 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Services |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Psychological testing is often the single most useful tool to help determine the presence of a learning disability or attentional disorder that may be affecting school performance in children or adolescents. Children as young as three or four can be evaluated. However, because the reliability of assessments tend to be limited when children are very young, psychologists generally prefer to wait until they reach school age before testing. There is no upper age limit for testing, and many individuals are tested when they are in university. Often, teachers and parents both tend to notice problems in academic functioning. Depending on the difficulty the child is experiencing, different symptoms may be reported. For example, if a disorder such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is suspected, teachers may report that the child cannot sit still, is easily distracted, has a high energy level, and is impulsive. On the other hand, if an attentional disorder without hyperactivity is suspected, adults may find that the child has difficulty concentrating, cannot complete his or her homework in a timely manner, forgets assignments, and may be generally disorganized. With a learning disability, the child often exhibits some of the above symptoms as well, as he or she becomes increasingly frustrated with schoolwork. With all of these problems, a child’s self esteem is greatly impacted, and a decline in emotional functioning may also contribute to their academic struggles. The first step in a psychological evaluation often comes when a teacher alerts the parent that there is a problem in school, although many teachers will say that they are unable to put their finger on the exact problem. This tends to leave the parents and the child frustrated, and with no clear idea about what to do about the problem. Sometimes the children are branded as lazy, not trying hard enough, willful, or disobedient. With Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or a learning disability, none of these are actually the case. The child often reports feeling frustrated that additional effort in school yields no discernible result. The goal of a comprehensive psycho-educational evaluation is to identify the source of the school difficulty (whether it is a learning disability or other disorder), and to provide recommendations to the child, family, and school to rectify the problem. A proper psychological assessment often involves several hours of face-to-face contact with the child during testing, a comprehensive report detailing findings, and a feedback session during which the results are explained to the child and family. This feedback session is often the most important part of the evaluation for the child, as it provides an opportunity for him or her to understand for the first time what is causing the frustration and inability to keep up in school. Concrete recommendations are also provided in the report regarding strategies from which the child may benefit or services that can be sought to help the family. There are several components to a full psycho-educational evaluation. An intelligence test is usually administered so that a measure of the child’s level of intellectual functioning can be obtained. This is followed by an achievement test, which measures the child’s performance in a variety of academic areas. The results of these two tests can be compared to see where the child is functioning academically versus where he should be functioning academically, given his level of intelligence (that is, is he or she performing at a level that is to be expected given how intelligent they are). Another component of academic testing is called cognitive testing. This allows us to look at the child’s strengths and weaknesses, and to clarify in what cognitive areas the problems are manifesting themselves. For example, these tests will let us know whether there is an auditory processing problem, an attentional problem, or some other factor. It will permit us to better pinpoint the problem area so that we can more effectively provide intervention. When ADD or ADHD is an issue, measures are also given to teachers and parents to provide additional information about this area of functioning. In addition, a psychological test designed to assess current emotional functioning is often given to rule out the impact of depression or any other issue. Information gathering is an important part of the psychological evaluation. Therefore, records are often reviewed, and attempts are made to contact the child’s teachers with parental permission. One area that is often overlooked is the qualifications of the individual performing the evaluation. Only psychologists with a Ph.D. in Developmental, Educational, or Child-track Clinical Psychology are fully trained to administer and interpret a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation. While these services do tend to be offered by a wide range of people not adequately trained in assessment, the results generated by these individuals tend to be problematic. Many parents find that they paid for an expensive evaluation that does not answer the questions at hand or that provides erroneous conclusions and impractical recommendations. Parents are then forced to seek an additional evaluation. It is essential that parents seeking assessments for their children obtain information regarding the qualifications of the professional and the tests that will be administered before agreeing to services. Clearly, every evaluation should result in a written report that should be provided to the parents and available to school personnel at the parents' request. |
|
About | Dr
Blurton | Professionals | Services |