Psychological Evaluations

“My daughter can’t seem to focus and it’s affecting her schooling.”

                                                             “My son is falling behind in his ability to read.”

            “My daughter is afraid to approach others and is isolating herself.”

“My son worries constantly about worst-case scenarios.”

                                  “My daughter seems down and depressed more days than not.”

             “My son is bullying another child.”

                                         “My daughter is being bullied.”

There are a myriad of concerns parents might have about their child at various points in their child’s development.  Every child develops at their own pace.  We often expect development to be a straight line.  Yet for many kids, development can be uneven – they may shine in many areas and may struggle in others.  Uneven development is most frustrating when a child can’t meet expectations in an area that is important to them, like school, home life, or friendships.

It can be difficult for a caregiver to know when the child’s struggles require intervention, or when the caregiver just needs to monitor the struggles and have faith that the child will eventually “get it.”

Psychological evaluations help parents or caregivers understand the child on a much deeper level, whether it’s learning style, emotional functioning, social difficulties, or behavioral problems.  Gaining this deeper understanding can help tremendously in knowing the next steps in how to help your child succeed!

Triangle Child Psychology offers psychological, neuropsychological, and psychoeducational evaluations for children ranging in age from preschool through college who are struggling to fulfill their potential due to developmental, learning, processing, or social-emotional factors.

What is a Psychological Evaluation?

Evaluations, also typically called assessments or more generally “testing,” involve the formal assessment of a child’s abilities using a series of standardized measures in order to gain a more in-depth understanding of the child’s difficulties, as well as their strengths.

Evaluations are often requested by parents or caregivers who are struggling with their child’s behaviors or who have concerns about their child’s particular struggles.  Patients can also be referred to a child psychologist by other professionals working with the child, such as a pediatrician, therapist, school counselor, teacher, speech therapist, or occupational therapist, to name a few.  Follow-up evaluations are requested when a parent or professional seeks to obtain information about how well a particular intervention or treatment has been working for the child.

What can be assessed with an evaluation?

The following domains are typically assessed during a comprehensive evaluation at TCP:

• Intelligence and general cognitive abilities
• Academic achievement skills – reading, writing, and math
• Executive function skills – organization, planning, inhibition, and flexibility
• Attention – simple, complex, and sustained
• Learning and memory
• Language and communication
• Visual-spatial skills
• Motor coordination
• Behavioral and emotional functioning
• Adaptive functioning
• Social skills

The domains listed above are those areas that are typically included in a comprehensive psychological evaluation.  However, each evaluation is tailored to answer the specific concerns or questions that you have regarding your child.  Therefore, if a comprehensive psychological evaluation is not indicated, your child’s assessment may include only some of these domains.  Your psychologist will work closely with you during the intake session to determine primary concerns and to come up with a plan specific to your needs.