If your child has been recommended for psycho-educational testing, you may be scratching your head in puzzlement. What is this form of testing you may wonder. And, why does my child need it?
Understanding psycho-educational testing
According to psychologist Dr. Carol Blum, “Evaluations vary according to the age of the child, the diagnostic question, and the professional doing the testing.”
An evaluation of cognitive skills is a starting point for evaluation. The cognitive skills evaluation is an overall view of a child’s strengths, weaknesses, and learning style.
In addition, the evaluator will conduct an initial interview, review any academic records, and review behavior checklists completed by the parents, caregivers and teachers, as well as test graphic ability.
Psycho-educational testing at Back to Basics in Nationwide
At Back to Basics, psycho-educational evaluations are performed by licensed, clinical psychologists on staff. Using the most sophisticated measures available, Back to Basics can help maximize a student’s success by analyzing the style in which he or she learns, his or her strengths and non-strengths as well as any learning differences. Recommendations will be made to parents and educators regarding the best teaching methods and educational environment for the student to reach his or her full potential.
A variety of tests are available at Back to Basics
- I.Q. An Intelligence Quotient indicates a person’s mental abilities relative to others of approximately the same age. According to MENSA UK, “The term IQ usually refers to the attempt to measure a person’s mental agility. There are many standard IQ tests in use around the world. On most intelligence tests, average IQ score is 100.”
- Academic Achievement Levels (by grade level and age level). Academic achievement tests are standardized and measure a student’s progress and achievements. A variety of academic achievement tests are used for different states and at different levels of education.
- Visual-Motor. The test is used to evaluate “visual-motor maturity,” to screen for developmental disorders or to assess neurological function or brain damage.
- Learning Disability and Giftedness Screening. Screening is the first step in the process of gathering relevant information about an individual. Screening does not determine whether or not the person has a learning disability or giftedness. It may include observations, informal interviews, the use of a written tool or a review of medical, school or work histories.
- Attention Deficit Disorder Screening. Because there’s no clinical test that can detect ADHD, a diagnosis depends on a complete evaluation by psychiatrists or psychologists.
- Verbal and Visual Memory. A verbal reasoning test is a form of aptitude test used by interviewers to find out how well a candidate can assess verbal logic. A visual field test maps out what the world looks like to the individual.
- Visual and Auditory Perception. Perceptual tests are among the most frequently administered clinical instruments. They offer several different explanations for various perceptual regularities and irregularities, depending upon the orientation of the user.
What are psycho-educational testing results used for?
After the completion of testing, the resulting formal report can be used to:
- Document the need for special services to be provided by the schools
- Take extended time SATs and High School Entrance Exams, and many other tests
- Evaluate for entrance into a gifted program
- Accommodate through 504 Plans
For more information on the full range of psycho-educational evaluations available at Back to Basics in Nationwide, please call 302-594-0754.
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