Psychological and educational assessment. Academic testing for children.

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Jordan is in the 3rd grade. He is struggling academically. He appears to be bright, but clearly isn’t reaching his potential. On the surface the symptoms include a lack of focus and understanding, and a general lack of interest, but his mom is unsure why. While the problem goes unidentified, Jordan is losing confidence. He’s feeling inferior, so why try? Psychological assessment provides a comprehensive picture of how a person thinks and feels. Understanding how a child learns best entails understanding the child. ƒƒ Is Jordan following the main idea of the lesson or getting caught up in details? ƒƒ Is Jordan using study strategies that work best for him? ƒƒ Are social or emotional factors distracting him? Educational assessment provides detailed information regarding how a person performs on academic tasks. Understanding academic strengths and weaknesses is the key to providing personalized instruction. ƒƒ Is Jordan reading material but not really comprehending it? ƒƒ Does Jordan seem to know his math facts but doesn’t do well when there is a time constraint? ƒƒ Is Jordan only writing a minimal amount instead of elaborating on his ideas? Psycho-educational assessment provides a complete picture and helps drive the most appropriate interventions. Jordan may just need some helpful organizational tools, or he may need to learn some stress-reduction strategies, or he may require academic accommodations. Don’t guess. Psycho-educational assessment provides answers and direction. THE JOURNEY Finding the guidance and ideas to address your child’s individual needs can be complicated. Understanding the role of schools, understanding when and where you need to step in, and understanding which resources and interventions would be best can be confusing. As parents, all of us want the best for our children. We want them to reach their full potential and want them to feel confident, capable, and proud of themselves. As the parent of a child with Autism and Apraxia, I have personally experienced the benefits of psycho-educational assessment. As a clinician and evaluator, I recognize the importance of identifying a child’s strengths and weaknesses to identify the best learning approaches and educational tools. As a parent, I understand what it’s like to have more questions than answers. Psycho-educational assessment has been highly beneficial in helping my husband and I best allocate our time and resources. tina m. roemersma, ph.d. Three Indicators of Good Assessments: 1. See The Complete Picture of Your Child: Emotional as well as educational insights 2. Strengths Based Approach: Develop strategies around your child’s strengths 3. Tangible Application: Assessment-driven instruction and practical interventions The primary goal of assessment is to determine areas of strengths and weaknesses. Once these areas are understood, it becomes clear which academic approaches and interventions work best to help the child be happier and more successful. I was motivated to schedule an evaluation because my son, who appears to be pretty bright, was falling further behind in school each year. He was having a crisis of confidence, so he thought he couldn’t do anything right and didn’t want to try. MICHELLE Finance Professional, Child tested in 5th grade