Assessments
Dr. Lisa offers comprehensive psychological assessments. Although these assessments are commonly referred to as psychoeducational assessments, Dr. Lisa assesses more than just cognitive and academic abilities. Dr. Lisa takes a comprehensive approach when assessing your child’s strengths and challenges to ensure a thorough and accurate understanding of your child’s needs and to make appropriate and helpful recommendations.
Parents often seek out psychological (psychoeducational assessments) when they notice their child lagging behind at school relative to their peers. This could mean their reading, writing, or math skills seem delayed, or perhaps their behaviour seems much younger compared to their peers. Parents may also be concerned their child has ADHD, and want to know if ADHD is impacting their child’s education and behaviour. Or they may be hesitant about medicating their child for ADHD before having a comprehensive assessment to rule out other possibilities for the inattentive and hyperactive behaviour.
Comprehensive assessments offered at Growing Minds Psychology typically assess for the following:
- Specific Learning Disorders
- Intellectual Disability
- Giftedness
- ADHD
- Other factors that may impact your child's ability to learn
Assessment Process
Assessments begin with a parent interview to better understand your concerns and goals for an assessment. A thorough developmental history and understanding of your child’s current presentation is also obtained. Parents will also be asked to provide collateral information such as school report cards and other assessment reports if available.
Next, Dr. Lisa will meet with your child to get to know them and to complete assessment measures. These assessment measure may include different tasks, puzzles, and questionnaires. Parents and teachers will also often be asked to complete questionnaires.
Following completion of the assessment measures, Dr. Lisa will review all the information, score and interpret any measures completed, and write a report. Parents, and sometimes the child (depending on the age), will then return to review the results of the assessment. Diagnoses (if applicable) and recommendations will also be discussed. Parents will be provided copies of the report that they can then use to access supports (if recommended and needed).