Psychoeducational Assessment
Our services include comprehensive assessments that cover intellectual functioning, academic skills (e.g., reading, writing, math), memory, phonological processing, fine motor skills, and social-emotional development. Customized and relevant recommendations are provided.
Common reasons to have a psychoeducational assessment:
The school has raised concerns regarding your child’s learning, attention, focus, or behaviour
The child is avoiding doing their homework, and this results in battles at home
The child is frustrated easily by their schoolwork
The child may have self-esteem difficulties
Achievement levels do not seem to coincide with some of their other abilities
Your child is experiencing stress, anxiety, bullying, or social skills difficulties
Your child’s mood or motivation has changed, or concerns with anxiety or depression
You are concerned with grades or learning skills in your child/teen’s report card
Mental Health Assessments:
We use assessment information to best help our clients. We explore issues with anxiety, depression, behaviour and autism to better understand what our young people are experiencing, and how to best tailor interventions.
-
A learning disability occurs when a person has at least Average range intelligence; however,
they struggle with areas of learning such as reading, writing, math, or language. These
difficulties are related to processing weaknesses. A psychoeducational assessment is used to
determine if the person has a learning disability through a battery of psychometric tests.
-
Problems with math
Problems reading and/or writing
Poor memory
Problems paying attention
Trouble following directions
Clumsiness
Trouble telling time
Problems staying organized 1
-
Acting without really thinking about possible outcomes (impulsiveness)
Acting out” in school or social situations
Difficulty staying focused; being easily distracted
Difficulty saying a word correctly out loud or expressing thoughts
Problems with school performance from week to week or day to day
Speaking like a younger child; using short, simple phrases; or leaving out words in sentences
Having a hard time listening
Problems dealing with changes in schedule or situations
Problems understanding words or concepts
-
Initial Consultation: One-hour parent interview.
Assessment Sessions: Three individual sessions (2.5 hours each).
Questionnaires: Administered to parents, teachers, and the child/adolescent.
Liaison with Healthcare Providers: Coordination with your child's physician or other providers as needed.
Comprehensive Report: Includes findings, diagnoses, and customized recommendations.
School Support: Inform IEP and IPRC processes with programming suggestions.
Feedback Session: One hour with you and your child to review results.
Referrals: for ongoing support at New Horizons, or to other professionals (e.g., Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology) as needed.
Ongoing Support: Questions answered by email throughout the process.
Timeline: The entire process takes approximately 6 weeks.
Our Assessment reports are used by school boards’ Identification, Placement, Review Committee (IPRC), other agencies and Developmental Services Ontario in order to ensure your child’s access to support.
Benefits
We provide assessments for ages 6-21 years of age
Is your child, teen, or young adult struggling with school or learning? Avoiding homework or falling behind in reading, math, or writing? Experiencing social challenges or issues with attention, focus, or behaviour at home or school?
A psychoeducational assessment can uncover how your child or teen’s cognitive, learning, and social-emotional profiles interact. Early intervention is crucial for accessing school support and understanding the root of their struggles. Testing can identify processing deficits in areas like verbal skills, visual/non-verbal abilities, processing speed, or working memory.
The assessment will reveal your child’s strengths and weaknesses, pinpointing their greatest learning potential. Our assessments are holistic, with the ‘whole person’ in mind. We look at possible underlying concerns. We evaluate attention, executive functioning, self-regulation, and social-emotional functioning in many/most of our cases where required. With over 20 years of experience in assessment, we are here to help you find the answers.
We prioritize establishing rapport with clients, ensuring comfort and trust throughout the process. Younger students enjoy breaks with fun activities, while older teens are engaged, made to feel at ease and free from judgment.
Reports: Our assessment reports are written with the best interest of your child in mind. Our reports are reader-friendly and appropriate for school personnel to interpret and apply to your child’s learning support.
Why work with us
Experienced Psychologists: All assessments are conducted by experienced school psychologists.
Personalized Attention: One psychologist works with your child throughout the entire process, ensuring continuous, focused care.
Child-centred Approach: We specialize in working with children and teens, creating an enjoyable and comfortable environment during sessions.
Structured Sessions: Testing is divided into three weekly sessions to avoid fatigue and ensure accurate results.
Comprehensive Feedback: After the assessment, we conduct a child-centred feedback session, using clear language and setting goals to boost self-esteem.
Notes:
An Individual Consultation session can be booked to guide you in your questions, concerns and journey ahead, i.e. “My teen appears down, I would like to help them.”
Expertise in anxiety and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for both performance anxiety and general anxiety, including experience with university students and cancer patients.
Parent Support/Coaching: An essential part of therapy for children is combining individual child sessions with parental involvement.
Services do not include treatment for depression or trauma recovery.
