PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL
PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENTS
WHAT IS A PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT?
Comprehensive psycho-educational assessments combine two components - clinical interviews and the administration of standardized psychological tests - to provide a report that interprets findings and gives
recommendations for further action.
Clinical Interviews
Clinical interviews are conducted with individuals involved in the child’s life: parents, teachers, school counsellors, physicians or other professionals. These interviews provide background information that gives a historical perspective to the report and a context for the referral question.
Standardized Psychological Testing
The child undergoing a psycho-educational assessment is given a “battery” of psychological assessment tools. A battery consists of several different current and objective standardized psychological tests, each of which examines a different aspect of a child’s functioning:
• A cognitive test measures a child’s rate of learning.
• An educational or achievement test measures a child’s level of skills in reading, spelling, arithmetic or other academic skills.
• Where necessary and requested, a behavioral assessment may also be conducted.
• Social skills, both with adults and peers are also assessed.
A battery may be specialized to look at specific concerns including:
• Intellectual, physical or behavioral challenges
• Giftedness
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Learning disabilities
• Self-esteem issues
• Response to traumatic events
• Applications for specialized programs or schools
THE PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT REPORT
When clinical interviews and psychological testing are completed, a psycho-educational assessment report is prepared for the parent. The report includes a discussion of the clinical interviews and test finding, with recommendations which address the referral question. Recommendations are practical and implementable for home and school.
They may include information on techniques for learning, books for further reference and/or available workshops and therapy groups. Parents and other concerned parties are fully debriefed by the psychologist on the contents of the report.
WHO CONDUCTS PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENTS?
Psycho-educational assessments can only be conducted by qualified registered psychologists with specific training in up to date assessment techniques. All members of our firm have specialized training in psycho-educational assessment procedures.
WHAT COSTS ARE INVOLVED?
As with all psychological services, psycho-educational assessments may be covered by your extended health care benefits package and can be claimed as a medical expense for taxation purposes. The cost of a psycho-educational assessment is dependent upon the nature of the referral and can be determined by a telephone call to our office.
Why would a psycho-educational assessment be needed?
A comprehensive psycho-educational assessment is needed when parents, teachers, school counsellors, or medical health practitioners are concerned about the academic or social progress of a child. Psycho-educational assessments are individualized for each child and provide helpful indicators of a child’s strengths and limitations in several developmental areas of functioning.
The firm of Fong Ailon is a group of independent Registered Psychologists offering a wide range of professional counseling and assessment services.
Fong Ailon have expertise in the area of psycho-educational assessments. They have over 60 years of combined experience as psychological practitioners and many of them have backgrounds in education. They
have worked with children of all ages, have expertise in assessing children’s developmental needs, and have strong backgrounds in the assessment of learning disabilities, giftedness, behavior problems, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and assessment for entrance to specialized educational programs or schools. Fong Ailon provides onsite computerized testing, thereby increasing the reliability and efficiency of psychological services.