Psychoeducational Evaluations in Orange County, California

Newport Beach, CA

Assessment of Learning and Academics for Children and Teens

Does my child need a learning disability assessment?

School can be incredibly challenging for some children. Some kids struggle with adjusting to the structure or the pace, some may face hardship with peer relationships or bullying, and some may have difficulty with certain subjects or learning materials. Regardless of the struggle, our team at the OC Psychology Center wants to help.

As our name suggests, we provide both testing and treatment options for children who are not achieving their goals. Psychological assessment (or testing) can provide clear answers about your child’s functioning, and why they may fall behind on certain tasks. We offer assessments focused on the identification of learning disabilities related to reading, writing and math, Dyslexia, ADHD & social-emotional behavior impacting academics and learning.

Our child and adolescent educational assessment results can then be used by the school to provide academic supports such as:

Academic tutoring
Additional time for testing or homework
Alternative diploma plans
Provision of an Individual Education Program (IEP)
Provision of a 504 Plan
Counseling services
Changes to homework assignments
Examination accommodations

If your child is struggling in school, do not wait. These issues are incredibly common, with nearly 15% of students in the U.S. meeting criteria for one or more learning disorder (Moll et al, 2014). Here in California, nearly 1 in 20 students currently has a diagnosis of a learning disorder (Cortiella & Horowitz, 2014). Fortunately, early detection of a learning disorder or intellectual disability can dramatically improve the trajectory of a child’s development.

Common indicators of a learning disability in children and teens might include:

Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty with reading, writing or mathematics
Trouble understanding concepts
Refusal or avoidance of classwork
Conflict with teachers

If your child is struggling in school, you need answers. The OC Psychology Center for Assessment and Psychotherapy can provide the insight you need to get your little one back on track. Our psychological assessment procedures provide insight regarding your child’s unique cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Our team can then give you recommendations for helping them study, compensate for underdeveloped areas, and lean on their strengths.

If you are interested in our psychoeducational assessment services, contact us today! We strive to provide families with in-depth and accurate results to maximize the child’s academic potential. If you would like to learn more about what causes poor academic performance, or how we conduct testing and what you can gain from the results, read on!

How does a learning disorder cause poor academic performance?

Poor academic performance can be caused by a wide range of factors. Here at the OC Psychology Center for Assessment and Psychotherapy, we use the biopsychosocial model to understand the barriers to optimal test performance in children:

Psychoeducational assessment tends to fall into three main categories: 1) Cognitive, 2) Academic, and 3) Behavioral testing. Cognitive assessment examines intellectual functioning across multiple domains, including processing speed, verbal acumen, memory, and spatial skills. Academic assessment measures how much your child has learned from school and compares them to their same-aged peers in reading, writing, and mathematics. Academic testing also compares current academic performance (grades, state testing, etc.) to determine differences that may result from test anxiety. Behavioral assessment identifies specific social, emotional and attentional issues that may affect your child’s ability to learn and perform their best. Used together, these three categories provide psychologists with rich data that can be interpreted into diagnostic considerations, as well as recommendations for accommodations and treatment.

In addition to psychoeducational assessment, our team also provides diagnostic testing for issues such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). School supports can also be provided for those issues, with proper testing and if criteria for a disorder are met. To learn more about those services, check out the Psychodiagnostic Testing page!

If your child is having difficulty with academic achievement, do not wait. Contact the OC Psychology Center for Assessment and Therapy today to schedule your first appointment. Our mission is to help you perform your best by utilizing our assessment (testing and diagnosis) and psychotherapy (treatment) services. To learn more about our therapy services, click on our Therapy services tab. To learn about what testing will look like in our clinic, read on!

What does psychoeducational assessment for children and teens look like at OC Psychology Center?

Our psychological assessment services are entirely confidential and scheduled based on you and your child’s availability. Your child will typically meet one-on-one with one of our licensed professionals to complete a testing battery that is designed based on their needs. Some younger children will complete testing with their parent in the room, which will be discussed before testing begins. Assessment may require scheduling multiple blocks of time (2-6 hours) depending on the testing, along with a final feedback session where we provide you with the results and our recommendations. A copy of the report will also be given to you to use, and can be sent to your child’s school if requested.

Further Reading: The Link Between Sleep and Mental Health