Psycho-educational Assessment
What is it?
A psycho-educational assessment provides parents, teachers, and allied professionals with specific information about a student’s strengths, challenges and unique learning needs. We can test students as young as five all the way up to adulthood. You’re never to old (or young!) to benefit from knowing how to best meet your individual learning needs.
Throughout the testing, students are screened for giftedness as well as a variety of learning (or related) disabilities. Included is a consultation on specific academic and behavioral recommendations. An important outcome of each assessment is a list of strategies and resources for helping students reach their true potential. The assessment includes a variety of interviews, questionnaires for the student, parents and teachers, as well as a series of testing activities. The exact nature and type of questionnaires and testing activities are determined based upon information gathered from parents and teachers.
Elements of a Psycho-educational Assessment
Cognitive Abilities
A standardized test of intelligence is used to provide an overall estimate of a student’s thinking and reasoning skills related to their levels of verbal comprehension, perceptual (or visual) reasoning, working memory, and processing speed and fluid reasoning.
Memory Functioning
A standardized test of both verbal and visual memory provides a detailed analysis of working memory.
Academic Abilities
A series of academic testing activities provide a profile of a student’s academic strengths and challenges. They provide both grade-specific and age-specific evaluations for the following areas:
- Reading speed, comprehension, sight word vocabulary, and word decoding skills
- Phonological processing
- Numerical operations and mathematical reasoning skills
- Spelling, sentence development, and written expression skills
- Oral language development, listening comprehension, and receptive vocabulary skills
Career Testing
A career assessment can also be included for secondary students and it may assist with course planning and post-secondary school selection. The CAI takes your workplace interests and compares them with other individuals currently in one of the 111 careers in their database. The instrument helps those seeking to attend post-secondary school and those not seeking to attend post-secondary school find a career geared toward their interests.
Grapho-Motor and Visual-Motor Integration Abilities
A standardized test of grapho-motor and visual-integration provides information related to a student’s fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, copying speed, and printing/handwriting.
Attentional, Executive and Behavioural Functioning Abilities
A variety of self, parent and teacher questionnaires provide information on a student’s attentional, psychological, and behavioral functioning.
Socio-Emotional Functioning
A variety of self, parent and teacher questionnaires provide information on a student’s socio-emotional functioning and mental wellbeing.
Looking to book an assessment?
We have three locations to serve you.
Due to an influx of booking requests, expect up to one week of wait time following your submission to be contacted by a clinic representative.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an assessment take?
A psycho-educational assessment consists of a series of appointments. The first appointment is the intake meeting with either the parents and the child and is 90 minutes, or with an adult client and is around 60 minutes. The two testing appointments are about 3-4 hours and are with the student and a psychometrist. The second testing day is often shorter, but this depends on several factors and the psychometrist will be able to let you know if they suspect the second day will be shorter at the end of the first testing day. The psychometrist works under the direction of registered psychologists to administer the tests. The final appointment to go over results is ~50 minutes long, and is typically 5 weeks after the final testing session.
At the final appointment you receive a copy of the report and the findings and recommendations will be discusses.
Is the cost covered by benefits?
Are there funding sources to help me pay for an assessment?
If finances are difficult for you, try applying for a grant through the Variety foundation to access services: Private Assessment Grants.
Alternatively, if your child has Indigenous ancestry they may be able to apply for funding through Jordan’s Principle.
How much does an assessment cost?
Child and teen assessments require 4 appointments, intake (with the parents and child/teen), two testing dates, and a share report date.
Adult assessments also require 4 appointments. Intake, two testing dates, and a share report date.
The cost of assessment is $3650
**PLEASE NOTE THE FULL COST OF THE ASSESSMENT IS DUE AT THE FIRST APPOINTMENT.**
How far in advance are you booking?
We typically book around two months in advance. Note, it is rare that clients cancel these appointments. As such, our cancellation list is currently at capacity and it is unlikely that we are able to move appointments earlier. Our sincere apologies.
Why do you require a deposit?
A deposit system has been put in place to ensure serious inquires take priority bookings and to reduce last minute cancellations. The $250 cost is non-refundable.
Once the deposit payment is received, the deposit will be kept on the client account as credit. Once the assessment intake is attended, the deposit may be used toward the total cost of the assessment (i.e. the total cost is $3500, the deposit is $250, the total outstanding is $3250).
If the client chooses to cancel or reschedule the assessment, with more than 7 days before the scheduled initial appointment, the deposit is kept on the client account as credit. This credit may be used toward MindKey Health services, including but not limited to counselling, coaching, and future assessments at any MindKey Health location.
If the assessment is cancelled or rescheduled within 7 days of the initial scheduled appointment, there is an additional $250 cancellation fee. This is also be kept on the client account and may be put toward a future assessment, or other MindKey Healthservices.
Deposits can be made by credit card, e-transfer, or cash. Deposits must be paid in full within 48 hours of receiving the letter of confirmation.
If the deposit has not been paid in full within 48 hours of receiving the confirmation letter, the appointment series is cancelled.
If after the series is cancelled, and the deposit is paid, the appointments may be rebooked, provided they are available.
If the deposit has not been paid within 48 hours, MindKey Health staff may offer the appointment series to other clients.
Is there a discount if I chose to book in with a doctoral resident?
We are selective in choosing high quality doctoral residents who provide excellent care. As the processes is fully overseen (and signed off) by registered psychologists there is no discount.
What does working with a doctoral resident entail?
We are selective in choosing high quality doctoral resident who provide excellent care. They are near the end of their degree program working towards their registration to become a fully fledged psychologist in BC. They have specific training in administering and interpreting assessments and diagnosing psychological disorders.
The assessment process is fully overseen (and signed off) by a registered psychologist. This means that diagnoses are accurate and interpretations of findings have been approved by, and would be equivalent to what the supervising registered psychologist would have noted.
Can you do assessments in French?
Partially. The intake and the majority of the testing will be in English, as will most of the final report. However, we can conduct academic testing in French for students in French Immersion or Francophone schools and include French conclusions in the report. We utilize French speaking psychometrists for the French portions. There is no additional cost if you need to include French testing in the assessment. However, a 3rd testing session will need to be booked to include this additional measure.