You may have been approached by your child’s teacher or you may have noticed yourself that your child is not well-matched to his educational curriculum. He may be having difficulties in one or more subject areas or he may be performing well above his peers. Sometimes, problems may be noticed as early as junior or senior kindergarten. A psycho-educational assessment will give parents and educators a clear understanding of the child’s needs. If academic delays are profound (e.g., a child is about 2 years below grade level), a resource team at your school might suggest to put your child’s name on a waiting list for assessment by the school psychologist. In other cases, when the delays are not so grave and the child does not meet the school’s criteria for assessment, the school resource team may recommend seeking a psycho-educational assessment privately.
Psycho-educational testing is a thorough assessment of the child’s educational needs, and it is important for the parents to be well-informed and actively involved throughout this process. The results of the assessment can change a child’s educational future in significant ways, allowing the child to meet or exceed educational expectations. The report may enable the school to make accommodations during tests and exams, classroom accommodations, access to individual or small-group educational help, the use of assistive technology and software, and/or modification of the child’s educational program. The specific interventions will depend on your child’s profile and will be reflected in the Individualized Educational Plan, according to the recommendations found in the psychological report. In addition, the parents will get a better idea of how to work with their child at home and what kind of instruction and support they should provide. When a student’s struggles are left unaddressed, he will dislike school and this may result in academic delays and low self-esteem.
Psycho-educational assessment uses objective, standardized measures to determine the child’s cognitive ability (i.e., intelligence), to evaluate their information processing skills (i.e., memory, attention, graphomotor coordination, processing speed, executive function, phonological processing, etc.) and academic skills. Certain tests will also aid in determining possible behavioral, social, emotional, and psychological diagnoses that could interfere with your child’s education or relationships. Test results will use the national average for that specific test to compare your child to those in the same age range as your child to see if they are above or below the expected range, or if their behavior is considered clinically significant. The assessment might lead to a diagnosis or the results may necessitate more testing. Each situation is unique.
The assessments are done in similar ways by all psychologists, but the choice of specific tests may differ. Usually, there is more than one psychoeducational test administered to ensure that all possible outcomes are determined or ruled out. Typically, a comprehensive report is written and a full disclosure of the results is provided to the parents by the psychologist. If you are having your child assessed by the school board, ask for a report and a face-to-face feedback session with the school psychologist. The parents have the right to see all of the testing scores and to get a full explanation of all the results, but they may not see the actual testing materials and protocols as they are protected by the publisher’s copyrights.
The results of the test can shape your child’s education through their entire academic career. The test records will be placed in your child’s academic file and will follow them as they progress through school. Even if your child changes schools, the psychoeducational test results and educational plan will be received by the new school. Many parents are worried that having a psychological report in their child’s file will adversely affect their future. In all my years of working with private clients and in school boards, I have never heard of any negative effects of having a psychological assessment done. However, I do know many success stories where an assessment has helped to understand the student’s issues and provide the support that they need.
The testing can only be done with a parent’s signed consent and the parent has the right to be fully informed about the process and goals of the assessment prior to signing a consent form. Be sure to ask how long the testing will take, what information will be noted, and how it will be used. You can inquire with the psychologist about who will have access to your child’s psychological file and report. The privacy of all psychological information is protected by legislation in the same way as any medical records. Ask if the results will be automatically filed or if you will have the choice to exclude certain diagnoses or to remove the report from the file in the future. In some cases, even if separated or divorced, both parents will have to give consent. Research the tests prior to making a decision about consent. If you disagree with the results you can always decide to have further testing done at the school or psychologist’s office.
Be sure to get informed about what to expect. Testing can take from 2-8 hours and is usually done over multiple days. Testing can also mean that you, the teacher, or other caretakers will be interviewed or asked about their personal observations of the child. It is important to answer questions honestly, so having a journal of observations can be helpful in keeping track of behaviors. It is not uncommon for parents to understate their child’s negative behaviors when answering these questions. Be sure to ask anyone who has had extended contact with your child to weigh in about their observations. Children sometimes will only show certain behaviors with specific people or in particular environments. It is important to compile this information or invite other caretakers to be interviewed. Teachers may also be inaccurate in their observations because they have a classroom full of children to supervise and teach. Ask the school if an unbiased party could observe your child during classes at random times over a week or two. It will be important to have open and frequent communication with educators since most plans will require regular meetings where everyone involved, including teachers, administration, counselors, in-class aides, caretakers, and parents, will report improvements and setbacks for goal planning. The child will also give input about how goals are being met and improvements to their plan.
Although this process can sometimes be stressful, the parents must not create stress or anxiety for their child prior to assessment. It is not necessary to tell your child that he will be tested by a psychologist. You can simply say to the child that they will be working one-on-one with a person who will ask them some questions and that you want them to try their best, but you do not expect them to be perfect. Remember that this is not meant to marginalize your child, whether they are found to be highly-gifted or to have a learning disability. Although this process is long and involved, keep in mind that its final goal is to make sure that your child will have a learning environment and resources to ensure his success.
