Psychoeducational Assessments:
What is a psychoeducational assessment?
A psychoeducational assessment is intended to identify social-emotional and behavioural concerns, attentional difficulties, and/or learning challenges. It also characterizes strengths and weaknesses with an individual’s psychological profile, including deficits in executive functioning.
Who is it for?
It is suitable for children as young as six years old, adolescents, and adults who have concerns with learning. This could be due to emotional issues, attention difficulties, or learning challenges.
Typically, a formal diagnosis of a learning disability is only identified in children who are in grade three and up at the time of the assessment. However, younger children can still benefit from undergoing a psychoeducational assessment if they are struggling academically, as we will be able to identify their strengths and weaknesses and create a plan to help them succeed in all domains.
What is the structure of a psychoeducational assessment?
A clinical interview (1.5 hours, virtual): For an assessment with a child, parent(s)/guardian(s) and the child will participate in the session. The clinician will help guide how to structure this time together. Adolescents may spend more time alone with the clinician. Adults may wish to come to the clinical interview alone or accompanied (e.g. by a partner, parent, etc.).
Three testing sessions (3 hours each, in person at our clinic): Due to the standardized nature of the measures administered, only the individual undergoing the assessment and the clinician are present in the testing room. Parents may remain in the waiting area if they wish. We recommend bringing snacks and water for breaks during the appointment.
Feedback session (1.5 hours, virtual): If the assessment is for a child, the feedback session is intended for parent(s)/guardian(s) only. Older adolescents are encouraged to join the feedback session. Adults may attend the feedback session alone or accompanied by someone of their choosing. During the feedback session, the clinician will review the results of the assessment with you, communicate any diagnoses (if applicable), and discuss recommendations and steps forward. You will receive a copy of the written report with all the above-noted information.
Is there anything else required of me?
For an assessment for a child or adolescent, parent(s)/guardian(s) will complete online and paper-and-pencil questionnaires. We also ask that teachers complete online questionnaires. Adults will be asked to complete questionnaires and to provide the contact information of someone who knows them well (e.g. partner, parent) who can also complete questionnaires.
As part of the assessment, we will also review: school report cards, previous assessment reports (e.g. mental health, speech language pathology, occupational therapy, etc.) and other medically-relevant information. *These documents can be sent by email or hard copies can be brought to the clinic. We will scan hard copy documents and return the original documents to you.
What is the cost?
The fee for this service is $3900.
Please note that psychological services are not covered by OHIP. Many private insurance plans provide full or partial coverage for psychological services. Please contact your insurance provider to determine your level of coverage, as we do not provide direct billing.
We would be pleased to offer you a complimentary 15-minute intake call with one of our intake coordinators to help determine if this assessment is the right fit for you or your child. If you would like to schedule this, please contact us at [email protected].