INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT SERVICES

Psychoeducational Assessment

Our assessment services are designed to answer these types of questions:

• Does the student have a learning disability, developmental disability, attentional problems?

• What are the student’s academic and cognitive abilities, strengths, and weaknesses?

A comprehensive psychoeducational assessment helps to determine a student’s strengths and weaknesses. With this understanding, we can help to improve academic achievement, work performance, and overall quality of life. 

A psychoeducational assessment evaluates a child’s intellectual and academic skills and processes related to learning (memory, processing speed, fine-motor control) using a standard battery of tests. As part of our comprehensive psychoeducational assessment, ADHD will be assessed at no extra cost if attention problems are present.

What is the process of a Psychoeducational Assessment?

Before the first session, we will send you a background questionnaire to complete prior to your assessment. Other elements of the assessment include:

• Interview with parents to collect developmental history and review the child’s academic functioning through every grade, their current functioning at home and their strengths and areas of need according to the parent(s).

• The psychologist may ask the child’s teacher to complete questionnaires and to speak to the psychologist about their observations of the child at school.

• Six to ten hours of in-person testing with the child. Cognitive and behavioural testing will examine how you or your child reasons and solves problems and test their memory, information processing, attention, and organizational skills.

• Academic testing is designed to discover academic abilities such as reading, writing and math compared to other students of the same age.

What is the outcome of a Psychoeducational Assessment?

• 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 that are based on the child's strength and needs to seek from schools, colleges or universities (please note that post-secondary institutions often require a recent assessment) such as:

  • 1. More time to complete tests and exams.

    2. Access to a laptop and specialized software, e.g. Word to Text.

    3. Access to audiobooks for course texts or material.

    4. The option of having multiple-choice tests or exams.

    5. Taking tests or exams in a quiet, supervised environment.

    6. More frequent breaks from class.

Following the assessment, the psychologist meets with parents to verbally review the results, recommendations, and next steps. This meeting typically lasts one hour. Parents are also provided with a detailed, comprehensive report outlining all the results and recommendations. These recommendations are usually used by the child’s school to put together a plan (Individualized Education Plan – IEP) that helps the student reach their potential at school.

Often students seek a psychoeducational assessment because they are struggling in college or university with problems that have either never been assessed or were assessed a long time ago.  In order to receive academic accommodations in University or College, an updated psychoeducational assessment is usually required.

Psychoeducational Assessment is an evaluation of an individual's intellectual and academic skills and processes related to learning (memory, processing speed, fine-motor control) using a standard battery of tests. As part of our comprehensive psychoeducational assessment, ADHD will be assessed at no extra cost if attention problems are present.

What is the process of a Psychoeducational Assessment?

Before the first session, we will send you a background questionnaire to complete prior to your assessment. Other elements of the assessment include:

• Six to ten hours of in-person testing. Cognitive and behavioural testing will examine how you reason and solve problems and test their memory, information processing, attention, and organizational skills.

• Academic testing designed to discover academic abilities such as reading, writing and math compared to other students of the your age.

What is the outcome of a Psychoeducational Assessment?

• A clear understanding of your 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.

• Recommendations for tools and strategies to help improve academic performance.

• A list of recommended accommodations based on your diagnosis to seek from your university or college. Some example accommodations include:

  • 1. More time to complete tests and exams.

    2. Access to a note-taker or lecture notes before the lecture.

    3. Access to a laptop and specialized software, e.g. Word to Text.

    4. Access to audiobooks for course texts or material.

    5. Taking tests or exams in a quiet, supervised environment.

Following the assessment, the psychologist meets with you to verbally review the results, recommendations, and next steps. This meeting typically lasts under an hour. You are also provided with a detailed, comprehensive report outlining all the results and recommendations.