Comprehensive Psychoeducational Evaluations for Children

These evaluations are designed for parents who seek a complete picture of their child’s neurodevelopmental functioning – and who are looking to “optimize” their child’s success and happiness. While these evaluations are clinical and diagnostic in their scope, they go well beyond scores and diagnoses to explore and compare the child’s inner nature and outward presentation. 

Our “whole child” evaluations are strengths-based and individualized, and parents will walk away with new insights and understanding, as well as the confidence to take next steps for supporting their child’s happiness and success. We help parents get direction, end the guesswork, uncover the “why,” satisfy curiosity, and unlock full potential. Learn more about the benefits of our comprehensive evaluations here.

Importantly, our approach towards comprehensive evaluations is not to diagnose what is “wrong” with your child – rather, it is to 1) understand their strengths, 2) celebrate their uniqueness, and 3) identify any challenges that may be keeping them from living their best and happiest life.

Children as young as 5 years old benefit from a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation. Most parents request our “whole child” evaluations when they want to obtain a fuller understanding of their child. In some cases, parents reach out when they have specific concerns about their child’s learning and school performance, behavior, attention, anxiety, low self-esteem, dislike of school, or social difficulty.  In other cases, parents just have a “feeling” something isn’t right, or that their child is struggling or unhappy. However, we also regularly work with parents who don’t have any specific concerns at all; instead, they are looking for clarification about their child’s unique blend of gifts and challenges so they can help maximize their success and happiness. 

At Individual Matters, we believe every child benefits from a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation – regardless of their abilities, school performance, or presence of any “concerns.”

Comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations at Individual Matters combine all aspects and scopes of our other evaluation types (learning, ADHD, autism, etc.). We utilize an extensive battery of tests that measure neurocognitive functioning, academic skills, and social-emotional to identify learning disorders, ADHD, autism, developmental delays, gifted abilities, anxiety, and so forth. Every child’s profile is unique, and our comprehensive evaluations offer the most complete approach for identifying and comparing areas of strength and weakness. This type of evaluation also supports differential diagnosis, or teasing out symptoms and behaviors to accurately diagnose their cause.  

Importantly, our “whole child” evaluations eliminate the need for separate assessments of learning, attention, ASD, etc. – by including all of these under the umbrella of one evaluation. During the initial consultation process, Dr. Katen will work with parents to understand their concerns and goals, and then tailor an assessment battery that best fits with the child’s distinctive needs and circumstances.

Comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations must be completed by a clinical psychologist (Psy.D. or Ph.D.). At Individual Matters, Dr. Katen works closely with each family throughout the testing process. Unlike many psychologists, she does not utilize technicians or student interns – she completes all tests directly.

Individual Matters utilizes an extensive battery of neuropsychological tests, questionnaires, parent report, clinical observation, and record review. This means that our comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations are appropriate for diagnosing a range of neurodevelopmental disorders in children, including:  disorders of attention (ADHD), learning (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia), autism spectrum, language and communication, developmental coordination, intellectual disability, and developmental delay. Because anxiety and low mood are often correlated with learning and attention struggles, these disorders may also result from an evaluation. In addition, our “whole child” evaluations assess giftedness and twice-exceptionality (2e), learning style, and temperament, and provide unique strategies and tips for supporting a child’s learning and development.

If you have concerns about your child’s learning or development – or if you are just interested in a fuller picture of your child – the first step is a consultation with Dr. Katen. This meeting will clarify your goals and concerns, and outline scope and cost. You will leave this session with a clear understanding of the testing purpose and process, as well as new insights and confidence for making the right decision for your child.