Psychoeducational Assessments
Psychoeducational evaluations determine current functioning levels in the areas of cognitive-intellectual skills, academic achievement, learning processes or how the student learns best and social-emotional adjustment. It provides estimates of a child's intellectual/cognitive abilities and educational achievement levels. It also yields recommendations relevant for educational planning. What is the process involved in sending my child for a Psychoeduational Assessment?
A comprehensive psychological assessment typically is structured into 3 parts, over 3 visits, as follows: 1. Before meeting you, we will require parents to fill out questionaires and provide information which can be useful in understanding your child and his difficulties. The questionaires to be returned to us for review prior to the 1st visit.
2. The 1st visit is a parent interview to review background developmental, social, and medical information and review of the student's school records. This may last from an hour to one-and-half-hour;
3. The 2nd and 3rd visits, will comprise diagnostic testing of about 2 hours each. Sometimes, additional visits or testing hours may be necessary depending on factors such as behaviour and how cooperative the child is. We would want to ensure that testing or assessment is conducted in most conducive conditions to ensure optimal results for the child and family. The professional conducting the testing will inform the parent or caregiver of any additional hours which may be required in the course of this process.
At times, ratings tests of attention, behaviour, emotions and adaptive will be required, and occasionally, a school visit to observe the child in the classroom and an interview with the classroom teacher and others who work with the child may be necessary. While learning, not emotional problems, is the focus of psychoeducational assessment, behaviour/emotional and medical issues may need to be addressed in psychoeducational assessments. What happens after the Assessment?
The goal of psychoeducational assessment is always to gain information that will help answer questions of concern about a child's behaviour and/or school performance. After the assessment, a written report is given and results are interpreted to the parents, and to the child, if age-appropriate, at a private conference. All information is kept strictly confidential. However, copies of the assessment reports can be sent to schools and physicians with written permission from a parent.
Post Assessment Follow Up
To facilitate effective follow-up after an assessment, Ovspring also provides Consultation and Collaborative Services with Schools & Caregivers as follows:
- Consultation with teachers, parents, students and community agencies regarding the nature of child's strengths and needs, their educational implications and ways to enhance learning and interpersonal relations
- Collaboration with school-based personnel to gather classroom-based data, design or implement instructional strategies/design and implement behaviour management interventions
- Design and evaluation of individualised educational plans when applicable.
Information on some of the standardized assessments used at the clinic include the following, but not limited to:
Cognitive
- Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (IV-Integrated)
- Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (III)
- Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (III)
- Woodcock Johnson III (Cognitive Battery)
Achievement
- Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (II)
- Woodcock Johnson III (Achievement Battery)
- Test of Early Written Language-Revised
- Test of Early Reading Ability-Revised
- Test of Early Mathematical Ability-Revised
Behaviour
- Brown Attention-Deficit Disorder Scales
- Conners' Rating Scales-Revised
- Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales
- Test of Variables of Attention
- Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition (Vineland-II)
Others
- Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule (ADOS)
- Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised (ADI-R)
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