School can be difficult for children of any age, with academic and social pressures increasing with every new grade. Children who struggle in school can be at risk for a host of negative experiences such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and behavioural and social issues. As time goes on and workloads increase, struggling children may find that the strategies that have helped them in the past are no longer working effectively and it takes more time and even more effort just to maintain the level at which they are currently performing. When difficulties are left unaddressed, children can often feel lost, unsupported, and hopeless about the future. Fortunately, there are ways to identify children’s difficulties and how to better support them both in school and at home. One such way is a psychoeducational assessment, conducted by a psychologist and their relevant team.
What is a Psychoeducational Assessment?
A psychoeducational assessment helps children in many ways. It can help:
- Identify areas of strength along with areas of difficulty
- Determine the presence of learning disabilities, and/or disorders such as ADHD and ASD.
- Determine the presence of giftedness
The aim of this kind of assessment is to provide a better understanding of your child’s development relative to other children their age and can help get your child the supports they need at school. The report received from this assessment can be provided to your child’s school to inform them of the types of supports or accommodations your child is likely to benefit from so that they can perform to the best of their ability (e.g., extra time, one-on-one support). It can even act as a basis to monitor progress and change over time, throughout your child’s academic career (in the case of multiple assessments).
A psychoeducational assessment can provide you and your child with a better understanding of themselves, their abilities, and can set them up to learn strategies to help them succeed both in and outside of school.
If you believe a psychoeducational assessment may be helpful for your child, our CFIR-CPRI clinicians are ready to support you in this process. Contact us via admin@cfir.ca and a member of our team will be happy to assist you.
Massimo Di Domenico, M.A.,is a therapist working under the supervision of Dr. Nalini Iype, C.Psych. and is also working towards the completion of his PhD in Clinical Developmental Psychology. He provides both treatment and assessment services to individuals of all ages – children, adolescents, and adults. Working with an integrative framework, he treats those suffering from depression and anxiety, difficulties in social relationships, and concerns related to parenting and family dynamics. For those seeking answers on how they, or their child, learn or work best, he also provides assessment services for learning disorders and ADHD.
