It may be intimidating to hear that your child requires a psychological evaluation, but for children with delays and disabilities, psychological testing provides invaluable information for diagnosis to ensure they receive the support they need. Psychological evaluations are incredibly beneficial for your child’s growth—it’s through these assessments a professional can identify their strengths and nurture their unique abilities. If your child’s doctor has recommended a psychological evaluation, know that this is an important step toward them living a thriving life and reaching their full potential.
Why Does My Child Need a Psychological Evaluation?
Your child may need testing if they aren’t able to complete their schoolwork, need accommodations, or if their therapist or another mental health worker cannot provide a diagnosis for their condition. Oftentimes, your child’s pediatrician or other professionals working with your child may recommend a psychological evaluation. Psychological evaluations are critical for diagnosing conditions like autism, ADHD, juvenile depression, anxiety, and more. An accurate diagnosis allows your doctor or other professional to determine the best treatment for them.
Who Performs Psychological Evaluations?
A psychologist performs psychological testing—other mental health workers cannot legally do this. Psychologists receive more in-person practice and training before becoming licensed, and they tend to conduct more research than other mental health workers. Usually, a school or clinical psychologist can evaluate your child; however, school psychologists working for your school district or others cannot diagnose a child.
School Psychologists vs. Clinical Psychologists
Most school psychologists don’t provide official diagnoses but specialize in helping children in school settings through IEPs, group therapy, or individual therapy. In addition, a school psychologist educates caregivers about mental health issues and designs programs to support them.
On the other hand, a clinical psychologist is a doctor who can provide diagnoses and recommendations based on their findings from your child’s evaluation. Some clinical psychologists specialize in working with children, and some focus specifically on testing, therapy, and program design. At Kids on the Move, our psychologists are experts in the field of early childhood and development.
Types of Psychological Evaluations
There are three types of testing in Utah, including the following:
- Psychological testing – In Utah, psychological testing is generally a shorter test that answers one question regarding your child’s condition, such as “Does my child have autism?”
- Psychoeducational testing – A school psychologist usually performs psychoeducational testing to evaluate IQ, academic skills, and anything that may prevent your child from learning.
- Neuropsychological testing – In Utah, neuropsychological testing covers anything requiring a more thorough evaluation. In other states, only a neuropsychologist can perform this type of test.
How Testing Can Be Used by Caregivers and Professionals
Psychological testing lets caregivers and providers understand what kind of learner a child is. For example, if a psychologist determines that your child is a visual learner, you and your child’s teacher can use more visual material for schoolwork to support them. In addition, testing can indicate that your child may benefit from medication or a specific type of therapy.
Testing also helps you and others understand how to interact with your child in specific situations, such as at home or in the classroom. Your child’s psychologist will likely attend school meetings and meet with your child’s therapist after completing testing. This supports caregivers as they work with the school district to obtain academic assistance for their child.
The ultimate goal in testing is to empower you and the people in your child’s life with the best tools to ensure that your child can learn and grow alongside their peers.
What Does a Psychological Test Entail?
Psychological testing provides a comprehensive look at your child’s cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral functioning. During their test, a psychologist may evaluate your child’s motor skills, visual-spatial abilities, as well as their cognitive and emotional abilities. This provides you with valuable information on how to best work with your child’s strengths and improve growth areas.
Cognitive and Executive Function
This includes IQ testing and measures your child’s ability to problem solve and process verbal and visual information. Executive function evaluations test working memory and how well your child learns new information, organizes, and plans. Typically, testing for executive functioning also includes testing for ADHD.
Social Communication
This test can help a psychologist understand how well your child understands relationships and social cues. It is useful for identifying symptoms of autism, social communication disorder, and ADHD.
Academic Skills, Memory, and Learning
This part of the evaluation provides information about academic skills and is helpful when diagnosing learning disabilities such as dyslexia. It offers insight if your child struggles to remember information or learn new things.
Emotional-Behavioral Function and Personality
This can identify personality traits, behavioral patterns, and emotional tendencies, such as unstable moods, anger, depression, anxiety, and trouble paying attention. It can provide insight into how to best relate to your child and make parenting easier for you and for them.
Adaptive Functioning
This indicates how well your child can perform basic tasks like maintaining their hygiene or getting dressed. With adaptive functioning assessment, you will be able to determine if your child needs additional services like occupational therapy, physical therapy, and/or speech therapy.
Getting Involved in the Psychological Testing Process
You should plan to meet with the psychologist to discuss your concerns and review your child’s developmental, school, and psychological histories. During this process, you will complete paperwork, including forms regarding your child’s behavior and a release of information so the psychologist can communicate with your child’s teacher.
You’ll accompany your child while they complete the test, which can take between 2 to 8 hours; it all depends on your child’s unique needs. We know that children have trouble sitting still for long periods of time, which is why our psychologists will flexibly work with you to provide appointment lengths and times that work for you and your family. Our psychologists will also work with you to recommend possible referrals and other resources in the community. After the evaluation, you will review the report with the psychologist and discuss the next steps. In addition, you will want to share the results with your child’s therapist, doctor, and school and follow any recommendations provided in the report. Building an informed team ensures your child has the best possible outcomes following their psychological evaluation.
Supporting You & Your Child
Psychological evaluations are integral to providing your child with the proper support in school, at home, and throughout life. If you’d like extra support as you move through this process, KOTM can help with services, resources, and methods to help your child get everything they need to grow, learn, and thrive. We are dedicated to ensuring each child receives the resources they need to reach their full potential—physically, cognitively, and emotionally. Please contact us today to find out more about our foundation. We can connect you with relevant resources and guide you on this journey.