ANNOUNCEMENT:
Waitlists Closed
Thank you for considering Connections Developmental Clinic as you navigate your child's developmental and mental health needs. Please note that our office is not currently accepting new clients for psychological service (i.e., assessment, counselling, parent coaching). Current clients can continue to connect with our office as usual via email. For updates on when we will resume accepting new clients, please check back in 2025.
Psychological Assessment
Development tends to be viewed as occurring along a straight line, from one milestone to the next, when in fact the path is often unpredictable and uneven. We all develop at our own pace, with different areas of strength and challenge. When these challenges interfere with our ability to function in areas that are important to us (e.g., at school, at home, with friends, extra-curricular activities), an assessment may be helpful. Assessments help identify an individual's unique pattern of development. This information can provide us with an understanding of why development has been uneven, why some tasks are a challenge, how we think and feel, and what supports and strategies may be helpful.
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At Connections, we offer comprehensive assessments that are personalized to your needs. Below is a list of the most common reasons people consider an assessment.
Common Referral Questions
Difficulties with reading, writing, and/or math
Trouble with attention and focus, easily distracted
Challenges sitting still, fidgeting, interrupting others
Delays across development (language, motor skills)
Poor emotional regulation (easily upset, aggression)
Frequent worries, sadness​
Difficulty making and keeping friends, misreading social cues
Need for accommodations in post-secondary school
Assessment Themes
Psychoeducational/ Developmental
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These assessments are often requested when there are questions about an individual's functioning in the classroom. They generally examine areas such as learning, attention, memory, organization, reading, writing, math, and daily living skills. The purpose is to identify areas of strength and need, and to suggest recommendations for intervention, as well as accommodations that will be helpful in the classroom (and at home).
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These assessments explore the possibility of:
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Specific Learning Disorder (in reading, writing, and/or math)
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Intellectual Developmental Disorder
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Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
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Giftedness
Social-Emotional
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These assessments are conducted when there are concerns about anxiety, sadness, anger, a poor self-concept, or difficulty regulating emotions. An assessment of social-emotional functioning can be added to a psychoeducational assessment when there are also concerns about learning.
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These assessments explore the possibility of:
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Anxiety
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Depression
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ADHD
Autism Spectrum Disorder
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These assessments consider the appropriateness of a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder through exploration of an individual's social interactions, social communication, and the presence of any restricted, repetitive behaviours and interests.
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These assessments are conducted in accordance with British Columbia's Standards and Guidelines for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder
What An Assessment Involves
The assessment process may vary somewhat depending on the reason for referral and the individual's unique needs; however, most assessments will include the following:
Intake/Developmental History
In addition to completing some consent forms, we'll begin by asking you to provide us with information about your child's developmental history (e.g., achievement of developmental milestones, general health, experiences of significant illness and/or injury, interventions or resources accessed, etc.), as well as your current areas of concern.
Assessment Sessions
The length and number of assessment sessions are dependent on factors such as the reason for referral, assessment measures to be administered, as well as the client's age and attention span. In general, our assessment sessions are scheduled over one to two days and are 2 to 5 hours in length. These details will be discussed with you at the time your assessment is scheduled.
Review Meeting
Approximately 2 to 3 weeks following the last assessment session, the psychologist will meet with you to discuss observations from the assessment, review and explain the test results, indicate diagnoses (if any), and share recommendations that can be considered in both home and school environments.
Referral
Contact us via email and we will send you an assessment request form to complete. We will review it and connect with you to discuss next steps.
Documents
As part of the assessment, you will be asked to provide us with copies of previous reports (e.g., medical, psychoeducational, speech and language, etc.) and school records (e.g., report cards, learning plans, individual education plans, etc.). We will also ask you (and your child's teacher) to complete some questionnaires to give us additional information about your child's areas of strength and need.
Scoring and Interpretation
Throughout the assessment process, the psychologist will review the information that has been collected as well as score the data obtained during testing. The results are then interpreted and a review meeting will be scheduled.
Assessment Report
A comprehensive written report that includes all of the information shared during the review meeting will be provided, usually a few weeks after the review meeting. This report is confidential and will not be shared with anyone else without written consent. In general, we encourage parents/caregivers and clients to share the report with those involved in their learning and well-being (e.g., school, pediatrician, speech and language pathologist, etc.).
