THE EVALUATION PROCESS

what to expect from your child's evaluation

The entire evaluation process usually takes between 4 to 6 weeks, depending upon scheduling and other needs.

Here are the components of the evaluation process:
  1. Parent Interview
  2. Child Assessment
  3. School Observation / Teacher Input
  4. Consultation with / referral to other specialists (when appropriate)
  5. Feedback
  6. Follow-up
Each of the components is covered in more detail below:

1.  PARENT INTERVIEW
  • An interview with the parents is scheduled in order to obtain an in-depth understanding of the child, both in terms of strengths and the areas of concern.
  • Information obtained from the parents includes a Developmental History,
  • Medical History, Educational History, and History of Social/Emotional Development.
  • Issues pertaining to family dynamics and interpersonal relationships are discussed.
  • At the conclusion of the interview, the scope the evaluation will be discussed with parents and testing sessions with the child will be scheduled.

2.  CHILD ASSESSMENT
  • The evaluation will be scheduled over multiple days in order to ensure that test results are reliable and accurate.
  • Children will usually fatigue after two hours of one-to-one testing, and therefore test results may be affected negatively if individual sessions are too long.
  • Two to four sessions are typically needed.  Occasionally, shorter, more frequent sessions will be more appropriate.  This will be determined jointly between the parents and the examiner.

3.  SCHOOL OBSERVATION / TEACHER INPUT
  • When appropriate, the child will be observed in school in order to gain an understanding of the way in which he/she functions within the context of the group setting.
  • Information is gathered from the classroom teacher through curriculum-based assessments, behavior ratings, and educational history.

4.  OTHER CONSULTATION (WHEN APPROPRIATE)
  •  Speech and Language Therapists
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Physical Therapists
  • Pediatricians
  • Neurologists
  • Psychiatrists

5.  FEEDBACK
  • Test results are discussed with parents and a written report summarizing results of the assessment is provided.
  • Frequently, a separate session is scheduled with the child so that feedback can be provided in an effort to help him/her gain knowledge about the individual learning profile.
  • Recommendations for intervention are suggested and individually designed based on the unique profile of the child.

6.  FOLLOW-UP
  • May include the examiner’s attendance at school meetings, additional sessions with parents to further their understanding of their child’s learning profile, debriefing sessions with the child, etc.