Our approach

We recognize that the decision to have your child undergo testing can be a difficult one.  Understanding your child’s learning, developmental, and emotional strengths and challenges is an important tool in fostering your child’s growth.  Our approach with each child is uniquely tailored to meet their individual needs.

We employ a holistic, collaborative model, working closely with families to help us gain a comprehensive understanding of your child’s social, emotional, and learning needs.  We understand the far reaching implications of psychological and educational testing in early childhood. In response to this, we work in partnership on each individual testing, collaborating to ensure a depth of insight that places the needs of each child at the forefront.  We also determine with each family the benefit of engaging school and outside supports, both during and after testing, to best facilitate their ongoing growth and development. Underlying our successful assessments is our ability to build a strong alliance with you and your child. We encourage questions and allow for play or relaxation breaks to make the testing process both successful and enjoyable.

What to expect

The evaluation process begins with an initial structured interview to gather a relevant history and identify the questions you are hoping to answer with the results of the evaluation.  During this time we will also explore any questions or concerns you might have about the process. Following this initial meeting, we will determine the best assessments to answer your specific questions as a team. We then meet with your child for testing. The time it takes for administration depends on the nature of your questions and which measures are used.

Another important part of the evaluation involves working collaboratively with other care providers involved in your child’s life. This is incredibly important in gaining a complete understanding of your child’s experience in the world, including their behavior, performance in school, and their interactions with others. Incorporating your child’s teacher, therapist, and family through rating scales and/or consultations by phone, is often instrumental to the process. Often times, a classroom observation completed by one of us is helpful prior to meeting with your child to gather additional information. We will work together with you to determine if any consultations or observations would be appropriate for your child’s evaluation process.

Testing for AUTISM Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a diagnosis that is characterized by challenges in the areas of social interaction, repetitive behaviors and/or restricted interests, expressive and receptive language ability. These difficulties may be pervasive and impact a person’s life in various areas of functioning; these areas include school, work, tasks of daily living, and building and maintaining relationships with others. Individuals with ASD vary in their learning styles, abilities, strengths and challenges. Some individuals exhibit superior intellectual abilities and problem solving skills, while others have severe difficulties and limitations that require higher levels of care and daily support/ intervention. Testing can help identify the unique strengths and vulnerabilities as well as interventions, to support each individual’s needs. 

Autism Testing: Identifying individuals on the autism spectrum, like many other evaluations, require information from several sources: parent and teacher interviews and questionnaires, examiner observations, school records, and standardized measures that look at how a child performs in comparison to other children their age/grade. 

One of the tools used for the purpose of evaluating individuals suspected of having autism or developmental delays, is called the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2). The ADOS-2 is often used amongst other measures such as cognitive/IQ testing, assessments of language pragmatics, assessments of daily living, and assessment of neuropsychological functioning (executive functioning, memory, etc...) The ADOS-2 is a semi-structured assessment which evaluates communication, social interaction, and imaginative play through a variety of structured and semi-structured activities. 

Feedback

After testing is complete, we work together to integrate the results and provide a complete diagnostic and/or learning profile. We will then schedule a time with you to provide feedback about the results and recommendations. This collaborative, interactive meeting, is a place for us to explore how the findings fit with your child’s everyday experience and answer any questions you may have. An integrated written report will be provided to you following the feedback session.  

If you are unsure if assessment is right for your child but believe they would benefit from professional intervention, please call us for a free consultation or schedule an appointment and we will help you determine the best course of action for your child.