Three things you need to know about psycho-educational (global/ full) assessments:
- A psycho-educational assessment is administered by a psychologist or psychometrist to identify areas of concern in a child’s functioning.
- Although a child is often referred as they are having problems with a specific academic skill (such as reading or writing), they can be referred for other reasons.
- Psychologists and psychometrists use standardised assessments in a psycho-educational assessment to provide accurate and reliable results.
What is a psycho-educational (global/ full) assessment?
This type of assessment is administered by a psychologist (normally educational) and psychometrists using standardised tests to provide insight into a child’s difficulties. The assessment will highlight areas of strength and weakness so that tailor-made recommendations can be made to help the child achieve according to their potential.
Why are children referred for these assessments?
Sometimes a teacher may suspect a child is underachieving or they want to find out more about the child’s memory. They may suspect the child could have difficulty learning foundational skills and don’t want this to impact on their ability to learn to read, spell, etc. The child may also be referred to identity supporting strategies to help them cope in school.
In South Africa, we follow the SIAS policy which states that teachers, especially those in the foundation phase, need to be alert to possible learning issues. The sooner the child receives the right support (as identified in a psycho-educational assessment), the less likely their issues will affect their ability to learn. However, sometimes, despite intervention and the child attending therapies, their difficulties remain. In these circumstances a psycho-educational assessment can be used to identify a more appropriate learning environment for them.
What is the process?
Dr Vicky Downing first meets with parents or caregivers to learn more about the child’s background, development, issues and so on. This information is important when considering a diagnosis and when recommending appropriate interventions.
A psycho-educational assessment includes the following types of assessments, although others can be included depending on the child’s needs: a cognitive test (IQ-test: this tells us about their memory, understanding of concepts, pace of working, spatial awareness skills, overall potential and so on), scholastic tests (these give information about the child’s mathematics, reading, spelling and writing skills) and emotional evaluation which provides information about how the child sees themselves, how they see their family, etc. With younger children, visual and auditory perceptual screening tools are also used to determine whether the child is at risk for developing a learning disorder. These tools provide information about how the child’s brain is understanding what they see and hear. The scores on the different assessments are compared and analysed to identify specific problems.
Parents or caregivers then attend a feedback appointment in which their child’s results are shared and explained. Recommendations are discussed, and reports and other support information are provided.
Can teachers, remedial therapists and other persons administer psycho-educational assessments?
In South Africa, only psychologists and psychometrists registered with HPCSA are allowed to administer these standardised assessments.
Will my child need to be re-assessed?
Depending on the child’s progress, they may need to be re-assessed after a period of time to monitor the success of the various interventions, or to determine if the child needs further support. If the child needs to apply for examination concessions or accommodations (such as extra time or a separate venue for examinations), a new assessment may need to be conducted at a later stage, depending on the policy of the relevant examinations board and the child’s school.
If you need more information or would like to make an appointment, contact Vicky Downing on: vicky@guidinghands.co.za or by WhatsApp from the website.
