"We are very pleased with the tutor you referred us to. She has been very good at gaining trust and cooperation from our son, who most of the time feels he needs no help and all of the time would rather be doing something else. Most significant to us is that his organizational skills have improved dramatically, and his grades show it."
-- A Parent
Information
The Psycho-Educational Evaluation
What is a Psycho-Educational Evaluation?
A comprehensive psycho-educational evaluation provides a detailed picture of an individual's cognitive abilities, academic strengths and weaknesses, and learning style (i.e., the way the person processes, remembers and retrieves information). Processing speed, attention and organizational abilities/executive functioning are also examined.
What Does Testing Determine?
Testing determines whether the person is achieving academically to the level of his/her intellectual abilities, and identifies any interfering factors requiring appropriate intervention services.
Who Should be Involved in the Process?
The Family Physician
The family physician should ensure that there are no primary physical problems interfering with the person's functioning. If hearing, vision, or speech problems are noted, relevant specialists should be consulted to address those issues.
The Clinician
The clinician obtains information regarding relevant family history and interviews the individual and the family about their concerns. In collaboration with the psychologist and educational diagnostician, this professional also determines which specific tests or diagnostic procedures are necessary. To obtain as complete and accurate a diagnosis as possible, the clinician may also seek permission to speak to other professionals already working with the client.
The Psychologist
The psychologist assesses the individual's intellectual abilities, including strengths and weaknesses as well as learning style. Many individuals with learning problems also experience frustration, depression, a loss of self-esteem and/or attention issues. The psychologist also evaluates these areas to determine whether additional services are needed. If any of these are significant, additional evaluations or services may be recommended.
The Educational Diagnostician
The educational diagnostician determines the person's ability to process, remember and retrieve different kinds of information, the level of academic proficiency in reading, written language, math and organizational abilities. Further evaluation by a speech pathologist or an occupational therapist may be recommended if needs are identified in these areas. If deficits are evident in academic skills or executive functioning, a specialized tutor or academic coach is recommended to address these areas.
What Can be Gained from a Psycho-Educational Evaluation?
The individual's intellectual potential with noted strengths and weaknesses;
Levels of academic proficiency to determine appropriate instructional placement and outside services as needed;
Specific diagnoses if applicable (e.g., Learning Disabilities, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Executive Functioning);
Emotional, speech/language or motor needs which may require further evaluation;
And as needed,
Recommendations for accommodations, alternate schools or programs;
Referral to other professionals;
Recommendations for the classroom teacher, for parents, and for other related professionals.
At Spodak, Stefano & Associates, each of our professionals has particular training and experience evaluating individuals with learning disabilities, attention and executive functioning issues and related social-emotional concerns.
The Social-Emotional Evaluation
What is a Social-Educational Evaluation?
A comprehensive social-emotional evaluation provides a detailed picture of an individual's coping resources, social/emotional stressors, social perceptions, problem solving style, and emotional functioning. An evaluation can provide a "snapshot" of a person's functioning, and offers new ways for a client and his/her family to understand their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
What Does Testing Determine?
As part of the evaluation, information is gathered about self-concept and self-esteem, as well as thoughts, feelings, and attitudes about school, home, and the future. A combination of self-reports, behavior rating surveys (completed by parents, teachers, spouses, etc.), objective personality tests and projective measures are also used. Self-report measures (e.g., anxiety, depression scales) help us assess the individual's own report of emotional and behavioral symptoms compared to a sample of peers. Objective personality instruments (e.g., MMPI, MCMI) evaluate personality characteristics by asking the individual to respond to statements in either a yes/no format or on a rating scale. Projective measures (e.g., Rorschach, Roberts-2, TAT, Sentence Completions) require the person to examine and respond to ambiguous stimuli. We analyze the content of these tests to glean information about cognitive, emotional, and social functioning.
Who Should be Involved in the Process?
The Family Physician
The family physician should ensure that there are no primary physical problems interfering with the person's functioning. If hearing, vision, or speech problems are noted, relevant specialists should be consulted to address those issues.
The Family
Parents (if the client is a minor) are asked to complete behavior rating surveys to gain a third party perspective of the individual's emotional functioning, social skills and coping resources. If the client is over 21, with their permission, parents/partners/spouses are asked to complete surveys.
The Psychologist
The psychologist obtains information regarding relevant family history and interviews the individual and the family about their concerns. This professional then determines which specific tests or diagnostic procedures are necessary. To obtain as complete and accurate a diagnosis as possible, the clinician may also seek permission to speak to other professionals already working with the client.
In addition to administering psychological tests, the psychologist writes a detailed report that includes specific recommendations to address any social-emotional issues identified in the testing. An interpretative conference is also held to explain the findings and assist the individual and family to implement the recommendations.
What Can be Gained from a Social-Emotional Evaluation?
At Spodak, Stefano & Associates, each of our psychologists has particular training and experience evaluating individuals with social-emotional concerns, and learning/processing problems. Therefore, they have the unique ability to differentiate between learning and emotional problems (e.g., Does Johnny not listen to his teachers because he has a receptive language deficit or because he has an oppositional defiant personality style?).
Social-emotional evaluations also provide:
Understanding of the individual's coping strategies and ability to access personal resources to address stressors;
Identification of underlying emotional issues that may be impacting academic or social functioning (e.g., Major Depression, Anxiety Disorders, Adjustment Disorders, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, etc.);
Information regarding self-concept and self-esteem;
And as needed,
Recommendations for psychotherapy or medication consultations;
Referral to other professionals.
For Referring Professionals
Who Sends Us Referrals
Our referrals typically come from physicians, attorneys, teachers, guidance counselors, tutors, therapists, educational consultants, and college counselors. If you are working with a student who you suspect may have learning, attention, or social-emotional issues, please contact us.. We would be happy to discuss how we could customize an evaluation for this particular individual. With the client's permission, We will review the results with you in detail as well as provide a copy of the final report.
Our highly trained staff maintains professional affiliations with the American psychological Association, Maryland psychological Association, Learning Disabilities Association of America, International Dyslexia Association, and Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (CHADD).