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FAQ Psycho-educational Assessments

Jill Lam Ph.D., LPCC-S - 1/1/2018

WHAT IS A PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT?
A psycho-educational assessment is when psychological and educational assessments are used to make an accurate diagnosis of educational, psychological, social, and emotional strengths and weaknesses. An accurate diagnosis leads to accurate and appropriate treatment and education based on the individual's unique needs.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT?
When a child, adolescent, or adult experiences difficulty academically, socially, or behaviorally a full comprehensive psycho-educational assessment can help identify the factors contributing to these problems. The results provide insight into what accommodations, modifications, and/or strategies are needed for an appropriate education and environment for the person to reach his or her full potential.

ISN'T THIS THE SAME THING THAT PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND TUTORING CENTERS DO?
NO! Public and private schools and tutoring centers usually only determine if a person is eligible to receive special services in their school system or tutoring center. They do not provide the whole picture of the person academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally. For example, school districts cannot diagnose and look at the results of assessments to determine if a student qualifies for special education services. Some private schools and tutoring centers may assess for one specific type of learning disability such as dyslexia, but they do not assess for all strengths and weaknesses in the areas of learning, social, emotion, and behavior. The psycho-educational testing at Forest Alliance Coaching helps determine what the exact problem is and provides in-depth guidance and recommendations for home and school.

HOW IS YOUR PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT DIFFERENT?
Forest Alliance Coaching wants you to know the whole picture of how the individual learns, thinks, feels, socializes and behaves. If the individual is only assessed for one or two learning disability, then the picture is incomplete, and the individual may continue to struggle academically and/or behaviorally. When a person struggles with reading, writing, math, memory, or organization, they also may have social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties occurring. Some individuals experience anxiety, depression, or become involved with substance abuse. Therefore, it is vital to get a full and accurate picture.

Furthermore, once testing is completed parents and individuals receive more than just a meeting to review the results and receive the written report. You will also receive individualized support at a school meeting. I will go with you to the school meeting to make sure the school personnel understands exactly how your child learns, their strengths and weaknesses, and to assure the school will focus on the most appropriate education for your child's individual and unique needs. Although face-to-face meetings after this meeting will cost extra, phone calls and emails will be FREE for as long as needed.

WHY WOULD A PARENT WANT TO CONTINUE CONTACT AFTER A DIAGNOSIS IS MADE?
All school age children grow and change. Parents may want to know more about how to help a child deal with a transition and a child with a specific disability will have different needs. Parents may be concerned if a new behavior arises and want to know if it is related to the disability or something else. New difficulties academically can and will occur throughout a child's entire educational experience. This also includes college. Parents may need to know what type of colleges will be conducive to their child's learning style and disability. Finally, programs and methodologies also change and parents may just want to know if there are any new programs that will benefit their child.

WHAT DOES A FULL COMPRHENESIVE PSYCO-EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT INCLUDES:
Full comprehensive psych-educational assessment involves measurements and evaluations of: Thinking abilities, Intelligence, Language-free Intelligence, Cognitive Fluency, Short-term Memory, Rote Memory, Long-term Memory, Working Memory, Processing Speed, Auditory Processing, Phonological Processing, Phonological Memory, Oral Language, Visio-Spatial skills, Visual-Motor Integration, Rapid Naming skills, Attention, Problem Solving, Planning, Organization skills, Executive Functioning, Basic Reading skills, Reading Fluency, Reading Comprehension, Writing Fluency, Spelling, Math Calculations, Math Concepts, Math Fluency, General Academic Achievement, Mood, Emotion, and Behavior.

WHAT CAN THE PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT DIAGNOSE?
These assessments help diagnose a variety of learning disabilities such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity, Asperger's Disorder, and Nonverbal Learning Disability. It can also determine if there are any emotional or behavioral problems such as; Depression, Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder.

WHY ASSESS FOR EMOTIONAL OR BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS WHY NOT JUST A SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILTIY?
For the most part, learning, emotions, and behaviors are coexisting. It is important to see the whole picture so the whole child can be treated. Think of it this way - If you take a child to the ER reporting a possible broken arm, they will only x-ray the arm and fix the arm with a cast. But what if that child actually had an inner ear problem affecting balance, a vision impairment causing them to bump into things, or even a brain tumor? These problems may go unnoticed for years causing more physical and emotional damage. As a parent wouldn't, you want to know the whole picture?

DO YOU TEST INDIVIDUALS TO DETERMINE IF THEY ARE GIFTED?
Yes. Most gifted individuals are identified by the school, but many gifted individuals can be overlooked because they also have a learning disability or a social/emotional/behavioral problem that prevents the individual from receiving high enough scores to be identified by a school. The psycho-educational assessments at Forest Alliance Coaching can help identify these difficulties and provide evidence of the individual's giftedness so a school can educate them appropriately.

DO YOU TEST COLLEGE STUDENTS?
Yes, many times a disability may not be noticed until a person attends college. To receive accommodations in college, the student will need a comprehensive evaluation consisting of IQ and Achievement tests. The psycho-educational assessment at Forest Alliance Coaching also looks into other types of disorders that may impede the learning process for college students. I will work directly with the college to assure the student is receiving an appropriate education.

DO YOU TEST HOMESCHOOLED STUDENTS?
Yes. Parents who home school often provide appropriate accommodations to their children, but educational testing is needed to provide evidence that these accommodations are needed. This is especially important if the child is planning to receive these accommodations on standardized testing (ACT/SAT) or in college. Furthermore, parents who home school their children appreciate knowing all the strengths and weaknesses, so they can plan their lessons accordingly.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST FOR A FULL PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT?
A typical assessment takes about 8-10 hours of direct face-to-face time, 10-12 hours of scoring, interpretation, and report writing, another 2-3 hour final meeting, and a 2-3 hour school meeting. This totals about 22-28 hours and costs $2400.00

Homeschooling students will not need the school meeting and cost $2200.00.

Furthermore, college student requires less assessment time since some testing is not completed due to age level and the school meetings are much shorter, so the cost is $2000.00.

Monthly payment plans can be arranged but typically half of the cost is paid the first day of testing and the second half of the cost is due at the time of the report meeting.

All other school meetings, coaching sessions, counseling sessions, and consultations are billed at $120.00 an hour. See the FAQ for Coaching/Counseling/Consultations for details.

DO YOU TAKE INSURNACE?
Please see the Costs and Fees article page for this information