Comprehensive Evaluations

What areas are covered by a comprehensive evaluation?

Educational

 ► General Intelligence
 ► Basic academic skills: phonetic reading, reading
      fluency, reading comprehension, math calculation,
      math problem-solving, spelling, written expression,
      listening comprehension, expressive language.

 Neuropsychological 

 The brain-related abilities necessary for academic
 function and successful life adjustment. 

 ► Sustained auditory and visual attention
 ► Executive Function (Planning, Problem-solving,
      Strategy Development, Strategy Implementation)
 ► Language
 ► Memory
 ► Motor and Visual-Motor Functions
 ► Perception (auditory, visual, tactile)

 Personality

 ► Current levels of anxiety or depression.
 ► Description of a characteristic style of
      managing stress, thinking about oneself, dealing
      with people.


When is the best time for a comprehensive evaluation?

Dissatisfaction or Underachievement
at school

 Often, evaluations are initiated under pressure from
 external sources.

 For example:

  • A teacher has concerns about a child’s emotional or cognitive development.
  • Parents and/or teachers are puzzled by a child’s apparent unhappiness or underachievement at school.
  • A student is underachieving or failing in college.

 To plan for the future

 Evaluations are also initiated because there is an
 interest in long- term planning or in preventing
 anticipated future problems.

 For example:

  • The child is about to make one of the major transitions of an educational career (from preschool to elementary, elementary to middle, middle to high school, high school to college). Information is needed to identify the appropriate school or college and to determine what individualized accommodations might be necessary. 
  • The school and/or parents report that an adolescent will needed accommodations on one of the major national tests (ACT, SAT) needed for college. Documentation is necessary.
  • The child has had persistent academic and/or relationship problems which the parents fear could become more problematic later in life.

What can I learn from a comprehensive evaluation?
The evaluation can identify learning strengths and weaknesses that point to an appropriate educational or career path.

  • Identification of strengths and weaknesses can direct a child’s educational path.  This information can be used for the selection of a teacher, school, or college.  It can be used to request accommodations from whatever school is attended.
  • Description of interventions that prevent, remediate, or reduce the impact of an identified learning disability.  This can include referral to private tutors and specialists, description of necessary classroom accommodations and in-school services, home-based interventions, appropriate assistive technology.
  • If emotional or behavioral issues are present, evaluation can specify the type and purpose of counseling.  A properly done evaluation can save time and money by specifying the target behaviors to be modified and methods know to be effective.
  • Transition to College - Evaluation can specify whether the student is ready for college as well as the type of college appropriate to the student’s learning style. If further “growing up” time or preparation is needed before college, then ways of structuring “gap” period between high school and college can be recommended.
  • Underachieving or Failing in College - Identifying the reasons for underachievement prevents the waste of college funds and can identify what interventions must occur to insure a student’s success upon return to college.  Recommendations can include, but are not limited to referrals to tutors, planners, and college placement specialists.