What is a full Psychoeducational Assessment?
This is a comprehensive individual assessment comprising of 3-4 sessions. I work with closely with the family and the school to get a detailed picture of factors that promote and factors that limit learning and development. The assessment includes the following:
- An interview with the family
- An interview with the child
- An interview with the school
- A review of school books
- Cognitive Assessment
- Emotional Assessment
- Educational Assessment
When is this kind of assessment necessary?
- Your child's performance at school has dropped significantly and you're not sure why.
- You have a sense that your child is not motivated at school or not reaching his/her potential.
- The school requests a full assessment
- To identify and understand learning difficulties/obstacles so that these can be appropriately and meaningfully accommodated..
- To establish if a child requires special concessions during tests and/or exams
What is my role in the process?
- It is important to prepare your child for the assessment. Please don't mislead them about what they are going to do or why they are coming
for the assessment as this just creates confusion and breaks down trust. Communicate to your child that the assessment is not about trying to
catch them out. The assessment is about understanding their strengths and difficulties so that we can help them to be their best. - Remember to let the school know that your child will be doing the assessment and when (it would be important to try schedule the assessment on days that your child doesn't have any tests)
- Prepare a couple of snacks and something to drink to send with your child
- Complete the forms as comprehensively and honestly as you can (feel free to chat to me about anything that is not clear in these forms)
- Remember that your child's strengths and interests are just as important as the areas where he/she is struggling as these are often most useful in overcoming difficulties.
What can I expect from an assessment?
- Once the assessment has been completed you will receive a comprehensive report documenting the results. I will go through this report with you during a feedback session.
- We will also discuss options for intervention identifying what would be the best fit for the family and in the best interests of your child.
- You will also get a couple of suggestions of things that you can do with your child at home and a list of recommendations for the school
- I will also be available to discuss the results and recommendations with the school.
- A couple of weeks after the assessment you can expect to receive a follow-up call to just check in on how things are going and if the recommendations or working out alright.