensive assessment pinpoints your child’s strengths and areas of need and provides practical recommendations for successfully managing intellectual, learning, behavioural and/or social emotional differences. The information obtained is consolidated into a formal report that is provided to you. The psychologist will explain the results to you in understandable terms. Your child’s school can use the information and recommendations from the report to help your child at school. In Ontario and other provinces, a psychoeducation assessment is used for the creation of an IEP or Individual Education Plan to better help teachers understand how your child learns and the best ways to teach them.
Dr. Rebecca Moore is the Director of the Kanata Psychology and Counselling Centre and the Kanata Learning Centre. If you are interested in booking a psychoeducational assessment for your child or are interested in making an appointment with Dr. Moore for therapy or are interesting in learning more about what the Kanata Learning Centre can do for your child, please call (613) 435-2729 or e-mail office@kanatapsychology.com. You can also visit the Kanata Learning Centre at www.kanatalearningcentre.com
