Assessments

Assessments

A psychological assessment is generally requested to clarify a child’s/adolescent’s learning style, cognitive development, attentional capacities, and/or social-emotional functioning.  Some of the common questions or concerns for which we provide assessments include:

  • Learning Disabilities
  • Giftedness
  • Behavioural difficulties
  • Emotional difficulties
  • Social difficulties
  • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Intellectual Disabilities
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

The first step of an assessment is an intake interview with the parent(s) (and older child/adolescent) to identify concerns and to collect important background information.  The child/adolescent is then usually seen for two to three 2-hour assessment sessions, or for two to four 1-hour assessment sessions, depending on the child’s age and the reason for referral. 

Some of the aspects of functioning which may be evaluated include:

  • Cognitive functioning (verbal, non-verbal, and information processing abilities)
  • Academic achievement in reading, written language, and mathematics
  • Short-term memory for auditory and visual information
  • Visual-motor integration, visual perception, and fine motor coordination
  • Phonological awareness
  • Receptive and/or expressive vocabulary
  • Attention, executive skills, behavioural, social, and emotional functioning (based on information gathered from the child/adolescent, parent(s) and the teachers, if consent is provided)

Following completion of the assessment sessions, all data are scored, analyzed, and integrated.  This information is then shared with the parent(s) and, when appropriate, with the child/adolescent.  A detailed written report is provided, which summarizes the results and provides comprehensive recommendations to best meet the child’s/adolescent’s needs.

A psychological assessment typically involves a total of 10.5 to 14 billable hours, however, the number of hours depends on the complexity of each child’s profile. 

A typical assessment would involve the following (which can vary depending on the presenting issues):

  • Intake interview (1 – 1 ½ hours)
  • 2 to 4 assessment sessions (approximately 4-6 hours in total)
  • Feedback session (1½ hours)
  • Interpretation and report writing (4-6 hours)

The entire process (from intake to final report) typically takes 4-6 weeks.