Children and teens have a variety of educational needs. Some may demonstrate high level functioning while other may be struggling to keep up. In either case, some modifications to their educational curriculum may be required. One of the most effective ways to ascertain a young person’s learning needs is to have a psycho-educational assessment completed.
A psycho-educational assessment is an examination of the psychological function of your child as it pertains to learning. They work by appraising processes such as cognition, achievement, language skills, visual-motor integration, executive functioning, and/or social-emotional factors that influence learning. Psycho-educational assessments can be useful in identifying giftedness, learning disabilities, and general learning strengths and weaknesses. Through the identification of strengths and weaknesses educators can construct more comprehensive learning plans that take into account the individual’s learning style. It is important to remember that in many cases, in order for your son or daughter to get the educational resources, supports, and accommodation they may require (i.e., gifted, learning disability, or social emotional coding), a formal evaluation of their needs is required. These assessments can be completed on children, adolescents, and adults (i.e., adult cognitive assessments for students in university or those seeking funding such as AISH).
Fees to have a psycho-educational assessment range based on the complexity of the evaluation. In general, psycho-educational assessments range from $1800 to $2400. A standard evaluation consists of approximately 4-6 hours of testing. Parents and teachers may be asked to complete some short surveys or questionnaires. A written report will be produced and reviewed with the parents or individual.
