Comprehensive Psychological Evaluation

Comprehensive psychological evaluations assess the client’s functioning in areas associated with learning, behavior, social skills, mood and anxiety, and cognitive processing.  These evaluations typically take 4-6 hours of the client’s time across two sessions. Specifically we can evaluate and diagnose disorders such as the following (not an exhaustive list):

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Anxiety and Mood Disorders (e.g., Generalized Anxiety Disorder-GAD)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Gifted/Talented (K-12^th)
• Disorders/functioning following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI, Concussion)C
• Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) in reading, math, or writing (includes dyslexia)

Our psychological evaluation process is designed to be comprehensive and assess across methods, domains, and sources. Neuropsychological evaluations may be available depending upon referral questions and licensed faculty expertise. We will tailor the evaluation to meet the needs of the client and to answer any referral concerns, but typical evaluation components are provided below.

Methods typically include:

• Behavioral observations (during assessment; classroom settings when feasible)
• Clinical/developmental history interview
• DSM-5 diagnostic clinical interviews
• Questionnaires/rating scales
• Record review (records provided by client; any records obtained by CAPS after a release is signed)
• Standardized performance-based assessment (working directly with the client)

Domains typically include:

• Academic (reading, mathematics, written expression, academic fluency)
• Behavioral, social, emotional, personality
• Cognitive/neurocognitive processing (overall cognitive ability/IQ, verbal reasoning, nonverbal reasoning, attention, memory and learning, and executive function)

Sources may include:

• Client (child, adolescent or young adult)
• Parents/caregivers
• Spouse/other informant
• Teachers/school personnel