What is a psychoeducational assessment?

A psycho-educational assessment is a process to determine an individuals learning profile. How they best learn, what their learning strengths are, and what areas are presenting as challenges. It is a comprehensive process that takings into account all factors that may be contributing to learning challenges–cognitive, academic, attentional, and socio-emotional. Once all data is accounted for, a diagnosis may be made which can help to unlock supports and potential funding to help make the education process more successful for the individual.

A psycho-educational assessment provides parents and teachers with specific information about a student’s strengths, challenges and unique learning needs. Throughout the testing, students are screened for a variety of learning (or related) disabilities as well as giftedness.  Included is a consultation on specific academic and behavioral recommendations and strategies for helping a student reach their true potential.  The assessment includes a variety of interviews, questionnaires for the student, parents and teachers, as well as a series of testing activities.

Here is some further information about the areas assessed in a psycho-educational assessment:

  • Cognitive Abilities

A standardized test of intelligence is used to provide an overall estimate of a student’s thinking and reasoning skills related to their levels of verbal comprehension, perceptual (or visual) reasoning, working memory, and processing speed.

  • Grapho-Motor and Visual-Motor Integration Abilities

A standardized test of grapho-motor and visual-integration provides information related to a student’s fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, copying speed, and printing/handwriting.

  • Memory Functioning

A standardized test of both verbal and visual memory provides a detailed analysis of both working and long-term memory.

  • Attentional, Psychological, and Behavioural Functioning Abilities

A variety of self, parent and teacher questionnaires provide information on a student’s attentional, psychological, and behavioral functioning.

  • Academic Abilities

A series of academic testing activities provide a profile of a student’s academic strengths and challenges. They provide both grade-specific and age-specific evaluations for the following areas:

  • Reading speed, comprehension, sight word vocabulary, and word decoding skills
  • Numerical operations and mathematical reasoning skills
  • Spelling, sentence development, and written expression skills
  • Oral language development, listening comprehension, and receptive vocabulary skills
  • Career Testing

A career assessment can also be included for secondary students and it may assist with course planning and post-secondary school selection.