Educational Assessments

When kids are having a hard time at school, it’s only natural that we, as parents, want to do whatever we can to help. We find ourselves up half the night going over their homework and helping them do it in the first place. We hire tutors. We do whatever it takes, but for some people, the result is minimal improvement and kids (and parents!) who are tired and frustrated. Rather than trying everything and hoping something works – wouldn’t you like to know exactly why your child is struggling and what will help? That’s the power of visiting Manatee Counseling & Assessment to receive educational assessments for Palmetto, FL students. Whatever grade they’re in, whether they’ve been struggling for a while or they just started to have difficulties, or they’re excelling but aren’t being challenged, educational evaluations can give you the answers you need to ensure your child is making the most out of their academic experience.

When are Educational Evaluations Recommended?

Educational evaluations with our team may be recommended by your child’s teacher, school counselors and other educational administrators, or pediatricians. You can also choose to seek educational assessment if you notice your child is struggling. We can provide testing that helps in a variety of situations by providing the following information:

• Clarity of your child’s learning style. You’ve probably heard of kids who are “visual learners.” Other people need to hear instructions aloud. Some kids learn best by trying things out. Knowing your child’s ideal learning style can help them find better, less frustrating ways to engage in academic settings.
• Understanding of developmental, cognitive, and processing challenges that your child is dealing with when trying to learn. This information can help you and your child’s educators develop plans for academic resources and support.
• Provide a diagnostic report that can be used during your child’s current academic endeavors while establishing a historic record of your child’s education support needs that can be used to ensure they receive continuing resources at all levels of education.

What Happens During Educational Testing?

Each child’s needs are different, so we’ll want to start the educational assessment process by talking to you and your child. We’ll gather some basic information about their health and academic history. Whenever possible, we also like to get information from teachers and other caregivers. We may ask you to have them provide a report or answer a questionnaire. In some cases, we may ask to observe your child in the classroom. We can typically get adequate data from teachers and observing your child in our practice, so this is less common.

After talking with you and the student, we’ll put together a comprehensive battery of educational assessments. Your child will complete these tests. Then, we’ll evaluate the results from testing as well as the anecdotal and observational information we receive. Finally, we’ll put together a report that pulls all of our collected data together, and you’ll schedule a follow up appointment to talk to us about it.

What Happens After Educational Assessment?

Once your educational assessment report is completed, you’ll visit our practice to review all of the information and answer any questions you may have. Based on any feedback you provide during this follow up visit, we’ll create a final report. This report can be used by educators and administrators to determine your child’s academic needs and provide appropriate resources. When necessary, we can also make recommendations for counseling, speech therapy, and other necessary support solutions following assessment. In some cases, our psychologists are able to attend educational meetings with you and/or your child to explain our findings.

Who Offers Educational Evaluations?

Our skilled psychologists bring years of advanced training and experience to the Manatee Associates of Counseling & Assessment team.

Let’s Get Started!

We know it can be intimidating to take this next step to schedule an appointment with our team. You may have had negative experiences with therapy in the past, you may be worried about stigma surrounding counseling, or you may just be worried. We get it. The good news is we can help you put some of those worries aside and start feeling like yourself again. When you’re ready, the Manatee Associates of Counseling & Assessment team is here for you.