Why is My Child's School Recommending A Psychological Assessment
Schools will sometimes recommend a psychological assessment (also referred to as a psycho-educational assessment or 'Level C' assessment) when they have noticed a child seems to be demonstrating difficulties within class, which could relate to a variety of issues:
- Difficulty with focus and attention
- Difficulty with developing specific academic skills (e.g. struggling with reading, writing, and/or mathematics)
- Difficulty following or understanding instructions
- Falling behind other students
- Behavioural concerns (e.g. not listening to the teacher, being disruptive in class, breaking rules, etc.)
- Mental health concerns such as those related to anxiety/depression
- Difficulties with social interactions/friendships
Sometimes schools will put strategies and supports in place to help a child, but are still finding the child to be struggling and are not sure what else might help. A well conducted and explained psychological assessment will help provide answers as to why a child is struggling and provide additional supports and strategies to help them not only succeed in a school setting, but also at home.
What to Expect From the Assessment Process
Pre-Appointment (Virtual)- Prior to booking your appointment, you will provide background information that will allow us to ensure we are well suited for what you are looking for. After this has been confirmed and you have an appointment booked, you will be sent various background forms that will help us gather additional information, which will be reviewed prior to your first appointment.
In-Person Appointment(s)
Interview - Additional information is collected to ensure all aspects of an individual's life are taken into consideration when conducting the assessment. This also relates to learning more about specific areas of strength/challenge that were identified within other information gathered from other sources.
Formal Assessment/Testing - Following the interview, the psychologist will use a variety of measures to gain information, which explores areas related to:
- Cognitive development (e.g., fluid reasoning, problem solving, memory skills, vocabulary/language development, executive functioning, etc.)
- Academic development (e.g., reading, spelling/writing, mathematics, etc.)
Interpretation - All of the quantitative and qualitative information gathered throughout the process will be examined and interpreted, so that conclusions can be made and direction can be provided.
Debrief - Following the assessment, the psychologist will comprehensively explain the results and conclusions. You are welcome to invite others (e.g., teachers, partners, etc.) to this meeting if you feel it would be beneficial for them to be present. During this meeting, the psychologist will explain how conclusions were formed and provide a comprehensive explanation of assessment results. As well, time will be spent providing suggestions related to recommendations moving forward. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure you leave feeling informed and understood, with direction related to a plan moving forward.
Comprehensive Report Writing - Following the above process, a comprehensive report will be completed that aligns with the information that was shared during the debrief. This report will include all recommendations and guidance for next steps moving forward. The time required to complete the report varies, so if there are specific time restrictions/factors for us to consider, please let us know in advance to make sure we do everything we can to meet your needs, but also so that we can inform you before booking the appointment if we will not be able to meet the time requirements.