Alberta Psychoeducational Assessments
Alberta Counselling Centre provides comprehensive psychoeducational assessments and counselling for children, adolescents, and adults.
Child Assessments
Is your child underachieving academically? Have you noticed signs of a Learning Disability? Have teachers suspected that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or a learning disability may be at the root of your child's academic, behavioural, and/or social challenges at school?
Or do you think your child may be gifted? Early identification and intervention is an important key in helping a child who is struggling to reach his or her full potential.
A thorough psychoeducational assessment can help by making sense of your child's struggles; it provides information about the reasons behind the challenges. Furthermore, it creates a picture of your child's unique learning profile, by assessing current cognitive functioning and gaining insight into strengths and weaknesses—cognitively, academically, and emotionally.
A psychoeducational assessment offers a more accurate and complete picture of your child that can change the way your child is perceived, and ensure that appropriate educational programming and accommodations necessary for success are recommended.
Psychologists who perform psychoeducational testing at Alberta Counselling Centre specialize in assessments, and many are either former teachers or school-board psychologists.
As such, they have an in-depth understanding of the school system and expertise in early detection and diagnosis of ASD, Giftedness, Learning Disabilities, ADHD, Anxiety and Mood Disorders, Behavioural Disorders, and a variety of other issues.
We also understand the admission requirements and necessary assessments for acceptance to private schools (e.g., Webber Academy, Rundle College), and the criteria and comprehensive gifted assessment required for admission to the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program.
Refer to the "More information" section below on the right for additional information.
Adult Assessments
Learning and attentional issues can make getting through life frustrating on a daily basis, and can significantly limit your success in multiple domains of your life.
Difficulties with ADHD, or "executive functions," which help us stay organized and on task, can pose life-long problems for many adults at home and work.
A solid assessment can determine your particular learning style, and how to address difficulties.
Reasons Adults May Choose to Have a Psychoeducational Assessment
There are many reasons adults may seek a psychoeducational evaluation. Often adults choose to have an assessment because they are curious about their learning profile. They may suspect something is causing them struggles and holding them back—either academically, in activities of daily living, or in their present job situation. Many adults entering university or the workplace may want an assessment of learning difficulties and/or ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
In many cases, people find an accurate diagnosis changes their lives and how they view themselves.
After years of self-blame and struggles academically, personally, and professionally, it is empowering to uncover the root cause of problems and start using appropriate resources and strategies to be more successful.
One of the most common motivations for adults to seek a psychoeducational assessment is seeing themselves in their child who has been diagnosed with an LD, ADHD, or ASD. In these cases, parents learn of the symptoms of a disorder in the process of helping their child, and then begin to suspect that their own life-long struggles may be because of an undiagnosed condition.
Getting a comprehensive psychoeducational assessment completed by a qualified professional provides you with a detailed profile of your learning style.
It includes a description of strengths and weaknesses in cognitive abilities, academic performance, and social-emotional functioning. It determines eligibility for services, resources, and special accommodations to improve your ability to succeed. It will also give straight forward, practical recommendations for strategies to support learning and functioning in the classroom, in life, or in an occupational setting.
Refer to the "More information" section below on the right for additional information.