I specialize in psychoeducational evaluations for children, teenagers, and college students who are struggling in school.  Oftentimes, these students are incredibly bright but are inhibited by particular learning obstacles that, here, we can identify and begin to overcome.  

The psychoeducational assessment tools I offer provide insight into the nature of the specific learning challenges, as well as detailed recommendations for learning strategies that teachers, tutors, and you may incorporate.  

The assessment results also reveal which accommodations and additional support from specialized tutors and other professionals are needed.  With proper testing, we can discover what you or your child needs to thrive in a classroom setting, which will lead to a greater sense of well-being, effectiveness, and self-confidence.

Children ages 6+

Is your child below grade level for reading, spelling, math, or writing? Or, are they at grade level but dislike or avoid certain subjects, like reading, math, or writing?  

Perhaps they reverse numbers or letters, have problems sounding out words or miss words when reading, have challenges comprehending what they hear or read, struggle with memorizing math facts, or have difficulty organizing their writing and using proper grammar and punctuation.  

They may also be having problems sustaining focus, completing homework, or organizing their materials.  It could also be that they are “getting by” at grade-level but their academic achievement seems below their capabilities. It is possible that these challenges may create a lack of confidence in learning or feelings of frustration, shame, and worry.

Teenagers

Does there appear to be a disconnect in your teen’s learning? It may be apparent, like getting low grades on tests and assignments, or it may be subtler, like avoiding reading long passages, having problems writing long essays, frequently procrastinating homework, or spending excessive time doing homework.  

Perhaps they spend many hours studying for tests and seem to be prepared but then fail the test. It could be that they performed well in elementary school but the transition to middle school or high school became exponentially more difficult.

Perhaps they may need extra time to complete tests in class or on standardized assessments.  It could be that they appear intelligent, but the academic output does not match their abilities, or maybe they learn information “differently” than their peers.  

These struggles may create feelings of anxiety, anger, or low self-esteem, or they may begin engage in risky behavior or form friendships with others who also struggle in school.  

College Students

Do you have problems studying for tests or do you study hard and then receive a low grade? Perhaps you strongly dislike reading textbooks or nonfiction, or you have problems comprehending and retaining what you read.  

You may also have problems with higher levels of math, writing essays, maintaining focus, procrastinating, or completing assignments on time.  It is possible that you received accommodations in school or tutoring in the past and you now need testing to verify the continued need for accommodations. Or, you may have “gotten by” in high school, but you are now struggling to keep up in college.  

Although you or your child may spend a lot of time studying, with the issues above, the results often do not match the effort. This can result in feelings of dissonance, frustration, worry, low self-esteem, and a dislike of school. If learning challenges are misunderstood and untreated, it is common for chronic symptoms of anxiety, depression, or acting out to develop. With the right information, guidance, and support, you or your child can gain tools needed to develop greater confidence and success in the classroom.

I combine decades of experience as a clinical psychologist, along with training in special education and tutoring, to help clients understand what they need to thrive academically. For example, I may recommend a specific learning strategy and specialized tutor to support the learning style.  In addition, I may recommend accommodations in the classroom that make completing assignments or taking tests easier.

The psychoeducational assessments I provide are designed to help children, teens, and adults who are dealing with an array of challenges, including but not limited to:

• Literacy challenges, such as a general dislike of reading, difficulty sounding out words, mistaking similar words, omitting small words when reading, problems comprehending what has been read, or avoiding lengthy reading passages

• Difficulty spelling phonetically or remembering sight words

• Problems learning math facts, mistaking math signs, or relating math concepts to calculations

• Reversing, transposing, omitting, or substituting numbers, letters, or words

• Writing challenges, such as problems with grammar, punctuation, and organization and connecting ideas to an essay format

• Difficulty comprehending or retaining information taught in class

• Struggling to sustain focus, being easily distracted, procrastinating, and following through

• Problems planning and organizing materials and assignments and managing time

Whatever you or your child is struggling with, we can identify specific areas of concern and develop a clear path forward. It is possible to understand what is holding you or your child back in school and find effective ways of performing better.

How does your work differ from that of a school psychologist?

School psychologists typically provide evaluations within the school district, and these are often very limited. They are typically not comprehensive, and they do not provide diagnoses or aim to explain why the child or teen is struggling. Rather, the main objective is to determine if the student meets the school district’s criteria for special education.  

The services I provide identify the specific learning challenge, even if it is subtle, and provide specific tools to bring into the classroom and recommendations for outside help that meets the student’s learning style. Even if your child does not meet the criteria for special education, they may be struggling, and I can help.   

How do psychoeducational evaluations differ from neuropsychological assessments?

The psychoeducational assessments I provide are similar to neuropsychological evaluations. However, my perspective and recommendations incorporate my background in education.  

Although both evaluations aim to examine underlying neurocognitive processes in detail, there may be differences in the interpretation of data and recommendations. Because of my background in special education and tutoring, I am able to provide specific recommendations that improve the capacity to learn.  

With the guidance of psychoeducational testing, we can discover what is causing certain difficulties and what interventions are needed to successfully address these challenges. From here, comprehensive reports are generated that include testing results, interpretations, diagnoses, and recommendations on how to remediate and accommodate learning difficulties.  

What types of tests and data are used in your evaluation?

I have a broad background in psychoeducational testing to identify a variety of learning challenges.  Standardized measurements and rating scales that I use could include:

• Academic achievement in reading, writing, mathematics, and oral language

• Auditory-visual-kinesthetic integration screening, such as dyslexia

• Auditory processing

• Reading tests with standard and extended time (for high school and older students)

• ADHD evaluation and executive functioning questionnaires

• Attention and concentration tests, including auditory, visual, single task, dual task, and switching attention

• Executive functioning tests

• Intellectual quotient tests

• Memory tests

• Anxiety and depression questionnaires

• Semi-projective sentence completion tests

• Collecting data through questionnaires from teachers, parents, and other providers

• Interviews with parents, students, and sometimes tutors, teachers, therapists, or other providers

What is the process of the assessment?

With the right insights and tools, you can begin to understand why exactly why you or your child is struggling in school and gain a clear path to move forward.