What is a Psychoeducational Assessment?
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A Psychoeducational Assessment is a comprehensive examination of a child or young person's strengths, challenges and needs.
At Talk in Action we take great pride in tailoring our Psychoeducational Assessments dependent on what the presenting issues are, and what parents and/or a school identify as the purpose of the report.
With that in mind the assessment process will look and feel different depending on what is required. Some examples of Psychoeducational Assessments could be:
A K2 student where parents/kindergarten are concerned about social and communication skills:
In this situation the Psychologist would liaise with parents and arrange on-site observations of the child at the kindergarten and possibly in the home too. Parental and teacher interviews and questionnaires would run alongside a play-based developmental assessment with the child at the centre.
This assessment procedure would capture a clear picture of the child’s strengths and challenges, offer a diagnosis/ diagnoses if appropriate, and be able to provide guidance as to the most appropriate educational strategies and provision.
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In this situation the Psychologist would liaise with parents and arrange on-site observations of the child at the school. Parental and teacher interviews and questionnaires would run alongside two sessions of cognitive and attainment assessments with the child at the centre.
This assessment procedure would capture a clear picture of the child’s strengths and challenges, offer a diagnosis/ diagnoses if appropriate, and be able to provide guidance as to the most appropriate educational strategies and provision. There would be a particular focus on managing transition, and what would be useful support from the secondary school provision.
A P5 student where the parents or school are looking to gain information to support transition to secondary school:
A Year 11 student where parents or school are concerned that the student will be disadvantaged unless they receive accommodations in IB or A-level examinations
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In this situation the Psychologist would liaise with parents and teachers to carry out interviews and questionnaires regarding the child’s behaviour, attention and executive functions. This would run alongside two sessions of cognitive and attainment assessments with the child at the TIA centre.
This assessment procedure would capture a clear picture of the child’s strengths and challenges, offer a diagnosis/ diagnoses if appropriate, and be able to provide guidance as to the most appropriate educational strategies and provision, with a particular focus on what examination and assessment accommodations may be required to help the child complete their post-16 qualifications.
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Following each assessment the Psychologist will write an extensive report detailing clearly the findings, a diagnosis/ or diagnoses if appropriate, and recommendations around strategies and educational resources to support the child.
The Psychologist will meet with parents and the child to explain the findings and what they mean.
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The Psychologist can also meet with Kindergarten and school representatives on request.
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