Psychoeducational Evaluations: Your Questions Answered
We are happy to announce that we currently have openings for psychoeducational evaluation appointments at our Hallowell Todaro ADHD Center in Seattle. Please read more about these comprehensive assessments below.
Have you ever wondered what a Psychoeducational Evaluation is and how it might benefit your family?
A psychoeducational evaluation is a comprehensive evaluation that is focused on learning and academic performance. It can help determine if a student is experiencing a learning disability or a specific pattern of strengths and weaknesses that might impact their success at home and at school. This evaluation can also help differentiate between the impact of symptoms of ADHD versus learning challenges. At the Hallowell Todaro ADHD Center, we see students for testing in Grades 1-12.
What does a Psychoeducational Evaluation at the Hallowell Todaro ADHD Center include?
Testing is conducted over two 3.5-hour sessions. Cognitive and academic skills are assessed directly, while social-emotional and executive functioning skills are assessed using parent, teacher, and student ratings. The first session includes basic cognitive (IQ) testing and general academic testing; the second session is tailored to the individual student’s unique needs and may include focused academic evaluation, memory testing, social-emotional and executive functioning self-report rating scales, and more in-depth cognitive evaluation. Parent and teacher input, a review of records, and health history are also gathered. The evaluation may result in a learning disability diagnosis; this evaluation does not diagnose conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, or depression; however, information gathered in this evaluation can be shared with a therapist or doctor to contribute to the diagnostic process.
Following testing, a comprehensive report is written and the examiner meets with the parents within 6-8 weeks to review the results. A second meeting to communicate the results in an age-appropriate way to the student can be scheduled as well.
When should I consider having my child tested?
If your child is having difficulties in learning, attention, memory, social skills, or behavior: A child may be experiencing these difficulties for a variety of reasons. A psychoeducational evaluation can help clarify why a student is struggling and provide guidance as to how to help the student succeed. This may include recommendations for IEP or 504 services and accommodations.
If your child has recently received a diagnosis, such as ADHD, anxiety or depression: Psychoeducational testing at the time of diagnosis can be helpful in establishing a “baseline” level of functioning. The evaluation can help determine targets for intervention and provide recommendations to support the student across settings. Testing can help determine if there are factors related to learning that may be impacting the child’s present difficulties.
Some key times that may be ideal for an evaluation:
When the student is getting ready to transition to a higher level of education (such as from elementary to middle school) in order to get appropriate supports set up for the new school setting (start this process as early as possible; ideally, at least 6 months before the transition when possible)
For SAT/ACT accommodations: typically, testing companies want the student to have undergone the evaluation in high school, and need to have documentation of using accommodations for at least four months.
Anytime a child is struggling in school!