There are many similar descriptions out there related to an evaluation, a psychoeducational evaluation, a psychological evaluation, a neuropsychological evaluation, and more. With so many similar sounding descriptions, it can be difficult to know what is right for your student. Broadly speaking, most of these evaluations tend to include the same (or similar) tests and also assess similar areas. It can be helpful to ask what is included in an evaluation to ensure that all of the areas you have questions or concerns about are addressed. Evaluations can include measures of:
Cognitive functioning (e.g., verbal and nonverbal skills, working memory, and/or processing speed). Getting more information about cognitive skills can inform recommendations about extended time, if a student needs more time to process information, or visual support, if there are differences in their ability to remember information.
Academic skills (e.g., reading, writing, and math). Information about academic strengths and differences can inform support at school or through tutoring. It can also pinpoint what, specifically, is difficult for the student. For example, a student might understand numerical math problems and have more difficulty identifying the important information when word problems are used.
Attention and Executive Functioning (e.g., paying attention, sustaining attention, regulating energy level, noticing what someone is doing while they are doing it, and regulating emotional and behavioral reactions). Attention and executive functioning differences can impact a student’s ability to show what they know within the classroom or on tests.
Emotional functioning (e.g., symptoms related to mood, such as depression or anxiety). For example, a student who experiences anxiety during tests could have trouble recalling information or completing the test in the time limit due worries.
Social (e.g., withdrawal, introversion, extroversion, differences in noticing others nonverbal communication, and/or differences in being able to act on another’s facial expressions). If a student struggles to identify how another student is feeling or respond expectedly if they can identify how someone is feeling, this can have an impact on their ability to complete group work, but also can impact how supported they feel at school.
Any or all of these areas can impact a student and may be included within an evaluation to provide more information about areas of strength and difference.
Here at Monarch, we use the term “psychoeducational evaluation” to describe most of our evaluations, especially those that are comprehensive in nature. We use this term to help reflect and bring to the forefront that our comprehensive evaluations include a deep dive into academic areas (reading, writing, and math). With reading in mind, this often includes looking at some of the basic building blocks of reading, like naming speed (how quickly a student can find information within their mind and say it aloud), phonological awareness (the ability to connect individual sounds to letters or letter groups and blend those sounds together to read a word), and orthographic processing (an individual’s memory for what words look like without having to sound them out. Think sight words). Relatedly, differences in writing can also be impacted by fine motor skills, visual perception, and an individual’s ability to use these two areas jointly to write. Math skills can be impacted by cognitive abilities, as well as naming speed skills (related to math fluency performance).
Why complete an evaluation?
A psychoeducational evaluation is a big decision and can be an investment for families. An evaluation can be used to help provide more information about why a student might be struggling in a specific academic area. This ensures that interventions and supports are targeted to those areas of difference and thus, focused on the needed areas.
In addition, an evaluation can help pinpoint areas of strength and difference. Knowing areas of strength is just as important as knowing areas of difference to help tailor support and intervention. For example, if a student has strong verbal skills, it will be helpful if teachers take time to explain things in detail. This student will (potentially) benefit less from visuals to aid in learning.
A comprehensive evaluation that includes information about a student’s emotional and behavioral functioning can help provide insight into the impact differences have on their view of themselves. Similarly, this information can inform if other support (meeting with the school counselor or a therapist) might be helpful.
Overall, different types of evaluations have the same goal: to provide more information about concerns and areas of strength to help determine what the student needs to succeed. When seeking an evaluation, ensure that all areas of concern will be assessed so that recommendations will best support your child. Do you have more questions about evaluations and if a psychoeducational evaluation at Monarch is what your student needs? Contact us with questions! More information about our evaluations can also be found on our website.
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