Psychological and Psychoeducational Assessments
Formal psychological and psychoeducational assessment is typically conducted by a psychologist, when an identified problem persists despite previous efforts to intervene, such as behavioral modifications, educational tutoring, educational skill-building or therapy. Sometimes a pediatrician, family doctor or school personnel recommend the need for additional assessment to determine the cause of the issue and best next steps for treatment. Sometimes parents recognize an issue and believe further information is needed.
Generally, a full battery of psychological tests can take several hours to administer (often administered to a child or adolescent in several one to two hour time periods to avoid fatigue). Assessment can include a structured or semi-structured diagnostic interview, in-person intellectual and educational testing, rating scales and questionnaires. Following assessment, it takes several more hours for the professional to score and interpret the test results and to write a report suitable for school personnel or medical provider to use in developing a tailored individual treatment plan. Results of the assessment may lead to specialized accommodations for an individual in their school or occupational setting. Occasionally, a psychologist will determine that only a few tests from the full battery need to be administered to pinpoint or rule out a particular problem.
Results of assessment should be useful to the individual, parents, educational institution, or other professionals to make one’s emotional, educational, and/or vocational life more healthy, satisfying and successful.