Can a Psycho-educational Assessment Help?

Parents, guardians/caregivers may seek a psycho-educational assessment for their child (or teen) if they have concerns about the child’s academic progress or if the child’s struggles with learning and school persist despite early interventions. In some cases, the child’s teacher or guidance counselor may suggest the need for the child to complete the assessment.

A psycho-educational assessment is a form of testing where the focus is on a child or teen’s personal learning styles and academic abilities. Their cognitive abilities (e.g., verbal and visual abilities, processing speed, attention, and memory), as well as academic skills (e.g., reading, writing and mathematic skills), behavioural and social-emotional functioning are all measured through Psychoeducational assessments. These assessments are very helpful if a child has learning challenges, since they give details about a child’s learning strengths and areas that they may need support. A psycho-educational assessment can sometimes lead to a diagnosis, like a specific learning disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or developmental delay. These assessments may even identify giftedness.

In order to help identify a child’s learning strengths and weaknesses, a variety of techniques and tests will be used. The psychologist will compile all the findings from the various tests and prepare a report. A feedback session will then be arranged where recommendations about the next steps will be discussed in order to decide how best to handle the results in case accommodations must be made for the child at their current school or otherwise.