Psychoeducational Evaluations
Understanding how your child learns, thinks, attends, and functions—so you can better understand how to help them thrive.
When a child or adolescent is struggling in school, the reason is not always obvious.
A student may be bright but struggling academically. They may work hard but have difficulty sustaining attention, organizing their work, remembering information, or completing assignments. They may experience behavioral or emotional difficulties that interfere with learning—or have significant strengths that aren't being reflected in the classroom.
A comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation can help bring those pieces together.
At Grace Every Morning Counseling & Behavioral Health, we provide individualized psychoeducational evaluations for children and adolescents who are experiencing learning, attention, executive functioning, cognitive, adaptive, social-emotional, or behavioral concerns that may be affecting their educational functioning.
Our goal is not simply to provide a collection of test scores. Our goal is to understand the whole learner.
What Is a Psychoeducational Evaluation?
A psychoeducational evaluation is a comprehensive assessment designed to better understand a child's or adolescent's cognitive abilities, academic functioning, attention, executive functioning, adaptive skills, and social-emotional or behavioral functioning.
The evaluation process typically combines standardized assessments with interviews, review of developmental and educational history, questionnaires, and professional interpretation.,
Rather than using a one-size-fits-all testing battery, we consider the individual child and the questions that need to be answered.
The result is a comprehensive picture of your child's strengths, challenges, and educational needs, along with practical recommendations for moving forward.
What Can an Evaluation Help Identify?
Psychoeducational evaluation may be appropriate when a child or adolescent is experiencing:
Learning Difficulties
- Persistent academic struggles despite appropriate instruction
- Difficulty with reading, writing, or mathematics
- A suspected learning disability
- Uneven academic performance
- Difficulty keeping up with classroom expectations
- Concerns about how a child learns best
Attention & Executive Functioning
- Difficulty sustaining attention
- Disorganization
- Poor time management
- Difficulty initiating or completing tasks
- Forgetfulness
- Difficulty planning, prioritizing, or shifting between tasks
- Suspected ADHD
- Homework or schoolwork that takes significantly longer than expected
Cognitive & Intellectual Functioning
- Questions about cognitive strengths and weaknesses
- Significant differences between areas of functioning
- Concerns about intellectual functioning
- Questions about advanced abilities, giftedness, or twice-exceptionality
Adaptive Functioning
- Concerns about independence or daily functioning
- Difficulty applying skills across settings
- Concerns about age-appropriate practical, social, or conceptual skills
Social, Emotional & Behavioral Functioning
- Emotional or behavioral concerns affecting school performance
- Anxiety or emotional distress that interferes with learning
- Difficulty regulating emotions or behavior in educational settings
- Significant discrepancies between academic ability and classroom functioning
- Behavioral concerns that may be related to underlying learning or executive-functioning needs
What Does the Evaluation Include?
Every evaluation is individualized. Depending on the referral question and information gathered during the intake process, assessment may include:
- Cognitive and intellectual assessment
- Academic achievement assessment
- Attention and executive-functioning measures
- Adaptive behavior assessment
- Social-emotional and behavioral assessment
- Parent and/or teacher questionnaires
- Review of educational and developmental records
- Clinical and developmental interview
- Personality testing
- Behavioral observations, when appropriate
- Additional assessment measures based on the child's individual needs
Not every child needs every measure.
Following an initial intake, testing recommendations will be discussed with the family so that the evaluation is appropriately matched to the questions you are hoping to answer.
A Comprehensive, Individualized Approach
We believe that meaningful assessment goes beyond scores.
Two children can receive the same diagnosis or demonstrate similar academic difficulties while having very different underlying needs. That's why we take the time to understand the individual child, including his or her developmental history, educational experience, strengths, challenges, and functioning across settings.
Where clinically and educationally appropriate, qualitative and developmentally responsive assessment methods may also be incorporated to provide additional context to standardized assessment findings.
The goal is a complete picture—not simply a test result.
What You Will Receive
At the conclusion of the evaluation, families receive a comprehensive written report that brings together the information gathered throughout the assessment process.
The report may include:
- A summary of the referral concerns
- Relevant developmental and educational history
- Description and interpretation of assessment results
- Cognitive and academic strengths and weaknesses
- Attention and executive-functioning findings
- Adaptive, social-emotional, and behavioral findings when assessed
- Educationally relevant diagnostic impressions
- An integrated understanding of the child's learning profile
- Individualized recommendations for home and school
- A roadmap to help plan for your child's future learning needs
Families will also participate in a feedback session to review the findings, ask questions, and discuss practical next steps.
Our goal is for parents to leave the evaluation understanding not only what the results say, but what those results mean for their child.
What Makes Our Approach Different?
Personalized rather than one-size-fits-all.
We do not believe every child needs the exact same battery of tests. Assessment is selected based on the questions being asked and the child's individual presentation.
Comprehensive rather than narrowly focused.
Learning does not happen in isolation. Attention, executive functioning, cognitive abilities, emotional functioning, adaptive skills, and behavior can all influence a student's educational experience.
Understandable rather than overwhelming.
Assessment reports can contain a tremendous amount of information. We prioritize clear interpretation and practical recommendations so families can actually use the information they receive.
Educationally meaningful.
Our evaluations are designed to help families understand how a child's individual profile may be affecting their educational functioning and what supports may be appropriate moving forward.
Our Evaluation Process
1. Initial Consultation
We begin by learning about your concerns, your child's history, current school functioning, and the questions you hope the evaluation will answer.
2. Individualized Testing Plan
Based on the information gathered during the intake, we determine which areas of assessment are most appropriate.
Because evaluations are individualized, the final fee is established after the initial consultation and before testing begins.
3. Assessment
Testing is completed in a supportive, developmentally appropriate environment. The length and structure of testing depend on the evaluation plan and the child's individual needs.
4. Comprehensive Interpretation
Assessment results are integrated with relevant history, questionnaires, records, observations, and other available information.
5. Written Report & Feedback
Families receive a comprehensive written report and participate in a feedback session to review findings and recommendations.
Our goal is to provide a clear path forward—not simply a stack of test scores.
How Much Does a Psychoeducational Evaluation Cost?
Because no two evaluations are exactly alike, we do not believe in a one-size-fits-all testing package.
A comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation is typically approximately $3,800, although the final fee will depend on the scope of assessment needed to appropriately answer the referral questions.
An initial consultation allows us to determine what areas should be assessed and provide a clear testing recommendation and fee before the evaluation begins.
How Long Does the Process Take?
We intentionally maintain a limited evaluation schedule so that each child receives individualized attention throughout the process.
Once the evaluation plan is established, most evaluations can be completed and reported within approximately 3–4 weeks, depending on the scope of testing, availability of records and questionnaires, and scheduling.
Who Conducts the Evaluation?
Evaluations are conducted in collaboration with a Connecticut-certified school psychologist with graduate-level training in school psychology, including a master's degree and sixth-year certification.
The evaluator's training includes assessment, psychological and educational testing, learning and developmental processes, exceptional learners, behavioral assessment, counseling, and interpretation of assessment data.
Is a Psychoeducational Evaluation Right for My Child?
An evaluation may be appropriate if you find yourself asking:
“Why is school so much harder for my child than it seems like it should be?”
“My child is bright, so why are they struggling academically?”
“Could ADHD or executive functioning be contributing to these difficulties?”
“Does my child have a learning disability?”
“Why does my child's behavior change so dramatically when schoolwork becomes difficult?”
“What are my child's actual strengths and weaknesses?”
“What can we do to support them at school and at home?”
You do not need to know exactly what is causing the difficulty before seeking an evaluation.
That's what the evaluation is for.
Take the Next Step
If you are concerned about your child's learning, attention, executive functioning, academic performance, or educational functioning, we invite you to schedule an initial consultation.
Together, we can determine whether a psychoeducational evaluation is appropriate and identify the assessment approach that will provide the most useful information for your child and family.
Schedule an Initial Consultation
Private psychoeducational evaluations are provided for children and adolescents. Evaluations are individualized based on the presenting concerns and educational questions.