How can Toronto Psychological Services assist you?
- Psychological Assessments
- Educational Assessments
- Developmental Assessments
- Other Clinical Assessments
- MVA Assessments
- Forensic Assessments
- Custody & Access Assessments
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTS
What is a Psychological Assessment?
A psychological assessment of any kind entails objectivity, the seeking of evidence from many sources, and the realization that many factors impact human functioning. Such assessments are complex and labour intensive.
A psychological assessment prepared by a qualified psychologist or psychological associate can identify issues impacting an individual’s development and/or daily functioning. A comprehensive assessment can offer realistic recommendations for self-referring individuals, parents, schools, teachers, doctors, hospitals, other caregivers, lawyers and workplaces.
Toronto Psychological Services offers a wide range of assessments to children (3+ years), adolescents and adults. We offer school consultations and parent education.
What’s different about a Psychological Assessment at TPS
Interview first: Clients are welcome to attend and pay for an initial interview without going forward for an assessment. Sometimes, counselling is a better option than an extensive, costly psychological assessment. A 1-hour interview with a psychologist or psychological associate can provide a client or their parents with important information that may guide an assessment or other psychological service.
TPS does not use the services of a psychometrist: Every step of a psychological assessment at TPS is completed by a psychologist or psychological associate who is a registered member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario. At TPS, we believe in dynamic assessment. While our assessments require clients to complete standardized test measures, skilled clinical observation and focused clinical interviews are just as important to us. A competent psychologist or psychological associate is a licensed professional who has the necessary clinical training to observe and document the way that a client approaches, attempts or completes tasks, whether they be easy or challenging. A trained psychologist or psychological associate can also explore the way a client feels about the tasks they are being asked to complete. An experienced psychology professional is best able to recognize symptomology exhibited by a client that may be missed by a psychometrist (For example, subtle tics exhibited by clients with mild Tourette’s during testing or a wide range of other clinical symptoms).
We are qualified to assess very young children: Assessing toddlers and very young children is particularly demanding and requires specialized education and training in the development of infants, toddlers and children. In additon to documenting a detailed developmental history and standardized measures, we have a Play Therapy room in which to make clinical observations of a very young child.
TPS does not overbook: All psychological assessments are completed in a timely fashion. On the day that a client or their parents attend an intake interview, every step of the assessment will be booked in its entirety. This includes all testing sessions, scoring/interpretation, report writing and feedback date. Unless a psychological assessment is impacted by a client’s illness, unexpected holiday or personal functioning, a client will know the date of the feedback on the day of the intake interview. In most cases, the work will be completed in 2-4 weeks depending upon the complexity and needs of the client. If we are unable to complete an assessment within a client’s timeline, we state it immediately and refer appropriately.
EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENTS
TPS offers Educational Assessments to children, adolescents and adults. An educational assessment can promote greater understanding of academic performance and achievement. As well, an educational assessment can identify the underlying issues that may be preventing a person from achieving his or her academic potential. Similarly, a person who is excelling at school may require support and enrichment within the classroom. Learning disabilities, intellectual deficits, social problems and giftedness can be identified during an educational assessment.
What are some Common Signs of Learning Disabilities?
If parents, teachers, and other professionals understand a child’s learning difficulties early, they can provide the right kind of help that could give a child a chance to develop skills needed to lead a more successful education and productive life.
It is generally parents who are the first to notice that “something doesn’t seem right”. If you are aware of the common signs of learning disabilities, you will be able to recognize potential problems early. The following is a checklist of some characteristics that may point to a learning disability. Most people, will from time to time, see one or more of these warning signs in their children. This is normal. If, however, you see several of these characteristics over a long period of time, consider the possibility of learning disability.
Preschool
- Speaks later than most children
- Pronunciation problems
- Slow vocabulary growth, often unable to find the right word
- Difficult rhyming words
- Trouble learning numbers, alphabet, days of the week, colours, shapes
- Extremely restless and easily distracted
- Trouble interacting with peers
- Difficulty following directions or routines
- Fine motor
- skills slow to develop
Grades K-4
- Slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds
- Confuses basic words (run, eat, want)
- Makes consistent reading and spelling errors including letter reversals (b/d); inversions (m/w); transpositions (felt/left), and substitutions (house/home)
- Transposes number sequences and confuses arithmetic signs (+, -, x,=)
- Slow to remember facts
- Slow to learn new skills, relies heavily on memorization
- Impulsive, difficulty planning
- Unstable pencil grip
- Trouble learning about time
- Poor coordination, unaware of physical surroundings, prone to accidents
Grades 5-8
- Reverses letter sequences (soiled/solid; left/felt)
- Slow to learn prefixes, suffixes, root words, and other spelling strategies
- Avoids reading aloud
- Trouble with word problems
- Difficulty with handwriting
- Awkward, fist-like, or tight pencil grip
- Avoids writing compositions
- Does not develop math fluency
- Slow or poor recall of facts
- Difficulty making friends
- Trouble understanding body language and facial expressions
- Significant social misinterpretation
High School & Adults
- Continues to spell incorrectly, frequently spells the same word differently in a single piece of writing
- Avoids reading and writing tasks
- Trouble summarizing
- Trouble with open-ended questions on tests
- Weak memory skills
- Difficulty adjusting to new settings
- Works slowly
- Poor grasp of abstract concepts
- Either pays too little attention to details or focuses on them too much
- Misreads information
A Psycho-educational Assessment is often the best means of gaining an indepth understanding an individuals learning style and better still, their potential to learn in future.
- Learning Disabilities
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Developmental Delay
- Social problems
- Giftedness
- Organization, planning and self-monitoring problems
Elementary School
Reading: Children who are struggling to learn the read may be having difficulty in one or more areas. For example, a child who is experiencing difficulty reading may have difficulty remembering what letters of the alphabet look like or the sounds that letters make). The truth is that there are many, many issues that might impact a child’s ability to learn to read.
Mathematics: Likewise, lags in developing math skill can be attributed to different causes. For example, a person many find it difficult to understand or name math terms, operations or concepts. Language skills are needed to ‘decode’ written problems into math symbols or arithmetic signs.
Written Expression: Written production is one of the most complex and demanding of the academic skills. It requires language skill, organization and planning skills, good working memory, an ability to remember letter sequences in common words, graphomotor skill and a strong understanding of writing and spelling techniques. It is also strongly impacted by motivational and attitudinal components.
High School
Many young teens entering high school may have been diagnosed or identified as an exceptional learner during elementary school. An updated, comprehensive educational assessment in grade 7 or 8 could determine whether the child made significant academic progress after receiving additional support, what areas require increased focus before high school and, perhaps most importantly, what academic high school program is best for the young teen.
For a variety of reasons, there are some children who will not be diagnosed or identified as exceptional learners in elementary school. Often, in the first or second year of high school, these individuals may begin to struggle academically. A teen who has experienced manageable academic difficulties in elementary school may suddenly find they are having significant difficulty at high school. As a person progresses to higher grades there will be greater emphasis on lecture as a primary mode of instruction. Consequently, it can be anticipated that a person who requires more time processing what they hear will experience increasing difficulty coping with their studies in high school or later, in college. Similarly, a student who required significant support to plan, organize and monitor their performance on a project or essay in elementary school, may not receive the same support at the high school level.
University/College
A learning disability does not prohibit a student from applying to and successfully completing a university degree or college diploma. It is clear that a psychological assessment could be useful to update past educational assessments for a student. More and more often we see adults seeking a university or college education as mature students. Often, such individuals KNEW they were capable in their youth but couldn’t demonstrate their ability at that time. Sophisticated test materials combined with knowledgeable psychological expertise can determine an adult’s ability, level of achievement and potential to succeed in the right academic program. Importantly, a psychologist or psychological associate can guide a student by providing useful recommendations for course selection and improved study habits.
Graduate School Applicants
Students with a history of a learning disability will require a psychological assessment or educational assessment that has been completed within the 2-years prior to their application. For example, persons who intend to sit for the MCAT or LSAT may require more time to complete the examination in order to be able to demonstrate their actual abilities. They may need to sit in a separate room in order to limit ambient noise. Whatever, their need at the time of the examination, a recent comprehensive psychological assessment is generally required to establish that such need exists.
DEVELOPMENTAL ASSESSMENTS
Developmental Disability
At TPS, we assess individuals aged 3-to adulthood who have suspected of lags in development. A person with lower intellectual functioning will often be diagnosed or identified in infancy or early childhood. In addition to below average intelligence, a person may also demonstrate significant limitations in adaptive functioning. For example, they may find it difficult or impossible to communicate, care for themselves, independently use community resources and/or develop academic skills/work.
A person with a development disability can learn, albeit at a slower pace, than other people. A psychological assessment can determine a person’s academic potential and whether there may be cognitive strengths that have not been realized.
PDD: Autism ~ Aspergers
TPS completes PDD Assessments to children and adolescents+, aged 3-21 years of age. As Autism is a developmental disorder, it is important to minimize the delays in a child’s development. Early diagnosis and intervention reduce the impact of autism on a child’s life so if you suspect your child may have autism, contact TPS to begin the diagnosis process.
About half of parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder notice their child’s unusual behaviors by age 18 months, and about four-fifths notice by age 24 months. As postponing treatment may affect long-term outcome, any of the following signs is reason to have a child evaluated by a specialist without delay:
» more Information about ABA/IBI services for Autism & Asperger Syndrome
Asperger Syndrome:
While there are similarities with autism, people with Asperger Syndrome have fewer problems with speaking and are often of average, or above average, intelligence. Individuals with Aspergers sometimes have learning problems and/or struggle to relate to others.
Because Asperger Syndrome varies widely from person to person, making a diagnosis can be difficult if a clinician does not have clinical experience in the area. It is often diagnosed later in children than autism and sometimes difficulties may not be recognised and diagnosed until adulthood.
Some people see a formal diagnosis as an unhelpful label; however, for many a diagnosis:
- helps the individual, families, friends, partners, careers, professionals and colleagues to better understand and manage their needs and behaviour
- is the key needed to open the door to specialised support
» more Information about ABA/IBI services for Autism & Asperger Syndrome
Behavioural Assessment
TPS limits Behavioural Assessments to children and adolescents+, aged 3-21 years of age. Some children and teens appear to be chronically inflexible with a limited tolerance for frustration. Others are impulsive, inattentive and hyperactive. Still other kids have limited social and/or communication skills. A comprehensive behavioural assessment is critical to achieving a clear understanding of the underlying factors impacting your child’s behaviour at home and at school. Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and many Disruptive behaviors can be identified during a behavioural assessment.
Behavioural Assessments can help parents and individuals understand more about their behaviour and how it contributes to their education, relationships with others at school, home or the workplace.
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Conduct Disorder
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
OTHER CLINICAL ASSESSMENTS
At TPS we understand that people tolerate incredible stressors in our fast paced world. Anxiety, depression, intense shyness, phobic response and/or withdrawal are often the result. Understanding requires an investigation into an individual’s feelings and thoughts often followed by professional treatment. Call to learn more about clinical assessments at TPS. Examples of the clinical issues that may be assessed are:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Social Phobia
- Selective Mutism or intense shyness
- Eating Disorders
- Separation Anxiety
MVA ASSESSMENT
TPS offers MVA assessments to children, adolescents and adults. Individuals often struggle psychologically with the aftermath of a car accident. An MVA assessment investigates the existence, nature and degree of psychological dysfunction that may have resulted directly or indirectly from an individual’s car accident. An MVA assessment could provide the client with feedback regarding their present emotional status as well as treatment recommendations, should they be necessary, that might advance them return to premorbid functioning.
Sometimes, a client who has been in a car accident requires counselling (adults/teens) or play therapy (children). TPS offers such services 6 days a week.
FORENSIC ~ LEGAL ASSESSMENT
TPS does not offer Forensic or Legal Assessments and recommends Shelley Gorman, PhD., C. Psych at www.drshelleygorman.com or 905-277-5545.
CUSTODY AND ACCESS ASSESSMENT
TPS does not offer Custody and Access Assessments. It is recommended that individuals contact the College of Psychologists of Ontario at www.cpo.on.ca for a suitable referral.
