A psycho-educational assessment is a process to determine and understand an individuals’ learning profile. This includes how their brain works, why it works the way it does, and how we can best help it learn. For each unique brain we identify areas of strength, and areas presenting as challenges. It is a comprehensive process that assesses components impacting the brain and its learning capacity, including cognitive, academic, attentional/executive, socio-emotional, and grapho-motor processing. Once all of the data is compiled and the results are reviewed in-depth, conclusions are drawn to help accurately outline an individuals’ learning profile, including any diagnoses, effective recommendations, or suggested next steps. A psycho-educational assessment can be an essential starting place in finding supports, accessing potential funding, unlocking an individuals full learning potential. It can be like a lens into your child’s mind, how it works, why it works that way, and what we can all do internally and externally to best support it.
A psycho-educational assessment provides parents and teachers with specific information about a student’s strengths, challenges and unique learning needs. Throughout the testing, students are screened for a variety of learning (or related) disabilities, as well as Giftedness. Following the results of the assessment, we provide consultation with specific academic and behavioural recommendations, strategies, and suggestions for helping the unique individual reach their true potential.
The following expands on the different components we include for each assessment:
- Cognitive Functioning: short/long term and working memory; processing speed; perceptual/visual reasoning; verbal comprehension.
- Grapho-Motor and Visual-Motor Integration Abilities: fine motor skills; eye-hand coordination; copying speed; printing, handwriting, penmanship.
- Attentional and Executive Functioning: distractibility; task initiation and follow-through; impulsivity; time-management.
- Socio-Emotional Functioning: emotional regulation; relationships; sense of self; mental health, including anxiety, depression, and self-esteem.
- Academic Abilities: mathematics and numerical operations; reading; spelling; oral language development; listening comprehension; vocabulary; writing.
- Adaptive Functioning: problem-solving; independence; personal care; day-to-day management.
The assessment measures consist of surveys, rating scales, standardized testing, interview and clinical observation. We include parent/guardian input regarding at-home behaviours and functioning, as well as teacher/instructor input regarding in-school behaviours and functioning. Testing measures are standardized according to the individual’s age and grade to ensure results are compared to those of similar demographics.
For older adolescents and adults, the psych-ed assessment includes an optional Career Interest survey which can provide insight into potential job fields or careers paths depending on interests, strengths, and work styles.
Our psych-ed assessments take place over a series of appointments, including:
- Intake Appointment: gathering background information; relevant medical and family history; primary concerns or queries; expectations and goals for the assessment.
- In-Person Testing: typically takes place over two 3-hour appointments; administering testing materials; brain games; questionnaires; academic measures; standardized measures.
- Share Report: to review the assessment findings and results, any diagnoses, personalized recommendations, resources, and next steps.
For French Immersion and Francophone students, we offer additional French testing at no extra cost. If your child is Francophone or in French Immersion, please notify us upon your initial inquiry.