Psychoeducational testing, or a psychoeducational evaluation, assesses an individual’s cognitive, academic, emotional, and behavioral functioning. It is commonly used to identify learning difficulties, cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and emotional or behavioral challenges that may impact a person’s educational performance. This post reviews this testing type, describes some psychoeducational tests used, and discusses our services. Of course, you can always contact us or schedule a consultation if you feel our services might be helpful.
Purposes of Psychoeducational Testing
There are many purposes of psychoeducational testing, depending on the referral question and the person’s needs, but they generally fall into the following categories:
Psychoeducational Testing for Identifying Learning Disabilities
Psychoeducational testing helps identify specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia (which affects reading and writing), dyscalculia (which affects math skills), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. By identifying these conditions, appropriate educational interventions and accommodations can be implemented to support the individual’s learning needs. The most common referral we get for psychoeducational evaluations is for identifying learning disabilities, and we find that people of all ages often pursue this type of testing.
Psychoeducational Testing for Understanding Intellectual Abilities
Psychoeducational testing often includes Intelligence Quotient (IQ), which can also assess an individual’s intellectual functioning, providing insights into their cognitive strengths and weaknesses. This information can be compared to tests of the person’s achievement in reading, writing, math, and other subjects to see where innate intelligence and achievement in school or at work do not match. These findings can be used to develop specific and unique strategies to suit the individual’s learning style, helping them use their strengths to overcome their challenges.
Psychoeducational Testing for Evaluating Emotional Functioning
Sometimes, a gap between IQ and achievement is not caused by a learning disorder. Psychoeducational testing can also identify emotional or behavioral challenges that may be affecting the individual’s performance in school or other areas of life. These can include conditions like anxiety, depression, or behavioral disorders. Sometimes, this psychoeducational evaluation is done in conjunction with Personality evaluation.
Types of Psychoeducational Tests
Several types of assessments fall under the umbrella of psychoeducational testing. Here are some of the common types:
Intelligence (IQ)
IQ tests assess a person’s cognitive abilities, including reasoning, problem-solving, memory, and processing speed. Common psychoeducational tests include the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC Test) and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales. These become a background from which other skills can be measured – comparing innate ability against educational achievement results.
Psychoeducational Tests for Achievement
These measure a person’s knowledge and skills in specific academic areas, such as reading, writing, math, and language. Examples include the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement and the Wechsler Individual Achievement (WIAT Achievement Test). Again, these can be compared to the results of IQ assessments to see whether a student’s actual achievement in school matches their innate ability.
Neuropsychological Psychoeducational Tests
These assessments focus on cognitive and academic skills related to brain functioning. They can help identify cognitive deficits related to neurological conditions, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). These psychoeducational tests are more involved and usually only given if a problem is suspected.
Behavioral and Emotional Assessments
These psychoeducational evaluations focus on emotional and behavioral functioning, including assessments of mood, anxiety, social skills, and behavior problems. The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA Organization) is an example.
Attention and Executive Functioning
These psychoeducational tests assess attention, memory, and executive functions (e.g., planning, organization, and working memory). The Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT) is an example. These assessments focus on evaluating the presence and severity of ADHD symptoms. Several good rating scales are also used in ADHD assessments.
Dyslexia and Specific Learning Disability Assessments
These assessments identify learning difficulties, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other specific learning disabilities. The Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE Test) and the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP Test) are commonly used for dyslexia assessment. These can also be compared to IQ to see whether a learning difference affects achievement.
Academic and Curriculum-Based Assessments
These assessments focus on a student’s performance in the classroom and may include observations, teacher reports, and curriculum-based measures. They can often show whether a behavior or mood problem interferes with learning.
Your or your child’s psychoeducational testing will be uniquely designed with your concerns and the concerns of the school in mind.
Uses of Psychoeducational Testing
Psychoeducational Testing is most commonly used in three ways:
Informing Educational Planning
The results of psychoeducational evaluations can be used to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 plan, which public schools use to outline specific educational accommodations, modifications, and support services that may help the individual succeed academically and emotionally. While colleges have less formal processes, psychoeducational evaluations can still be used for accommodations such as extra time to finish assignments, certain placement decisions, and more minor things like asking the professor not to call on the student or having them sit at the front of the class. IEP rules vary by state.
Informing Work Planning
We increasingly see adults struggling in the workplace with previously undiagnosed learning differences or emotional issues such as anxiety. Psychoeducational testing can help by providing an objective, scientific view of these problems that can be presented to the workplace so the individual can try to get accommodations that will make them most likely to succeed and thrive. This kind of evaluation can be a win-win.
Psychoeducational Testing to Track Progress
Psychoeducational testing can be useful for monitoring an individual’s progress over time. By reassessing at later stages, educators and professionals can determine the effectiveness of interventions and make adjustments as needed. Usually, psychoeducational testing to track progress is shorter than the initial assessment since it just has to focus on the identified concerns.
Psychoeducational Evaluation Example
John was referred for a psychoeducational evaluation due to concerns that he is not achieving to his potential in 8th grade, particularly in reading and mathematics. His teachers have also noted difficulties with attention and organization in the classroom.
Psychoeducational Evaluation Background
- Developmental History: John was born full-term with no complications. Developmental milestones were achieved within normal limits.
- Medical History: No significant medical history. Vision and hearing are within normal limits.
- Family History: No family history of learning disabilities or psychological disorders.
- Educational History: John has attended the same middle school since the 6th grade. Despite good effort, teachers have reported consistent difficulties in reading comprehension and math problem-solving.
Psychoeducational Tests and Results
- Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fifth Edition (WISC-V): Good to excellent intelligence overall, but with weaknesses in working memory and processing speed. Observations during the assessment revealed some distractions.
- Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement (WJ-IV): Excellent spelling and writing abilities, but lower reading comprehension and math scores than his IQ would predict.
- Behavior Assessment System for Children – Third Edition (BASC-3) and Connors III: Elevations suggest problems with attention and behavioral regulation but no problems with social skills, anxiety, and hyperactivity.
- Classroom Observations: John was observed during a typical math class and a reading period. He appeared to have difficulty staying on task, frequently looked around the room, and needed repeated instructions from the teacher. He worked slowly on assignments and struggled with math problems requiring multiple steps.
Summary and Impressions:
John is a 14-year-old student whose cognitive abilities are generally solid. He has specific weaknesses in working memory and processing speed, which appear to be impacting his academic performance, particularly in reading comprehension and math problem-solving. Behavioral assessments indicate that he struggles with attention and may benefit from interventions targeting organizational skills and sustained focus.
Diagnosis:
- Specific Learning Disorder with Impairment in Reading (Dyslexia)
- Specific Learning Disorder with Impairment in Mathematics (Dyscalculia)
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Inattentive Presentation (ADHD-I)
Psychoeducational Testing Recommendations
- Academic Interventions:
- Provide John with reading comprehension strategies and additional math support.
- Consider the use of audiobooks or text-to-speech software to support reading assignments.
- Allow extra time for tests and assignments, especially in reading and math.
- Behavioral Interventions:
- Implement a structured organizational system for homework and classwork.
- Use a behavior plan to reinforce on-task behavior with clear, consistent consequences.
- Accommodations:
- Preferential seating near the front of the classroom.
- Regular check-ins with a teacher or counselor to monitor progress and address any concerns.
- Further Psychoeducational Evaluation:
- Follow-up evaluation in one year to assess progress and adjust interventions as necessary.
Summary and Conclusions
Psychoeducational tests can be quite valuable to children, teenagers, and young adults looking to enhance their strengths and overcome weaknesses in school. It can be used to identify accommodations and modifications in curricula that help the student thrive. These evaluations can also help older students plan how they might want to concentrate their studies to match their innate intellectual strengths.
It is vitally important that teachers and others who know the student well weigh in on the planning after psychoeducational testing so that the information gathered from the evaluation is augmented by actual performance information. It is also important to note that psychoeducational testing should not be the only decision-making tool. If a child or adolescent is interested in a subject that may not be her or his strangest, that doesn’t mean they should not pursue it, but rather, they should be aware of the challenges they might face and how to overcome them.
Our Psychoeducational Testing Services
Our psychoeducational testing services are most commonly used with college students and involve interviews with those who may have insight into your challenges (with your permission), standardized measures, and reviewing relevant records to comprehensively understand your strengths and challenges.
For younger children, we often don’t perform the assessment ourselves because it can be done by the school system where the child is, but in this case, we can review what has already been done to ensure that it was done thoroughly and augment the assessment with additional measures.
Feel free to contact us or schedule a consultation if you feel our services might be helpful.
