Psychological Assessment

Psychological Assessment

Psychological Assessments

Here at PsychHabitat, we offer a range of different diagnostic and developmental assessments tailored to suit your child’s needs. Please reach out to us for more information.

A psychological assessment is a standardized form of information gathering that allows psychologists to develop an in-depth understanding of your child’s skills, abilities and behaviors. The evaluation measures areas of cognitive functioning (IQ), development, academic skills and achievement, neuropsychological functioning (e.g. executive functioning, attention, memory, language, perception), activities of daily living skills, and behaviour and social-emotional functioning. Results from an assessment can assist with diagnosis or diagnostic clarification, treatment planning, and evaluating and tracking progress over time.

What to Expect

An evaluation typically first involves an interview with parents/caregivers to better understand their child’s background and current functioning, and to determine the questions to be answered during the evaluation. Following this, a battery of tests are individually selected and administered to the child. Upon scoring and interpretation of the results of these tests, a report is written up with recommendations. Thereafter, a feedback session is scheduled to discuss the results with parents/caregivers.

Duration

A comprehensive 1:1 evaluation with your child generally takes between 2 to 4 hours or more to complete, depending on the complexity of the issues to be addressed various other factors (e.g., fatigue, level of motivation, behaviours etc.). The evaluation is typically broken down into 1 to 3 testing sessions. Short breaks are provided during each testing session.

Preparing Your Child

There is no special way to prepare your child for testing, since these tests cannot be passed or failed. There are several things you can do to help facilitate the evaluation process:

1. Provide us with any medical, school or psychological reports beforehand.
2. Schedule testing during a time of day that is best for your child.
3. Ensure that your child has sufficient rest the day before testing.
4. Ensure that your child has taken his or her medication, if any (unless otherwise discussed).
5. Bring water and snacks.

Please let us know if your child requires specific accommodations and/or if you anticipate issues that are likely to interfere with the evaluation. In the event that your child is ill, it would be best to reschedule.

What Happens After Testing?

Once testing is complete, your psychologist will score, interpret and write a report discussing your child’s performance. From the last date of submission of all information, it typically takes 5-6 weeks for completion of the report. Parents will then be invited to meet with your psychologist for a feedback session, during which the results of the evaluation recommendations are discussed with you. A draft copy of the report is then emailed to you for you to review, before we email you a finalised copy.

Once the feedback is completed, we are here to support you in advocating for your child. This may mean meeting with your child’s teachers, discussing accommodations in school, sourcing referrals for supporting your child etc. We are here to guide you beyond the assessment process.

International Travel

We now offer travel services* for assessments – this means that we fly to you! If parents/caregivers or schools are interested in booking our psychologist for travel, please connect with us.

*An additional travel fee will be added to the total cost, and this will be computated based on location and travel schedule.

If you are interested in an assessment for your child, please reach out to us to discuss your concerns and determine how we may support you in this process.