Psycho-Educational Assessment
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of a psycho-educational assessment?
When a child or adolescent experiences academic, social, or behavioral challenges that interfere with his or her ability to benefit from instruction, a comprehensive assessment can identify the factors contributing to these problems and recommends appropriate strategies and accommodations that will enable him or her to realize their potential.
A psycho-educational assessment report by a registered psychologist typically leads to the implementation of an Individualize Program Plan (I.P.P.) in the school, and provides recommendations for the instructional strategies (e.g., graphic organizers), accommodations (e.g., additional time for exams), and supports (e.g., educational aide) that should be included in the I.P.P. so the child can realize their full potential.
What is involved in the assessment process?
A comprehensive assessment involves the collection and analysis of data from multiple sources, so as to identify whether a child’s difficulty arise from cognitive problems, a learning disability, attention or memory challenges, a developmental delay, visuo-motor coordination difficulties, psychological problems such as anxiety or depression, a medical condition, or some other source or combination of factors. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 4th ed. Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) provides the reference criteria that are used to identify and diagnose specific problems.
What data is collected in the assessment?
Typically, an assessment will involve several standardized psychological or educational tests, including a measure of intellectual functioning (such as the WISC-IV, WAIS-III, Woodcock Johnson III, or Stanford-Binet), a measure of academic performance (such as the WIAT-II or Woodcock Johnson III), and other tests of specific areas of difficulty (e.g., phonological processing, attention, memory, executive functioning, visuo-motor coordination, etc.). A psychologist will also review past academic performance, interview a child or adolescent and their parents and teachers, observe the child or adolescent in a school setting, and review other relevant professional reports (such as doctor’s reports, occupational therapy assessment and intervention, etc).
What should I look for in a psycho-educational assessment report?
From a practical standpoint, the psycho-educational assessment report should just provide a diagnosisbut also identify the following specific information:
- strengths that a person can use to compensate for their areas of weakness
- specific areas where information-processing difficulties occur (e.g., knowing only that reading comprehension is a problem is not as useful as knowing that difficulties in basic decoding of words, recall of vocabulary or word meanings, or limited memory space for storing verbal ideas is a primary contributing problem)
- specific instructional strategies and accommodations to help the person succeed
- social or emotional difficulties (e.g., anxiety, depression) that may co-occur
How could a child use their strengths to compensate for areas of weakness?
A child or adolescent might have strong abilities in processing visual information but struggle with communicating these orally or in writing. Strategies such as visual graphic organizers can help a them use their visual abilities to organize, learn, and remember information and alternate communication mediums (e.g., Powerpoint presentations, posters using photographic images combined with descriptive text, web pages) can allow them to demonstrate their learning in a manner the fits with their natural strength.
What social or emotional difficulties might co-occur with a learning problem?
Children or adolescents with a learning difficulty often have problems that go beyond their struggles with reading, writing, math, memory, or organization. The experience of repeated academic failure, constant promptings to “try harder” but limited positive feedback, and social difficulties making and keeping friends, can impact their self-worth. Many experience strong feelings of frustration, anger, sadness, or shame that can lead to psychological difficulties (such as anxiety or depression), interpersonal social challenges, and increased risk for behavioral problems (such as substance abuse or juvenile delinquency). These problems can be more devastating for a child than the academic difficulties, and it is important that these emotional and/or behavioral problems are identified and appropriate intervention strategies are identified.
How much does a psycho-educational assessment cost?
The cost of a psycho-educational assessment is based on the numbers of hours involved in review of records (academic history, professional reports), interviews, standardized test administration and scoring, diagnosis and interpretation of results, and development of recommendations for specific learning strategies and academic accommodations. Most psychologists follow the rate set by the Psychologist’s Association of Alberta, so the total cost will vary depending on the amount of testing time (and the complexity of the person’s learning, emotional, and behavioral difficulties). Most extended health care plans provide coverage for a specific number of hours of psychological services, and you should inquire about the specific coverage in your plan.
What other support can psychologists provide families?
Children, parents and adults with a learning difference may benefit from one-on-one coaching, groupworkshops on specific topics (e.g., anxiety, depression, organization), social skills training, or behavioralstrategies. In response to the needs of families, we have several experienced educational aides available to provide one-on-one support.
When young people with learning differencescompletehigh school, they also benefit from assistance in post-secondary education and career planning, a clearly structured transition plan, and implementation of academic strategist support and classroom / assignment accommodations in their college or university program.
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