Psychological Assessments
Clear answers, individualized recommendations, and practical next steps
Psychoeducational Assessments
A psychoeducational assessment provides a broad understanding of how a child, adolescent, or adult thinks and learns. It typically examines cognitive abilities, academic achievement, attention or executive functioning when relevant, and social-emotional or behavioural factors that may be affecting performance.
This type of assessment may help explain why someone is struggling despite significant effort, identify a learning disability, clarify strengths and support needs, and guide accommodations or intervention. It is often the best starting point when concerns involve more than one area or when it is not yet clear whether difficulties are related to learning, attention, emotional factors, or a combination of influences.
Learn more about Psychoeducational Assessments.
ADHD Assessments for Children
A child ADHD assessment examines attention, activity level, impulse control, executive functioning, and the impact of these concerns across settings. Information from parents, teachers, the child, interviews, records, rating scales, and appropriate testing may be combined to understand the full picture.
Families may seek an assessment because a child is falling behind, taking much longer than expected to complete work, forgetting instructions, becoming frustrated, or showing different behaviour at home and school. Others want diagnostic clarification before considering treatment, accommodations, or additional school support.
Learn more about ADHD Assessments for Children.
ADHD Assessments for Adults
An adult ADHD assessment explores current concerns alongside developmental, educational, occupational, and personal history. It considers attention and executive functioning while also examining other factors that can produce similar difficulties, such as stress, sleep, anxiety, mood, or learning concerns.
Adults may seek assessment after years of unexplained difficulty, when responsibilities increase, after a child is diagnosed, or because work or post-secondary demands have exposed patterns that were previously manageable. Assessment can provide diagnostic clarity and practical recommendations for daily life, treatment discussions, and possible accommodations.
Learn more about ADHD Assessments for Adults.
Dyslexia and Learning-Disability Assessments
Dyslexia and other learning disabilities are assessed through a comprehensive examination of cognitive and academic skills. Depending on the concern, testing may focus on reading accuracy and fluency, phonological processing, spelling, written expression, mathematics, memory, processing speed, or other abilities involved in learning.
The purpose is not simply to assign a label. A useful assessment explains the pattern of strengths and difficulties, identifies whether diagnostic criteria are met, and provides specific recommendations for instruction, accommodations, and support. These questions are addressed through the Psychoeducational Assessment service.
Learn more about Psychoeducational Assessments.
Gifted and GATE Assessments
Gifted assessments examine cognitive abilities and may support applications to specialized educational programs. A focused cognitive assessment may be appropriate when the primary question is intellectual giftedness. GATE applications may require both cognitive and academic information, so the assessment is expanded accordingly.
Families may also seek assessment to understand advanced learning needs, uneven development, boredom, underachievement, or the possibility that giftedness is occurring alongside ADHD or a learning disability. When concerns extend beyond program eligibility, a comprehensive psychoeducational assessment may be more appropriate.
Learn more about Gifted and GATE Assessments.
What Is Included in an Assessment
Assessment fees that include a comprehensive report cover:
- an intake interview and review of the referral questions
- selection and administration of appropriate standardized measures
- scoring, interpretation, and integration of available information
- a full written report explaining findings and recommendations
- a follow-up session to review the results and answer questions
Under most circumstances, clients can expect the completed comprehensive report within two weeks after testing is finished and all required questionnaires, records, or collateral information have been received. If an unusually complex assessment will require more time, this will be discussed as early as possible.
The $700 no-report options for gifted and GATE assessment include the intake, required testing, scoring, and a summary of the scores. They do not include a comprehensive written report or a formal results-review session. Additional consultation can be arranged separately if needed.
Further follow-up is also available. This may include advocacy, consultation with a school or other professional, attendance at a school meeting, or support implementing recommendations. Additional services are arranged with written consent and billed at the regular hourly rate.
Start With a Free Consultation
You do not need to decide which assessment to book before contacting NorthSky. Schedule a free consultation so we can discuss your concerns, the questions you want answered, expected costs and timelines, and which approach is most likely to provide useful information.
If an assessment is not the right next step, we will say so. The goal is to choose a process that fits the person and the decisions the results need to support.