Psychoeducational Evaluations

A Psychoeducational evaluation is typically done when there is a problem occurring in the school setting that is impacting a child’s educational progress. These can be academic and/or behavioral in nature. The results of the evaluation reveal a child’s strengths and weaknesses that contribute to their educational success and assist in educational planning and recommendations.

Typically, these evaluations are for students experiencing difficulty in school due to suspected academic, behavior, social, or emotional problems. Depending on your circumstances evaluations can be done via private pay or an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) provided by the school district. 

Per the BBS regulations, a Licensed Educational Psychologist can diagnose psychological disorders related to academic learning processes. This means a diagnosis may be made utilizing educational criteria for identifying students with learning and behavioral problems. When examining the necessity of a diagnosis I utilize the regulations in the Education Code or the DSM-V, depending on the ultimate goal of the evaluation.

I utilize a problem-solving and strengths-based approach in my evaluations to best identify supports a child may need and the unique contributions they make to their learning experience. A problem-solving approach allows me to identify the problem, analyze possible explanations for it, and develop an intervention to address it. A strengths-based approach takes into account the unique contributions the child makes to their development and how to use those strengths to support any areas that may be impeding their success. 

The overall purpose of my evaluations is to collect information that ultimately leads to a plan of action that benefits the child’s educational development. Many others in my field focus on extensive testing to arrive at a diagnosis. However, in my experience, a label without an action plan only serves to limit expectations and thus limit progress. While a diagnosis might occur through the evaluation process, my ultimate end goal is to gather actionable data that will inform educational planning and result in improvement for your child.