Contact Dr. Schloesser about ADHD assessments
Assessments
Successful treatment begins with an accurate understanding of the problem
Reach out to Dr. Schloesser
Successful treatment begins with an accurate understanding of the problem
Reach out to Dr. SchloesserThe terms psychological testing and psychological assessment are often used interchangeably due to their similarities.
Psychological testing is the implementation of formal tests that are often norm-referenced or standardized. Norm-referenced tests have been developed, evaluated, and demonstrated to effectively measure a trait or disorder.
A psychological assessment consists of gathering and integrating data, including interviews, observations, standardized tests, self-report measures, collateral data, and historical data, to evaluate a person’s behavior, abilities, and other characteristics. The purpose of an assessment can include clarifying a diagnosis or making treatment recommendations.
Evaluations can provide valuable information for individuals looking to better understand work, interpersonal, and school-related problems. They can be used for multiple purposes including to gain diagnostic clarity, address education or learning difficulties, or offer recommendations to improve functioning.
If individuals are not performing up to their potential at school, at work, or in relationships
If you suspect your child has a learning disability
If you wonder about troublesome mood states, behaviors, or distressing symptoms
If you need to determine eligibility for a gifted program
If you are seeking standardized test accommodations
If Autism Spectrum Disorder or other developmental disorders are suspected
If treatment is stalled and diagnostic clarification can help direct next steps
If parents are seeking to expand their family through adoption
Clinical psychologists are trained to complete a wide range of psychological assessments. However, many clinical psychologists choose to focus their work on therapy and prefer to not conduct assessments. Neuropsychologists have completed post-doctoral training that focuses on the relationship of the brain and behavior with specialization in organic brain disorders (e.g., stroke, dementia, brain injuries).
Dr. Schloesser is a clinical psychologist who regularly completes a wide range of evaluations in her practice and participates in trainings to ensure she is able to offer the most up-to-date assessment measures. If you have been referred for a psychological or neuropsychological evaluation, reach out to Dr. Schloesser to discuss your assessment needs.
A psychological assessment typically consists of:
Depending on the referral question and unique specifics of your case, Dr. Schloesser will tailor the battery to answer the referral question efficiently and fully. The length of testing is based on the referral question and can vary widely.
Some tests and portions of the assessment process can be completed virtually. However, in order to maintain test validity and reliability, many tests are completed in-person.
Once testing is complete, a detailed report is created for you. The report includes scores and descriptions from testing sources, diagnostic impressions, and treatment recommendations. During a feedback session, Dr. Schloesser will discuss all that is included in the report.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children and adults.
ADHD is often first identified in school-aged children; however, some individuals with less overt symptoms may go undiagnosed until later in life. Many people who have ADHD describe having difficulties with focusing and attention but also experience struggles in other areas of their life, including learning and memory, emotional regulation, and behavioral control.
Symptoms of ADHD may include:
Arriving at an accurate diagnosis is important to ensure appropriate treatment. Dr. Schloesser implements a comprehensive battery tailored to your specific concerns, age, and treatment goals.
The assessment process typically includes a clinical interview, behavioral rating scales, general cognitive functioning measure, as well as several specific measures of executive functioning skills.
After testing is complete, Dr. Schloesser will write a report describing:
She will then meet with you for a feedback session to review findings.
If you are concerned about differences in you or your child’s language, speech, behavior, or social skills, an autism assessment could be the solution.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interactions accompanied by restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.
These symptoms are present from early childhood and limit or impair everyday functioning. Presentation of the disorder can vary greatly and ASD can be difficult to diagnose or distinguish from other neuropsychological conditions, such as Nonverbal Learning Disability or Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder.
Making a diagnosis of ASD in adulthood can be challenging as many adults have developed strategies to manage symptoms in their daily lives and may not have a source to provide information about their early childhood functioning. Other individuals have symptoms that mirror a range of other disorders (e.g., Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, and ADHD) and failure to differentiate between diagnoses can lead to years of treatment failure.
However, establishing a diagnosis may enable an adult to receive ongoing support and services beyond school years.
During the evaluation process, Dr. Schloesser will collect a detailed history of you or your child’s developmental history in addition to the administration of current diagnostic measures. After the test administration and collection of historical information, Dr. Schloesser will write a comprehensive report and provide a feedback session to review diagnostic findings and recommendations.
A Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a biological origin.
An essential SLD feature is persistent difficulties learning keystone academic skills with onset during the years of formal schooling. An SLD can disrupt the typical pattern of learning academic skills and impact learning in a wide range of academic subjects.
SLD may also occur in individuals identified as intellectually “gifted.” These individuals may be able to sustain adequate academic functioning or even excel academically by using compensatory strategies. However, some situations (e.g., timed testing) may preclude the individuals from implementing strategies and their resulting performance is low relative to their ability.
SLD may occur in one or multiple abilities. Individuals may exhibit impairments in reading (e.g., word reading accuracy, reading rate or fluency, reading comprehension), impairments in written expression (e.g., spelling accuracy, grammar and punctuation accuracy, or clarity or organization of written expression), or impairments with mathematics (e.g., number sense, memorization of arithmetic facts, accurate or fluent calculation, or accurate math reasoning).
Dyslexia refers to a particular pattern of difficulties: problems with accurate or fluent word recognition, poor decoding, and poor spelling abilities.
Similarly, dyscalculia refers to a pattern of difficulties characterized by problems processing numerical information, learning arithmetic facts, and performing accurate or fluent calculations.
A typical learning disability evaluation will include:
Dr. Schloesser will write a comprehensive report after testing is complete and hold a feedback session with you to review findings and recommendations.
Want to ensure you or your child’s best performance on standardized testing? Individuals who have been diagnosed with a specific learning disability, ADHD, or other cognitive disorders may qualify for test accommodations.
Examples of such accommodations include:
Testing agencies have outlined specific requirements for supportive documentation. In general, a current, comprehensive psychological evaluation must include support for a diagnosis, evidence of functional impairment, and historical information.
Testing agencies will not accept reports that are not in line with their specific requirements (e.g., letters from physician or doctor). Dr. Schloesser will review and discuss the specific requirements needed by your testing agency.
Click the links below to find specific accommodation requirements by test.
Note that a history of receiving accommodations is typically not sufficient documentation to obtain testing accommodations. Most organizations require a current diagnosis and a testing battery to identify how the disability or disorder impacts you or your child’s current functional limitations.
Dr. Schloesser will help guide you through the assessment process to apply for accommodations.
Most people experience psychiatric symptoms at some point in their lives. Achieving an accurate diagnosis can be challenging as each individual is unique.
Disorder presentation may vary drastically between individuals. A psychological evaluation can be helpful in diagnosing problems with memory, thought processes, emotional dysregulation, and problematic behaviors. Establishing an accurate diagnosis is a pivotal step toward getting the right treatment.
Psychological evaluations can also rule out factors that may be contributing to or confounding psychological symptoms, confirm a suspected diagnosis, or identify what types of treatment are most appropriate.
A diagnostic evaluation will include a clinical interview as well as both broad and more specific tests. Finding an accurate diagnosis is the first step toward the development of an individualized treatment plan and improving your health.
Gifted students have high achievement capabilities compared to peers their same age. Program requirements can vary from supplying an intelligence quotient (IQ) to a gifted assessment.
As a first step, Dr. Schloesser will review the program-specific admission requirements to determine what your child will need to apply to their program of choice.
Twice Exceptional individuals are gifted individuals who may also have a learning disability, attention disorder, or social-emotional problem. Twice exceptional testing can evaluate your child’s specific needs and identify appropriate interventions, education planning, and support services.
Most assessments of this nature will include a general measure of intelligence, a measure of achievement, and a review of the child’s educational history. Additional measures may include behavioral ratings by teachers and/or parents and tests to identify confounding factors.
Findings are presented in a written report and reviewed during a feedback session.
When in doubt, “Consult, consult, consult.”
Cases can be complicated and getting a second opinion can not only benefit your patient but you. The cost of consultation pales in comparison to the cost of a mistake.
Benefits of consultation:
Forensic Psychology is the application of psychological skills, knowledge, and research to the legal arena. Forensic psychologists may work in civil and criminal areas of the law.
Dr. Schloesser conducts a limited range of forensic assessments including some risk assessments and guardianship evaluations.
Risk assessments are commonly utilized to assist the decision-maker about an individual’s risk for future violence.
The assessment typically includes:
Dr. Schloesser completes risk assessments required by schools for student readmission after making threats of self-harm.
You have made the decision to expand your family through adoption. In addition to the many other requirements, agencies may request prospective parent(s) undergo a psychological evaluation.
Dr. Schloesser has conducted evaluations in conjunction with several agencies and helped families adopt from several countries including India, Columbia, and Brazil. Each country and agency have unique requirements for the report and associated paperwork.
The pre-adoption evaluation usually consists of a clinical interview and at least two psychological tests designed to evaluate various factors related to an adoption, including:
The interview will be conducted with both parents together as well as each parent separately. If there are other adults living in the home, they may also be required to participate in the evaluation.
Typically, both the clinical interview and the testing can be completed in one session. Dr. Schloesser will write a comprehensive report in addition to any agency specific requirements.
Unfortunately, pre-adoption evaluations are not covered by insurance. Contact Dr. Schloesser for an estimate of out-of-pocket expenses based on your agency’s requirements.
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