What is a Psychoeducational Assessment?
An Assessment Should Be Informative, Helpful, Safe And Fun

• It should identify a child’s strengths as well as his or her weaknesses.  The purpose of a good assessment is not just to find what is wrong with a person, but also what is right.
• It should provide a “road map” for parents and teachers so that they may better understand the child, one that they may then use to maximize his or her gifts and to strengthen or accommodate for his or her areas of weakness.
• It should provide helpful and specific recommendations for home and for school, based on the profile of the particular child tested.
• It should be child-centered.  As much as possible, children should understand the purpose of the assessment, enjoy the process, and participate in a discussion of its results.
• It should include a “debriefing,” in which the child and his or her parents go over the results with the psychologist.  Results should be explained to the child in positive and age-appropriate terms.
• It should be confidential.  The assessment belongs to the child and parents, and they should feel confident that results will not be shared with anyone without their specific request.

Our Assessment Team…

Our team is led by Dr. Jadis Blurton.  Dr. Blurton has an MA and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology, and an MA in Special Education.  She is also a U.S. Licensed Clinical Psychologist.  She is internationally known as an expert and speaker in areas such as educational psychology, cognitive development, gifted education, ADHD, specific learning disorders, and child and adolescent behavior.  Dr. Blurton specializes in administering and interpreting comprehensive psychoeducational assessments.  She also consults  with, and provides professional development to teachers and administrators in Hong Kong and throughout Asia.

The Pre-Assessment Interview…

provides an opportunity for parents to meet with the psychologist to discuss the assessment, give background information concerning the child, and discuss any concerns that they or teachers may have.  They will also receive a number of forms to be filled out by them and/or by the child’s teachers.   This input helps the assessment team to obtain a picture of the child’s functioning in a variety of settings.

Testing…

is conducted over at least six hours of one-to-one test administration.  Subtests measure general intelligence factors, specific cognitive abilities, academic levels, attention, and social and emotional wellbeing.  Subtests are usually short and interesting, and the entire process is interactive and positive.   Children are encouraged to bring a snack and drink, and may take breaks as necessary during the assessment.

A Team Conference…

allows members of the assessment team to discuss their impressions and the testing results.

The Report…

provides a comprehensive picture of the child at the time of the assessment.  Usually about twenty to thirty pages long, it includes the child’s background information, observations of parents and teachers, specific test results, summary and conclusions, and recommendations for home and for school.

 The Debriefing…

is a meeting with the child and parents to present and explain the results.  These are explained in positive terms, with emphasis on strengths.  Weaknesses or difficulties are “normalized” by being presented in context, and there is a discussion of strategies to address problem areas as well as areas of strength.  Parents have the option of inviting the child’s teacher or other interested professionals.

Other Types of Assessment and Services

1) Often, parents and children are interested in finding out about the child’s strengths and weaknesses even in the absence of any concerns by the parents or school.  These assessments help individuals to maximize their educational power, focusing on their gifts and using them to their best advantage.  Many times these assessments are required by overseas boarding or private schools for just this reason: schools operate best when they understand a child.

2) Children under six may require an assessment for a number of different concerns, and the assessment described in this brochure might not be appropriate for these issues.  Because these vary tremendously and because the tests themselves also vary, parents are encouraged to meet individually with a psychologist to discuss the type of testing and recommended procedures.  For example, an in-depth Speech and Language Assessment or Behavioral Assessment may be more appropriate to the child’s specific needs and more helpful in clarifying next steps.

3) Older adolescents and young adults often have problems deciding between their many occupational options.  We offer an in-depth Occupational Assessment including meeting with a counselor, completion of a number of occupational inventories, and a debriefing/advisory session to help clarify occupational choices.

4) Boarding School and University Counseling may be scheduled either as a sequel to a comprehensive psychoeducational assessment, an adjunct to an Occupational Assessment, or independently.  Counselors are available to assist students and their parents with university choices, help consider decisions about university major, and assist the university application process in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom.

5) Students enrolling in the Family Development Center’s Center for Academically Gifted Youth may be required to complete an abbreviated assessment in order to qualify for the CAGY program.

6) The Jadis Blurton Family Development Center offers a variety of services for children, teachers, parents and families.  These services include trainings, workshops, lectures and work with individuals or small groups.  For example, we hold workshops that enhance emotional coping and social skills in children, workshops to strengthen mother-daughter relationships, after-school programs for kids, the Cogmed program to enhance working memory and attention, teacher inservices, training for domestic helpers, play therapy, speech therapy, individual or family therapy, and much more.  

Also please see The Art and Science of Testing:Why Assessing a Child is not Child’s Play By Dr. Jadis Blurton