| Epilepsy: Assessing your child's learning needs | 2115.00000000000 | Epilepsy: Assessing your child's learning needs | Epilepsy: Assessing your child's learning needs | E | English | Neurology | Child (0-12 years);Teen (13-18 years) | Brain | Nervous system | Conditions and diseases | Caregivers
Adult (19+)
Educators | NA | | 2010-02-04T05:00:00Z | | Irene Elliott, RN, MHSc, ACNP;Janice Mulligan, MSW, RSW | | | | 12.1000000000000 | 40.6000000000000 | 1227.00000000000 | | Flat Content | Health A-Z | <p>Read about why your child with epilepsy may require an assessment, who will perform it, what it may consist of and how long the arrangements might take.</p> | <p>Most school boards require a diagnostic psychological or psychoeducational assessment before deciding whether a child may have access to special education resources such as creation of Individual Education Plans (IEP), in-class support, withdrawal support in low ratio classes, or placement in a self-contained classroom. </p>
<p>Assessments are performed by specially trained professionals, usually psychologists, who work for the school board, a hospital, or a community resource centre, or are in private practice. </p>
<p>Assessments consist of:</p>
<ul>
<li>interviews</li>
<li>observations</li>
<li>review of school and other records</li>
<li>standardized tests of aptitudes and abilities</li>
<li>generation of a written report</li>
<li>discussion of results with the parents</li>
</ul> | | <h2>Key points</h2>
<ul><li>A needs assessment may be done if a parent or teacher is concerned about academic performance, language development, social development, or classroom behaviour.</li>
<li>An assessment will be conducted in one or two sessions and consists of interviews, observations, review of documentation, and standardized tests.</li>
<li>Once the assessment is complete, the psychologist will provide a written report for you, the treatment team, your child’s school, and the school board. This report will include recommendations for your child.<br></li></ul> | <h2>Why does a child receive an assessment?</h2>
<p>A child receives an assessment if their teacher or parent becomes concerned about their academic performance, language development, social development, or classroom behaviour. </p>
<p>In many jurisdictions, the child’s case will first be brought forward to an in-school team that typically consists of an administrator such as a vice-principal, a special education teacher if one is present in the school, and the consultants attached to the school. Most school boards are set up so that small groups of schools in a district are served by a school psychologist or psychoeducational consultant, a speech and language pathologist, a special education resource teacher, and a social worker. </p>
<ul>
<li>The child’s teacher presents the issues. Strategies are recommended and an action plan is made.</li>
<li>Typically, the child will be brought before the in-school team a second time before the recommendation for assessment is made.</li>
<li>If the issue is primarily language based, a speech and language assessment will be recommended.</li>
<li>If the issue is primarily behavioural or academic, a psychoeducational assessment will be recommended.</li>
</ul>
<p>If a psychoeducational assessment has been recommended by the school team, the parent must first consent to the process.</p>
<h2>Who performs the assessment?</h2>
<p>A qualified professional employed by the school board performs the assessment. Depending on the school board, the professional will be known as a Psychoeducational Consultant or a School Psychologist. These individuals have at minimum a Master’s degree in psychology or educational psychology, but in many cases will have a "PhD" degree. In most jurisdictions, these practitioners will either be a registered member of a College of Psychologists or be supervised by a registered member. </p>
<h2>How long does it take to arrange an assessment?</h2>
<p>Because of financial constraints and the demand for service, the wait for a psychoeducational assessment can be long: six months to two years in some school boards. In some cases, psychological or psychoeducational assessments can be arranged at "local" hospitals or community health resource centres. If resources permit, parents might wish to consider arranging for a private psychological or psychoeducational assessment. </p>
<h2>How does an assessment take place?</h2>
<p>In a school board setting, the parent will have consented to the process before arrangements are put in motion. The psychologist will explain the process to the child and get the child’s assent or consent to participate. The psychologist will withdraw the child from class and take them to a private room in the child’s school to perform the assessment. Depending on the child’s age and ability level, the full assessment will take from three to five hours, and will be conducted over one or two sessions. </p>
<p>If the assessment takes place in the community, arrangements are made in advance for one or two appointments with the psychologist.</p>
<h2>What does an assessment consist of?</h2>
<p>The assessment will be conducted in one or two sessions. During these sessions, the psychologist will gather information from the child through observation, discussion, by use of standardized tests, and use of less formal assessment procedures. </p>
<h3>Interviews</h3>
<p>Interviews can be structured or informal, and can be used for many purposes including gathering relevant history, formulating a diagnosis, providing feedback, or performing an intervention. The psychologist will interview the child, their teachers, and their parents. </p>
<h3>Observations</h3>
<p>Depending on the age of the child, the psychologist might observe the child in the classroom. This is an effective strategy for younger children, less so for older children. If the issue is behavioural, some observations might be conducted in the home.</p>
<h3>Review of documentation</h3>
<p>The child’s complete school record and other relevant documentation such as medical records, reports from other assessments, or legal documents will be reviewed. Often the child’s school work will be inspected.</p>
<h3>Standardized tests</h3>
<p>Standardized tests are frequently the primary source of information on which diagnosis of a learning disability is made. Standardized tests are tests that are used to measure psychological attributes including intelligence, academic skills, behavioural profile, and emotional status. They have been developed scientifically to meet a number of psychometric standards.</p>
<p>The core standardized tests that are used in a psychoeducational assessment include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Intelligence: Tests of intelligence (IQ) are sometimes called tests of learning potential or tests of cognitive ability. These tests are almost always included in an assessment. </li>
<li>Academic ability: These tests of achievement are administered in all assessments of learning disability.</li>
<li>Graphomotor skills: Frequently a test that requires a child to reproduce geometric forms will be administered. This helps in assessment of motor development, fine motor control, and handwriting. </li>
</ul>
<p>Other tests that might be included in a psychoeducational assessment include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Language: In some cases, tests of vocabulary and language comprehension and production will be administered.</li>
<li>Attention: In some cases, a test that measures a child’s ability to maintain concentration and "focus" will be administered. </li>
<li>Memory: In some cases, tests of auditory and visual memory will be included in the assessment.</li>
<li>Standardized questionnaires: Often, standardized questionnaires will be completed by the parent and teacher to assess a range of the child’s behaviour in the home and classroom. </li>
</ul>
<p>Once the psychologist has interpreted the results, they can identify your child’s strengths, areas of weakness, future challenges, and strategies that might help them. </p>
<h2>What happens with the results of a psychoeducational assessment?</h2>
<p>Once the assessment is complete, the psychologist will provide a written report for you, the treatment team, your child’s school, and the school board. The report may include:</p>
<ul>
<li>background information (your child’s history and current concerns)</li>
<li>the names of the tests that were administered</li>
<li>your child’s results on the tests</li>
<li>the psychologist’s interpretation of the results</li>
<li>a summary of results and how they are related to your child’s medical condition and development</li>
<li>recommendations and referrals to other specialists</li>
</ul>
<p>The report will be used by the school board, principal, and teacher to determine what services or special help your child needs and to develop a learning plan. In some provinces, it may be the only tool that enables your child to get extra services, such as special therapy, extra classes, special education, and tutoring. </p>
<p>Your child may need to be assessed again in the future, to show changes that have happened over time.</p> | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | https://assets.aboutkidshealth.ca/AKHAssets/epilepsy_assessing_your_childs_learning_needs.jpg | | | | | | | Epilepsy: Assessing your child's learning needs | | False | | | | | |
