Psychoeducational Assessments in Halifax / Bedford
What is a psychoeducational assessment?
At Sunrise Psychological in Halifax, Nova Scotia, our psychoeducational assessments help you understand how you or your child learns, thinks, and processes information.
It looks at how the brain works in areas such as:
Reasoning and problem-solving
Attention and concentration
Memory and processing speed
Language skills
Visual-spatial skills
It also examines academic abilities, including:
Reading
Writing
Math
A psychoeducational assessment helps identify strengths and areas of difficulty, providing a clear picture of an individual’s unique profile.
What can a psychoeducational assessment tell me?
-
Dyslexia is a common learning difference that affects the development of reading and spelling skills. Children with dyslexia may have difficulty connecting letters and sounds, reading unfamiliar words, and developing reading fluency. As a result, reading may be slower, more effortful, and spelling can be challenging.
Dyslexia is not related to intelligence. Many children with dyslexia are bright, curious, and strong problem-solvers, but reading may be an area of unexpected difficulty. A psychoeducational assessment can help determine whether dyslexia is present.
-
Dysgraphia is a learning difference that affects written expression. Children with dysgraphia may have strong ideas and be able to explain themselves well when speaking, but putting those ideas into writing can be much more difficult.
Writing requires many skills working together, including organizing ideas, spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and sometimes handwriting. When these processes are less efficient, written work may appear brief, disorganized, or below the student’s verbal ability.
Common signs include difficulty organizing thoughts on paper, inconsistent spelling, simple sentence structure, or fatigue during longer writing tasks. A psychoeducational assessment can help determine whether dysgraphia is present.
-
Dyscalculia is a learning difference that affects how a person understands and works with numbers. Children with dyscalculia may find math confusing or unpredictable, even when they show strong abilities in other areas.
Math relies on developing a strong sense of numbers and numerical relationships. When this number sense is less developed, students may struggle to learn basic math facts, follow multi-step calculations, estimate quantities, or solve word problems.
These challenges are not related to intelligence. Many students with dyscalculia have strengths in reasoning, creativity, and problem-solving but need more support when learning math. A psychoeducational assessment can help determine whether dyscalculia is present.
-
See our ADHD Assessment page for more information.
-
Intellectual Developmental Disorder involves differences in overall cognitive development that affect learning, problem-solving, and everyday adaptive skills. Children with this profile may learn new information more slowly and may need additional support to develop academic, communication, and daily living skills.
A comprehensive psychoeducational assessment helps clarify a child’s cognitive strengths and needs. This information can guide appropriate supports, learning expectations, and recommendations for school and home.
-
Giftedness is not a diagnosis, but a learning profile that reflects advanced cognitive abilities. Children who are gifted often show strong reasoning skills, curiosity, creativity, and the ability to learn new concepts quickly.
At the same time, gifted learners may still experience challenges at school. Some become bored or disengaged if the work is not sufficiently challenging, while others may have uneven skill development across different areas.
A psychoeducational assessment can help identify whether a child demonstrates advanced cognitive abilities. Understanding this learning profile can help guide appropriate educational planning and supports so that a child’s strengths are recognized and nurtured. In some cases, giftedness exists alongside learning or attention difficulties, which can be helpful to understand and support.
How can a psychoeducational assessment
help?
At Sunrise Psychological, we provide ADHD and learning assessments for school-aged children (ages 6+), teens, and young adults under age 25. We also offer adult learning assessments when concerns are primarily academic in nature. Please note that we do not conduct mental health or ADHD assessments for adults over the age of 25.
Psychoeducational assessments are helpful for children, teens, and adults who are experiencing challenges in areas such as reading difficulties, writing or math challenges, perceived attention or focus issues, slow academic progress, or unexplained frustration with schoolwork.
The goal of an assessment is to understand what may be making learning harder and to provide clear, practical recommendations to support success at school and at home. An assessment can bring clarity to an individual’s learning profile, helping others understand their strengths, challenges, and how they learn best.
What is included in a psychoeducational assessment?
At Sunrise Psychological our assessments are completed by psychologists who work with you or your child directly (we do not use psychometrists to help us to complete our assessments). Our comprehensive assessments typically include:
Parent and teacher interviews (if the individual is school-aged).
Standardized cognitive assessment using the WISC-5 or WAIS-IV.
Academic achievement assessment in reading, writing, and math (WIAT-4).
Memory, processing, or visual-motor coordination assessments as needed (Beery VMI, CTOPP-2, TOWRE-2, etc.).
Checklists to measure attentional, emotional, or behavioural concerns (Conners Rating Scale, Piers-Harris, BASC-3, etc.)
Review of school records and previous assessments.
A detailed written report with interpretations and practical recommendations for home and school.
How long does a psychoeducational assessment take?
An assessment typically takes 5-6 hours in-person to complete. Assessments are typically divided into 2 or 3 shorter sessions, but full day sessions can be requested. A full assessment takes about 15 hours to complete which includes time for scoring, interpretation, interviewing, reviewing documentation, and report writing.
We offer flexible scheduling options to meet your needs. If your insurance plan includes a daily reimbursement limit, please let us know during intake and we will do our best to schedule sessions in a way that maximizes your coverage.
Assessments are typically completed over a 6–8 week period from the time of the in-person testing. This timeframe includes completion of all assessment components, scoring, interpretation, and preparation of the written report.
Our current wait time for assessments is 5-6 weeks.
What is the cost of a psychoeducational assessment?
The cost of a psychoeducational assessment is $3,150 – $3,375 depending on the scope of testing required. Our comprehensive psychoeducational assessments include an ADHD assessment, if needed, at no additional cost ($3,375 maximum). We will provide an exact quote during the initial call.
Please let us know if you have a daily limit for your insurance. We are happy to schedule your assessment to optimize your insurance coverage.
Please see our fee page for more information.
Preparing your child for a psychoeducational assessment
-
During the assessment, your child will work one-on-one with a psychologist to work through a variety of activities designed to help us understand how they learn and solve problems.
Many children find that the activities feel a lot like puzzles, games, and problem-solving challenges. Activities involve answering questions, looking at pictures or patterns, and memory tasks. Many of the activities involve skills children use at school, such as reading, writing, and working with numbers.
-
Feeling nervous is very common, especially before the first appointment. Our psychologists have extensive experience working with children and we are also parents ourselves. We are attentive to how children are feeling during the process.
We take time at the beginning of each session to get to know your child, help them feel comfortable, and build rapport. If a child is feeling nervous, we slow things down and make sure they feel supported before beginning. We will check in within them regularly throughout the assessment and adjust our pace as needed. Once children realize the activities feel more like puzzles or challenges, they usually relax and settle in quickly.
-
Children usually feel more comfortable when they know what to expect.
You might say something like:
“You’re going to meet with someone who works with kids. You’ll do some activities together that will help us understand how you learn best.”
You can help your child by letting them know:
Assessments are completed electronically using a set of iPads.
They are not being graded and they do not need to study.
Some activities might feel easy and others harder, and that’s okay.
They can ask for breaks if they need them.
-
Most assessments are completed over 2–3 sessions, although sometimes additional sessions are scheduled if needed. This helps prevent children from becoming overly tired and allows us to move at a comfortable pace. Sessions are typically between 1 and 3 hours, depending on the child’s age and the type of assessment being completed.
-
Assessment sessions include breaks. During these breaks children can play a quick game, have a snack or drink, and stand up or move around before continuing.
-
Parents are welcome to stay and relax in our waiting area during the appointment or drop their child off and return at the end of the session.
-
We provide drinks and snacks during breaks but children are welcome to bring their own snacks and a water bottle. They should bring their glasses if they wear them.
-
If you are considering an assessment for your child we are happy to talk with you about your concerns and help you decide whether an assessment would be helpful.
When you reach out through our contact form, a psychologist will personally review your inquiry and respond to guide you through the next steps.
Our goal is to make the process clear, supportive, and helpful for both you and your child.