Psychodiagnostic and psychoeducational assessment is available for children aged 5-22, and adults with suspected developmentally disabling conditions and social-emotional problems. Dr. Gale specializes in assessing cognition, learning, attention, executive functioning, social-emotional functioning and adaptive behavior as part of the evaluation process
The main steps in Psychological Assessments are as follows:
- Initial interview with school and/or parents to develop the specific reason the assessment is being conducted
- Review of prior records and/or assessments - (did you know some tests cannot be given more than once per 6-12 months or it invalidates the findings?)
- Observation at school (before the student knows me)
- Meeting with student to administer psychological tests (preferably at my private office, where sounds and environment can be controlled more easily than at school. E.g., no bells going off, people walking by the room, other noises and distractions that are often present when testing in school settings.)
- If social-emotional function is a requested portion of the assessment, this will be conducted both using standardized measures and through a "functional assessment" of the behaviors that interfering with functioning.
- Administration of parent, teacher, or individual questionnaires or surveys to gather information about behavior, personality, or specific behavior patterns
- Teacher consultation
- Parent or Relative consultation
- Data Analysis
- Report write-up
- Recommendations
- Attendance at IEP Meeting, if requested