The What, When, How and Why? Of Psychological Assessments
If someone has suggested that your child might benefit from a psychological assessment, you may be confused about the need for one and wonder what takes place during a meeting or evaluation with our psychologists.
Children may be referred for a psychological assessment for a variety of reasons. Among other things, they may have attention or behaviour problems at home or in school, have delayed social or emotional development, or have a learning difficulty. Often when kids are struggling in school or seem to be behind their peers developmentally, a GP, Paediatrician or teacher may suggest that your child undergo a psychological assessment.
These assessments reveal the areas in which a child is doing well and those which he or she might need to address (for example: an undiagnosed learning disability).
At the Collective, we provide formal assessments to test for learning difficulties, intellectual disability, and giftedness. We also conduct assessments to diagnose Autism Spectrum and other Developmental Disorders.
Who Performs a Psychological Assessment?
Assessments are done by our psychologists (Tanya, Karen and Madonna), who are trained in conducting formal assessments and evaluating each child’s strengths and weaknesses. We then work with parents and teachers to formulate an approach to help your child progress.
What Happens During a Psychological Assessment?
These assessments aren’t intimidating the way an “actual” test can be. It is best if your child is relaxed during the assessment, so it’s important that your child knows that it is not a pass or fail test like the kind you may normally study for.
During a psychological assessment, our psychologist will:
• Talk with yourself and your child to learn more about your concerns. A full history is taken of your family and your child’s development. Information is gathered about social, emotional, behavioural and learning skills. In some cases, we may also talk to your child’s teachers or others who know your child well.
• Our psychologists will also observe your child during the evaluation. Depending on the reason for the test, your psychologist may also visit your child at home or at school to further understand their interactions with others.
• Your child will complete a formal, standardised test. These tests typically have strict rules for how they are administered and have been taken by many people which allows us to compare your child’s results with those of others to assess a range of abilities. We want to know how your child functions in areas such as behaviour or memory and in subjects like reading, writing and math.
• Your psychologist will also review and evaluate medical and school records, and any previous assessments your child may have completed.
Psychological testing isn’t a quick process. The assessment often takes several hours to complete and likely will involve more than one session to be certain our psychologist has all the details about your child. By putting all the information together, we can come to an understanding of where your child needs assistance and we can develop strategies to help your child reach their full potential.
What Can I Do to Prepare My Child for a Psychological Assessment?
It is important to talk to your child about what will happen before the assessment. Children feel less anxious when they know what to expect. Prepare your child that when undergoing testing they will be in a room alone with their psychologist – this is to ensure that there are no distractions or influences on your child, and is typically a requirement of formal psychological tests.
For some children, ‘taking a test’ with a health professional can mean different things, for example having a blood test. Be sure your child knows that there will be no physical exam, so no needles or medicine. For younger children, you may wish to emphasize the play aspect, focusing on the puzzles and games. For older children, it is often helpful to describe both games and school-type work. It is very important to reinforce to your child that this is not a test like they may take at school, in that there is no grade given, and it is not pass or fail. Children should be encouraged to just try their best.
Formal tests such as an IQ test can take a couple of hours. Generally short breaks are allowed and you may want to bring some food and drink for your child so that they can remain focused on the testing and not hungry tummies.
If your child wears glasses or a hearing aid, please make sure to bring these to the assessment.
If possible, bring copies of recent report cards and any reports of previous assessments of any kind (e.g. psychological, psychiatric, speech and language, OT). If your child has an IEP (Individual Education Plan), please bring a copy of this as well.
What Happens When We Get the Results of a Psychological Assessment?
When the testing is complete, our psychologist will prepare a written report as well as go over the results with you. Keep in mind that the outcomes do not reveal 100% of a child’s potential, abilities or skills. Rather, the evaluation is used to learn about your child’s current level of function across a variety of areas, their developmental level, as well as how they learn, and their individual strengths and weaknesses.
The psychologist will discuss areas in which your child does well and offer suggestions to help them improve in areas that need to be addressed. If the child is diagnosed with a learning disability, developmental disorder, or a behavioural or emotional issue, recommendations will be made for ways to help your child manage that specific concern or problem. Our psychologists can provide positive coping strategies, reduce your child’s stress and enrich their competence and well-being.