FAQ

Most children in third grade and above have no difficulty completing our comprehensive evaluations in a single day. We are very experienced with working with children, including children with high needs for movement and low stamina for academic work, and we plan and pace our assessment administration accordingly. Your child will have lots of breaks to move around, play games, have snacks, see you, go outside, and generally break up the focused work of testing. We often hear kids tell their parents that they’re actually having a really good time! With that said, if your child does reach a point at which they feel tired and unable to continue with their best efforts, we will stop testing for the day and schedule another time for you to return to continue. We will never push a child beyond their comfort. Your child can see your evaluator as many times as needed to complete the assessment agenda to the best of their ability.

We strongly recommend having a chat with your child about the evaluation before arriving. It’s a good idea to connect the evaluation to a part of their own experience that they’ll recognize. For example, if your child is a struggling reader, they’re probably aware of that. You could start with a statement of their experience, such as “You know how it’s hard to read the words sometimes?” Then share that you’ve contacted someone who is an expert in that issue. “Well, I’m going to take you to meet Ms. Marisa. She’s an expert in how kids read words.” A simple statement about what’s going to happen is also useful. “You’re going to meet with her and she’s going to have you do some activities so she can see how your brain is learning to read.” You might want to close with how this evaluation will have some value. “After she gets to know your brain, she’s going to give us some suggestions for ways to help us make reading easier for you.” In our experience, if we connect the testing to the child’s real experience, the vast majority of children are invested in trying their best.

YES. We need to see your child in the same state in which they approach school each day.

It depends. We usually begin with considering whether we can do the observation first. When the observation happens before testing, the child doesn’t know the clinician, so they are “blind” to the identity of the observer and the connection of the visitor in their classroom to themselves. Blind observations are generally considered preferable from the standpoint of minimizing the observer’s influence on the situation. Blind observations are not always possible or ideal, however. In some cases, circumstances make it desirable to do the testing first. In this situation, the evaluator has had a chance to learn about the child’s profile in depth, and she brings this insight with her into the classroom. We find that this arrangement can be advantageous for the clinician, but it is only appropriate if the child will not be disrupted or distressed by being visited in their classroom by an adult they know. We will talk with you about these details as they relate to your child and your situation, and choose the right arrangement for you.

You and your evaluator will communicate at least twice about the results. First, you will have a scheduled phone or video conference with your evaluator a few business days after the testing is complete. We refer to this as the initial feedback meeting. Your examiner will have test scores to share with you as well as impressions. Then, you and your examiner will meet a second time after you’ve received the evaluation report. This wrap-up meeting will be a time for you to ask questions about the report, make sure all the information is clear to you, and talk about your next steps.

Possibly. On occasion, we are contacted by clients who have special needs or circumstances that make home visits advisable and possible. If you think home-based service is right for you, contact our office to discuss your needs.

We get it. Our kids didn’t either. Fortunately, remote therapy is very different from virtual school. Zoom interactions are much more relaxed and natural in one-to-one settings than in big groups. In remote therapy, your child will have the full attention of their therapist, who has an arsenal of techniques and activities that make the session engaging. We keep remote therapy session times limited to a duration with which the child will feel comfortable and be productive. In our experience, one-to-one therapy that addresses reading, writing, language, and speech production skills is very effective using remote platforms. If we ever feel that the remote setting is curtailing your child’s progress, we will immediately bring that to your attention, even if it means helping you find a different provider in your geographic area. No one wants to proceed with remote meetings that are not comfortable, pleasant, and productive for everyone.

Definitely. We very often meet with families to review new IEPs or evaluations and provide guidance. We’ll schedule time for your specialist to review your new document(s) and then meet with you by phone or video to discuss and answer your questions. Call the office to get started.

We want to help you figure out if we’re right for you. First, schedule a free 15-minute introduction call here. You’ll speak with Lauren, our Practice Manager, who will ask you questions about your situation and determine whether you’d benefit from meeting with one of our specialists. If that first conversation suggests we may be able to help, Lauren will book a clinical intake appointment for you with a clinician. In this intake appointment, the clinician will help you form a plan that may involve our services, or may take a different path. We are always happy to refer families to other avenues of support if their needs do not lie in our scope of expertise, free of charge.