Clinical Interview: An assessment begins with a clinical interview to get a full picture of your child’s world. I will ask about early developmental history, medical history, school functioning, emotional profile, friends, and different contexts where your child does well versus those where s/he/they might struggle.

Background: Before I even meet your child, I speak with other important people in your child’s life, especially teachers, tutors, or therapists, to get a sense of where your child is struggling, how others see him/her/them, and what has already been tried. I will also request information such as past report cards and other helpful documents. 

Observation: In some cases I may wish to observe your child in school to see how s/he/they interacts socially and functions in the classroom. Sometimes this is done before I meet your child to get a sense of what behavior looks like. In other cases, I will observe your child after the formal assessment to try to understand how the vulnerabilities we identify in the assessment are impacting day-to-day functioning and to help inform recommendations. 

Formal Evaluation: This portion of the assessment involves 1-to-1 testing of your child. During this time, we complete different activities that can help us understand their profile of cognitive abilities, problem-solving, attention, memory, auditory and visual processing, academics, social skills, emotional functioning, and behavior. I select tests based on the specific challenges of your child. Formal evaluation typically takes place over approximately three mornings.

Written Report: It takes some time to synthesize all of the information I obtain from the assessment. Once I have done so, I provide a detailed analysis of your child’s learning profile and diagnosis (if applicable) along with specific recommendations tailored to his/her/their needs. 

Feedback: I meet with parents to go over the results in detail and to make a specific plan for how to best support the child.

Sharing Results with Your Child: Research has shown that children who understand their learning profile have better outcomes. For that reason, it is important that children be involved in the process of understanding why they are being assessed, the results, and what they can do about it. We use this time to help the child understand both their strengths and weaknesses and empower them to recognize that managing any vulnerability is a process. This is the first step in learning to advocate for themselves and recognize that often the struggle gives them greater strength and resilience. 

Meeting with School: I also offer the option of meeting with school staff to share the results of the assessment and collaborate on an effective plan to support the child.