Psychoeducational Evaluations

Let us help you find the answers

As parents, we try to help our children as much as possible. Despite our best efforts, we may still see them struggling in some areas and it’s hard when we don’t fully understand why.

These struggles may occur at different times in a child’s development. During the preschool and elementary years, you may observe behavioral difficulties, struggles with acquiring basic academic concepts, difficulty understanding directions or difficulty with social interactions. In middle school, children may start to show difficulty with sustained focus, planning, organization, time management and task follow through. For others, the challenges may arise when the child is older in terms of reading comprehension, completing tests in the allotted time period, or attending to tasks. Older students are also more at-risk for experiencing mood disorders and heightened stress, which affects functioning across environments. 

How a Psychoeducational Evaluation Can Help

Psychoeducational evaluations play a vital role in identifying and understanding a student’s unique profile of strengths and weaknesses, thereby allowing us to target specific needs with tailored interventions. An evaluation offers an individualized process that uses a variety of assessment tools to develop a thorough understanding of your child’s cognitive, academic, and social-emotional profile.

Our goal is to provide you with answers to the “why” behind your child’s current struggles. We aim to provide a high quality experience that can provide meaningful, practical recommendations for you and your child.

The results of a psychoeducational evaluation can help you understand the learning style of your child. Assessments can also identify if your child struggles with problems like ADHD, anxiety and/or a learning disability. Understanding your child’s strengths, weaknesses, skills and abilities are extremely important to ensure that they are adequately challenged and/or gain access to the support they need to reach academic and social-emotional success.

How Do You Know If Your Child Needs to Be Tested?

Students are often referred for an assessment by their school, psychologist, or physician based on concerns related to learning, motivation or underachievement.

Every child is different in terms of their needs and abilities, but here are some signs that your child may need a psychoeducational evaluation:

• If your child consistently studies hard but his/her grades don’t reflect the effort he/she is putting in.

• If your child is clearly intelligent, but because of procrastination or poor planning/executive functioning skills, they struggle with turning in homework or assignments on time.

• If your child’s teacher offers feedback that your child is easily distracted or has difficulty focusing in class.

• If your child presents with any behavioral or emotional problems that are significantly impacting their functioning.

• If your child’s achievement in one or two subjects consistently lags behind that of their same-age peers, despite strong performance in other subjects.

• If there has been a recent change in functioning that is significantly impacting your child’s overall well-being and academic achievement.

The Process

We know that psychoeducational evaluations are a big investment for your child and we are here to offer help and guidance every step along the way with this process.

Our evaluations involve these steps:

1. Initial Parent Interview

2. Planning/Selection of Tests

3. Administration of Tests

4. Test Scoring and Data Interpretation

5. Report Writing

6. Feedback Session

What to Expect 

All evaluations will have 3 appointments, which include a one-hour parent interview, 3–6 hours of testing (Reevaluation and Evaluations for College Testing Accommodations are approximately 3 hours, the Comprehensive Evaluation is approximately 6 hours of testing including breaks, lunch, etc.), and a one-hour feedback session. The final report will be available at the feedback session, which will be scheduled two weeks after the evaluation date.

Preparing for the Evaluation

It is helpful to prepare your child beforehand for the testing so they have an idea of what to expect. It is good practice to let your child know that many children undergo testing to see how best they learn. Ensure your child is well-rested and hydrated for testing day. Make sure your child eats a good breakfast the morning of the evaluation and avoids foods with a high sugar content. We will provide lunch, snacks, and water on the day of the test.

Insurance and Payment

Unfortunately, most insurance plans do not cover psychoeducational evaluations, but always check with your individual plan. We do not accept insurance, but we will provide superbills as needed so a client can submit for reimbursement.

How to Start the Evaluation Process

• Contact The Mind Spot, via phone or email

• Our team will walk you through the process and the steps to get started

• Our team will help determine which type of evaluation is right for you or your child

Evaluations Offered 

Psychoeducational testing typically involves a comprehensive assessment of a student’s cognitive, academic, and social-emotional functioning. Evaluations involve administering various standardized tests, along with gathering historical information from parents, obtaining behavioral insights directly from the client, and utilizing parent and teacher rating scales. Your child’s scores on all the measures given are then compared to other students of the same age/grade level.