Team Based Psychoeducational Evaluations

A More Complete Picture of How Your Child Learns

A psychoeducational evaluation brings together academic and cognitive information to create a clear picture of how a child learns, where they may be struggling, and what can be done to support their growth and success.

I take a team-based approach, partnering with a trusted clinical psychologist so that two areas of specialized expertise can come together in one comprehensive evaluation.

The results and recommendations can be used across settings—including at home, during tutoring or educational therapy, and at school—to help create a learning plan that reflects your child's individual strengths and needs.

Why a Team Approach?

My expertise centers on learning and academics, specifically reading, writing, and math from early kindergarten through high school. I assess your child's academic skills to understand how they approach academic tasks, where breakdowns may be occurring, and how their strengths can inform appropriate support.

The clinical psychologist contributes the cognitive and psychological components of the evaluation, including assessment of cognitive abilities. Depending on the questions we are trying to answer, the psychologist may also assess memory, attention, executive functioning, and other factors that can influence learning. This cognitive testing is an essential component when evaluating for learning differences such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, or ADHD.

By bringing these areas of expertise together, we connect how your child thinks and processes information with how they perform academically.

The Advantage of Two Specialists

Each professional brings a highly focused perspective to the evaluation, and together we integrate those findings to get a full, 360-degree view of your student. We look closely at both the academic skills your child has developed and the cognitive processes that support those skills, giving you a clearer picture of how your child learns, experiences, and navigates the classroom.

By combining our areas of expertise, we can identify both challenges and strengths and translate that fuller understanding into meaningful, individualized recommendations.

Two perspectives come together in one integrated evaluation, with recommendations for support. And because you have the flexibility of scheduling with two professionals, families may sometimes be seen sooner than they would otherwise.

Is There a “Best” Time to Complete an Evaluation?

There isn't one “best” age for a psychoeducational evaluation. The right time is when questions about how your child is learning begin to outweigh the benefits of waiting.

Research tells us that identifying learning differences early can help us understand where gaps are developing, target appropriate supports and interventions, and improve learning outcomes.

For younger children, an evaluation may be helpful when you notice:

• Being a late talker

• Difficulty with rhyming or identifying sounds in words

• Trouble pronouncing words

• Persistent difficulty learning letter names or sounds

• Early reading or writing skills that seem unexpectedly difficult

An evaluation can help identify areas to watch and provide a roadmap for supporting foundational skills before challenges become more entrenched.

For older students, consider an evaluation when you notice:

• A child who works much harder than their grades might suggest

• Increasing difficulty as schoolwork becomes more complex or demanding

• A growing gap between effort and academic performance

• Difficulty with organization, attention, or managing a heavier workload

• A student who has previously compensated successfully but is no longer able to do so

Many bright, motivated students develop strategies that allow them to compensate for learning differences for years. A student may appear to be doing well in elementary school, only to struggle when the volume, pace, organization, and complexity of schoolwork increase in middle or high school.

An evaluation can also be particularly helpful during major transitions, such as:

• Entering middle school

• Beginning high school

• Preparing for college

The goal is not simply to identify a problem. It is to understand how your child learns, what may be getting in the way, and what support will help them move forward with greater confidence and independence.

How Do I Select a Psychologist?

Having worked locally for more than 20 years, I have cultivated a network of warm, knowledgeable, and seasoned clinical psychologists.

Matching your family with a specific psychologist is based on your child's individual goals and the questions we want the evaluation to answer, as well as practical considerations such as availability, timeline, and location.

I take the time to understand what you are hoping to learn from the evaluation and connect you with a psychologist whose expertise and approach are a good fit for your family.

What Will the Evaluation Tell Us?

A psychoeducational evaluation can help clarify the relationship between your child's cognitive abilities and academic performance. It can identify areas of strength, pinpoint areas where learning may be breaking down, and provide insight into why a child may be struggling despite effort and motivation.

Depending on the evaluation questions, the results may help identify or clarify learning differences such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, or ADHD, as well as other factors that may affect academic performance.

Most importantly, the evaluation provides actionable recommendations. The findings can help parents, educators, tutors, and educational therapists understand how to support the child more effectively.

What does my child actually do during the evaluation?

The evaluation is designed to feel more like a series of conversations, puzzles, activities, and school-like tasks than a traditional test (though standardized tools and measures are used). Your child works individually with each professional, and the specific activities are selected based on their age, history, and the questions we are trying to answer.

With me, the focus is academic skills. I look at reading, writing, spelling, and math, depending on your child’s age and areas of concern. Your child may read words and passages aloud, answer questions about what they have read, write or compose responses, spell words, solve math problems, and work through tasks that help me understand not just what they can do, but how they approach academic work. This portion typically takes approximately two, 90 minute to 2-hour sessions.

With the clinical psychologist, the focus is cognitive and psychological functioning. Your child may work on activities that look at reasoning and problem-solving, memory, attention, processing speed, language, and executive functioning. The psychologist may also gather information about your child’s development, behavior, and emotional functioning through parent questionnaires and interviews. Cognitive and academic testing are standard components of psychoeducational assessment, although the specific measures vary according to the child and the evaluation questions. This portion typically takes approximately one to two sessions, depending on your goals and questions.

What Do I Do With the Evaluation Once It's Done?

The evaluation is a roadmap for understanding and supporting your child at school and beyond.

Share It With Your Child’s School

Share the evaluation with your child’s teachers, learning specialists, counselors, or other members of the educational team. The findings and recommendations can help inform instruction, interventions, accommodations, and, when appropriate, an academic support plan or IEP/504 process.

Share It With Other Professionals

If your child works with a tutor, educational therapist, or other learning professional, the evaluation can give everyone a shared understanding of your child’s learning profile. The recommendations can help these professionals tailor their support to your child’s specific strengths and needs.

Keep a Copy for Yourself

Keep the report in your records. It can be a valuable reference as your child moves between grades, schools, and different types of support.

A psychoeducational evaluation does not have a universal expiration date, although schools may have their own requirements for how recent testing must be when considering services or accommodations. A new evaluation may also be appropriate when your child’s academic demands or needs have changed significantly.

Think of the report as a detailed snapshot of how your child learns at a particular point in time—and a valuable reference point as they grow.