Evaluations
During assessment sessions at IFCEO, the use of creativity and flexibility is essential to meet the needs and abilities of the individual. During the assessment process, the individual (or parents) is considered the “expert”. It is therefore very important for IFCEO to proceed in a collaborative and transparent manner.
Initial Clinical Interview
The purpose of this initial session is to gather information from the parents regarding current concerns, their child’s or adolescent’s developmental history, and information about family, social, and school functioning.
(Where appropriate, information will also be gathered directly from the child/adolescent).
Parents are also encouraged to bring their child’s/adolescent’s recent report cards and past assessment reports.
Socio-emotional and Behavioural Assessment
Considering possible comorbidities (e.g., ADHD and anxiety, etc.) with giftedness, a socio-emotional assessment may be conducted.
It includes semi-structured diagnostic interviews and a selection of empirically validated questionnaires to be completed by the parents and, if applicable, by the child or adolescent.
With parental consent, other professionals (e.g., teachers) are often consulted as their feedback helps to better understand the child/adolescent’s strengths and difficulties.
Cognitive Assessment
Assessment of cognitive abilities according to the following domains:
1) verbal comprehension;
2) visuospatial;
3) fluid reasoning;
4) working memory;
5) processing speed.
Duration: one to two sessions equivalent to approximately three hours.
Academic Assessment
Considering the possible comorbidities (e.g., learning disabilities) with giftedness, an academic assessment can be done in reading, writing, mathematics, and oral language.
Duration: one to two sessions equivalent to approximately three hours
Assessment Report
This report includes a conceptualization of the child’s/adolescent’s experience while integrating all the results of the clinical interviews, previous school reports, psychological and medical reports, as well as current socio-emotional, cognitive, and academic assessments (as needed and appropriate).
The report then confirms, based on the results, the child/adolescent’s giftedness/high potential profile and possible diagnoses (if other results are conclusive) as well as discusses recommendations for an intervention plan to help the child/adolescent achieve optimal behavioural, emotional, academic, and social success at school and at home.
Feedback of Results
During this session, the psychologist:
1) updates the child’s or adolescent’s profile;
2) shares behavioural, social emotional, and cognitive (and academic, if necessary) observations and findings;
3) discusses clinical impressions;
4) discusses and explains all recommendations;
5) answers questions.
Duration: one session
Meeting with School Staff (if desired)
A meeting with school staff may be arranged to support them in implementing the recommendations for assisting the child/adolescent in the school setting.
Giftedness Assessment
Giftedness or high potential means that the child or adolescent has intellectual abilities that are superior to other children/adolescents of his or her age (i.e., the top 2% to 10%). Although giftedness is not a diagnosis, it is a profile that is most relevant to the school setting.
Giftedness assessment is offered from age 6 to age 16.
Psycho-educational Assessment
A psycho-educational assessment provides a better understanding of an individual’s academic performance in relation to his or her cognitive potential and suggests problems in acquiring academic skills. A psycho-educational evaluation can lead to a diagnosis of a learning disorder in reading, writing and mathematics.
The Specific learning disorder with impairment in reading is characterized by significant difficulties in identifying words and reversing letters, and therefore in reading fluently and quickly as well as in understanding the text being read.
The Specific learning disorder with impairment in written expression is characterized by significant difficulties in using punctuation and writing words correctly as well as in organizing ideas when writing text.
The Specific learning disorder with impairment in mathematics is characterized by significant difficulties in understanding and using numbers and therefore in reversing numbers, in doing simple calculations by counting on the fingers, in remembering multiplication tables and in grasping the meaning of the symbols of numerical operations.
Learning disorders in reading, writing, and mathematics are neurological and hereditary.
Psycho-educational evaluation is offered from ages 6 to 16.
Initial Clinical Interview
The purpose of this initial session is to gather information from the parents regarding current concerns, their child’s or adolescent’s developmental history, and information about family, social, and school functioning.
(Where appropriate, information will also be gathered directly from the child/adolescent).
Parents are also encouraged to bring their child’s /adolescent’s recent report cards and past assessment reports. Academic level will be considered when writing the psycho-educational assessment report.
Socio-emotional and Behavioural Assessment
Considering possible comorbidities (e.g., ADHD, etc.), a socio-emotional assessment may be conducted.
It includes semi-structured diagnostic interviews and a selection of empirically validated questionnaires to be completed by the parents and, if applicable, by the child or adolescent.
With parental consent, other professionals (e.g., teachers) are often consulted as their feedback helps to better understand the child’s/adolescent’s strengths and difficulties.
Observation of the child or adolescent in the school environment is also possible to maximize the utility of the information obtained from the semi-structured clinical interviews and empirically validated questionnaires.
Cognitive Assessment
Assessment of cognitive abilities according to the following domains:
1) verbal comprehension;
2) visuospatial;
3) fluid reasoning;
4) working memory;
5) processing speed.
Duration: one to two sessions equivalent to approximately three hours.
Academic and Fine Motor Assessment
Academic (reading, writing, math, and oral language) and fine motor assessments are conducted.
Duration: one to two sessions equivalent to approximately three hours
Assessment Report
This report includes a conceptualization of the child’s or adolescent’s experience while integrating all the results of the clinical interviews, school reports, past psychological and medical reports, as well as current socio-emotional, cognitive, and academic assessments.
The report then confirms possible diagnoses (if the results are conclusive) and addresses recommendations for an intervention plan to help the child/adolescent achieve optimal behavioural, emotional, academic, and social success at school and at home.
Feedback of Results
During this session, the psychologist:
1) updates the child’s or adolescent’s profile;
2) shares behavioural and social emotional as well as cognitive and academic observations and findings;
3) discusses clinical impressions;
4) discusses and explains all recommendations;
5) answers all questions.
Duration: one session
Meeting with School Staff (if desired)
A meeting with school staff can be arranged to assist them in implementing the recommendations to help the child/adolescent in the school setting.
Initial Clinical Interview
The purpose of this initial session is to gather information from the parents regarding current concerns, their child’s or adolescent’s developmental history, and information about family, social, and school functioning.
(Where appropriate, information will also be gathered directly from the child/adolescent).
Parents are also encouraged to bring their child’s/adolescent’s recent report cards and past assessment reports.
Socio-emotional and Behavioural Assessment
This includes semi-structured diagnostic interviews and a selection of empirically validated questionnaires to be completed by the parents and, if applicable, the child/adolescent.
With parental consent, other professionals (e.g., teachers) are often consulted as their feedback helps to better understand the child’s/adolescent’s strengths and difficulties.
Socio-emotional and behavioural assessment
This involves semi-structured diagnostic interviews and a selection of empirically validated questionnaires to be completed by the parents and, if applicable, the child or adolescent.
With parental consent, other professionals (e.g., teachers) are often consulted as their feedback helps to better understand the child’s /adolescent’s strengths and difficulties.
Cognitive Assessment
Assessment of cognitive abilities according to the following domains:
1) verbal comprehension;
2) visuospatial ;
3) fluid reasoning;
4) working memory;
5) processing speed.
Duration: one to two sessions equivalent to approximately three hours.
Assessment Report
This report includes a conceptualization of the child’s or adolescent’s experience while integrating all the results of the clinical interviews, school reports, past psychological and medical reports as well as socio-emotional and cognitive assessments.
The report then confirms the possible diagnosis if the results are conclusive and discusses recommendations for an intervention plan to help the child/adolescent achieve optimal behavioural, emotional, academic, and social success in school and at home.
Feedback of Results
During this session, the psychologist:
1) updates the child’s or adolescent’s profile;
2) shares behavioural, social emotional, and cognitive (and academic, if necessary) observations and findings;
3) discusses clinical impressions;
4) discusses and explains all recommendations;
5) answers all questions.
Duration: one session
Meeting with School Staff (if desired)
A meeting with school staff can be arranged to assist them in implementing the recommendations for helping the child/adolescent in the school setting.
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Assessment
ADHD is a neurobiological and developmental disorder of the brain’s executive functions, which causes individuals with ADHD to have difficulty with impulse control, concentration, and organization. Although ADHD is not a learning disorder, it does affect a person’s ability to learn new material and demonstrate knowledge.
There are three presentations of ADHD: 1) inattentive (e.g., difficulty paying attention to details, difficulty sustaining attention, seems not to listen, difficulty with organization, etc.) 2) hyperactive/impulsive (e.g., fidgeting with hands or feet, standing up, running, or climbing around when inappropriate, unable to sit still, talks too much, etc.) and 3) combined (i.e., inattentive as well as hyperactive/impulsive)
ADHD assessment is offered from ages 6 to 16.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Assessment
ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can affect various aspects of functioning, including social relationships, i.e., social-emotional communication and social reciprocity as well as emotional and behavioural functioning, sensory experiences, and sometimes cognition. Some children will show autistic characteristics early in their development (e.g., language or motor delays) while others will not. It is important to consider that two individuals will not have the same experience or challenges with ASD.
While an assessment is relevant at any age, it is important to note that early intervention is always better! ASD assessments are available from ages 4 to 17.
Initial Clinical Interview
The purpose of this initial session is to gather all information from the parents regarding current concerns, their child’s or adolescent’s medical and developmental history, and information about family, social, and school functioning.
(Where appropriate, information will also be gathered directly from the child/adolescent).
Parents are also encouraged to bring their child’s/adolescent’s recent report cards and past assessment reports.
Duration: one session
Social-emotional and Behavioural Interview
During these sessions, the various manifestations of ASD will be explored with the parents.
According to the DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria, the manifestations of ASD include 1) deficits in social communication including difficulty in emotional reciprocity (for example, difficulty sharing thoughts and emotions and a preference for monologue over conversation), difficulty in non-verbal communication (for example, eye contact not integrated into communication, difficulty interpreting the emotions of others and understanding social cues), and difficulty developing, maintaining and understanding social relationships (for example, lack of interest in sharing games, preference to play alone and difficulty knowing when and how to join in a conversation) and 2) restricted and repetitive behaviours/interests including restricted and repetitive behaviours (e.g., hand-waving and repeating stereotyped phrases), adherence to routines (e.g., significant distress at minor changes), restricted interests (e.g., attachment or preoccupation with objects), and unusual sensory hyper- or hyporeactivity (e.g., intense reaction to loud noises, seeking or avoiding certain textures, and high pain tolerance). To complete the assessment, questionnaires will also be sent to parents and school staff to obtain information from the child/adolescent in the various contexts of his/her life.
In addition, a session will be planned, if necessary, with the child or adolescent during which different activities will be carried out to observe his or her ability to represent his or her emotions and those of certain characters, to create social games and the quality of his or her social interactions.
Duration: two to four sessions
Cognitive Assessment
If needed, an assessment of an individual’s cognitive abilities in the following areas can be done:
1) verbal comprehension;
2) visuospatial ;
3) fluid reasoning;
4) working memory;
5) processing speed.
Duration: one to two sessions equivalent to approximately three hours
Academic Assessment
If needed, an academic assessment (reading, writing, mathematics, oral language) and fine motor skills can be performed.
Duration: one to two sessions equivalent to approximately three hours
Assessment Report
This report includes a conceptualization of the child’s or adolescent’s experience while integrating all the results of the clinical interviews, school reports, past psychological and medical reports as well as the current socio-emotional, cognitive (if necessary) and academic (if necessary) assessments.
The report then addresses, if necessary, the child’s/adolescent’s diagnosis and addresses recommendations for an intervention plan to help the child/adolescent achieve optimal behavioural, emotional, academic, and social success at school and at home.
The results of the assessment will then be used to refer parents to appropriate resources for interventions (e.g., speech-language pathologist, occupational therapy, individual and/or group psychotherapy, etc.).
Feedback of Results
During this session, the psychologist:
1) updates the child/adolescent profile;
2) shares behavioural, social emotional, cognitive (as needed) and academic (as needed) observations and findings;
3) discusses clinical impressions;
4) discusses and explains all recommendations;
5) answers all questions.
Duration: one session
Meeting with School Staff (if desired)
A meeting with school staff can be arranged to assist them in implementing the recommendations to help the child/adolescent in the school setting.
Psychodiagnostic Assessment
A psychodiagnostic assessment clarifies concerns and, where appropriate, provides a diagnosis of an individual’s functioning with respect to behaviour, mood, emotions, and personality. A psychodiagnostic assessment can lead to various diagnoses such as anxiety and mood disorders. Sometimes the individual may not meet the criteria for any disorder. Presenting symptoms of anxiety or depression or relationship difficulties will be noted, and the assessment will provide an understanding of the factors that maintain these difficulties and thus guide therapy.
The Psychodiagnostic Assessment is offered for children, adolescents, and adults.