Evaluation & Assessment Services

The Evaluation & Assessment Process

The term "assessment" can mean a variety of things depending upon the person using it. At SEA, we complete comprehensive psychoeducational and neuropsychological evaluations in order to gain information about a child's learning strengths and weaknesses. Our clinicians have advanced training in the assessment field of and have worked in mental health facilities, hospital testing centers, schools, and independent counseling offices.

The assessments we conduct can be useful for educational planning, determining appropriate accommodations within the classroom, improving relationships at home, and transitioning from high school to adulthood. They can also be used for diagnostic purposes to better understand your child's learning process or emotional health. We have evaluation specialists that are trained to work with children as young as 2 years old, but we also assess a wide range of ages. If you are wondering about how we can help you as an adult, please feel free to contact us via phone or email.

All of our reports include background information, behavioral observations, interpretation of testing results, diagnostic impressions, and recommendations. The recommendations can be used by teachers, doctors, and other community professionals involved with you or your child. We pride ourselves on recommending interventions that are both appropriate and practical. Because our clinicians have experience working in a variety of settings, our goal is to work with schools and families to generate a plan that will work well for the individual being evaluated.

The cost of an evaluation often inhibits families from taking the first step. At SEA, we are upfront about the cost. We don't add on any fees and charge a flat rate that we decide on prior to beginning the evaluation. The fee includes everything from the first phone conversation to the final feedback session and report. We consult with teachers, therapists, and doctors and do not charge extra for phone calls or time spend writing the report. Please feel free to ask about our fees and payment plans. Insurance companies may reimburse you for at least part of the assessment payment. We can help you contact the right person to find out how to get reimbursed.

Home

What do our assessments measure?

Cognitive Ability: Including verbal reasoning/language skills, visual perception, nonverbal reasoning, memory, processing speed, etc. Tools are designed to measure the individual's learning strengths and weaknesses.

Executive Functions/Attention: Including organization, planning, initiation skills, inhibition, etc. We use tools that measure skills in isolation as well as the integration of multiple executive functions. Parent and teacher rating scales also provide input in this area.

Social and Emotional Functioning: When necessary, we will evaluate an individual's pragmatic language skills, one's ability to relate to others, and perspective-taking capabilities. These measures can be often helpful in diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorders, and other social communication disorders. We are also trained to assess mood and behavior through child/diagnostic interviews, parent feedback, and rating scales. Our evaluators are also trained in using projective measures including the Rorschach Inkblot Test.

Academic Achievement: Finally, when working with children and adolescents, we will often look at their academic achievement. In order to fully understand the nature of a learning disability, it is important to examine both cognitive and academic abilities. We can assess an individual in problematic areas or in all content areas (i.e. reading, writing, math, oral language).