Testing & Assessments
Dr. Marron offers assessments for gifted abilities, learning differences or disabilities, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Psychological, Psycho-educational, Educational-Neuropsychological issues, and social-emotional functioning.
The overall evaluation process includes:
- An intake interview with the child/adolescent and parents or adult
- Testing sessions with the child/adolescent or adult
- Test scoring and interpretation
- A feedback session with the child/adolescent, parent(s) or adult and a staff psychologist
- Consultation with school personnel, if applicable.
What is assessed?
- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or attentional issues
- Emotional issues which includes mood (e.g. depression or anxiety)
- Extended time request for standardized exams (e.g. SSAT, ISEE, ACT, PSAT, SAT or College Board subject exams)
- Gifted abilities (e.g. IQ exam for gifted programs)
- Learning issues: dyslexia (reading issues), dyscalculia (math issues), dysgraphia (writing issues) and processing issues
- Social-emotional-behavioral issues
Types of Evaluations
Psychoeducational Evaluation
A comprehensive Psychoeducational evaluation includes student and parent interviews, testing of cognitive abilities (i.e. Intellectual/IQ), achievement levels, adaptive skills, behavior, information processing abilities, social-emotional functioning; and looks for a student's strengths/ limitations, learning style and needs. Specific neuro-developmental tests can be added to fine-tune understanding of specific areas such as attention, language, memory, processing skills, and executive functions.
School-Neuropsychological Evaluation
"School neuropsychology requires the integration of neuropsychological and educational principles to the assessment and intervention processes with infants, children, and adolescents to facilitate learning and behavior within the school and family systems… based on brain-behavior principles in order to provide an optimal learning environment for every child" (Miller, 2004).
A School-Neuropsychological Evaluation includes clinical interviews with the student, parent(s), teacher(s) and assesses the following areas:
- Achievement abilities such as reading, math, writing
- Attention
- Behavioral Functioning (including adaptive skills)
- Executive Functions (e.g., problem solving, planning, organizational, self-monitoring, working memory)
- Fine Motor skills
- Intellectual/General cognitive functioning
- Learning and Memory
- Language skills
- Sensory-Motor Functions
- Speed and Efficiency of Cognitive Processing
- Social-Emotional Functioning
- Visual-Spatial Processes.
At the conclusion of every evaluation, Dr. Marron has a feedback session with the client and/or family and provides the client/family with a comprehensive report that includes recommendations and accommodations if applicable. The results identify the student's strengths and weaknesses, what skills to work on, as well as which strategies to use to help the client. The report acts as an educational plan or "road map" for learning and developmental growth.
How do these assessments differ from an evaluation conducted by the school?
School assessments are usually performed to determine if a child is functioning on grade level or qualifies for special education services. Dr. Marron is interested in "how" and "why" a child obtains the results they do. The results of these evaluations give parents an understanding of the child's strengths and weaknesses, helps them understand whether their child's performance is "typical" given his/her history and how he/she performs on other measures, and ties the findings to research on brain function, the organization of brain systems and development if applicable.