What Happens During a Psychological Assessments?

The psychologist talks with the parents/caregivers (if the assessment is for a child) or the adult themselves, to learn about strengths, challenges, history, concerns, and goals for the assessment.

If an autism assessment is part of the psychological assessment for a child, the parents/caregivers will participate in the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), which is a structured, in-depth caregiver interview used by clinicians as part of the diagnostic process for autism, as required in British Columbia for diagnosis of individuals under the age of 19.

For children, parents, teachers or school staff may be asked to fill out forms or provide comments/observations about how the child is doing.

For adults, the person being assessed and an observer, such as a parent, spouse/partner, sibling, friend, or counsellor, may be asked to fill out forms or provide comments/observations about how the person is doing.

Information may also be requested from doctors, counsellors, or other helping professionals involved with the person being assessed.

Testing is completed in the office across one to three sessions, depending on the type of assessment and age of the person being tested.

The person being assessed works one-on-one with the psychologist on to find out how their brain works and how they think and learn.

The process is paced to fit the person’s needs and includes breaks, snacks, and encouragement to keep things positive. Breaks are encouraged.

Dr. Juliane provides sensory tools including fidgets for use during session. Feel free to bring your own or other comfort items if needed.

Please let your psychologist know if you/your child require any accommodations to access the assessment or if you/your child have specific sensory needs that require consideration.

Depending on the type of assessment and age of the person being tested, the following are examples of testing that may be included in the assessment:

IQ/intelligence test which looks at different thinking and learning tasks (like puzzles, memory games, problem-solving, and language tasks).
Academic (reading, writing, math, and spelling) tasks to see how they're doing compared to others their age.
Visual-motor integration tasks are usually completed to get a sense of the person's visual and fine motor skills.
Interviewing, to get a sense of the person's lived experiences.
For autism only: The ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition) a semi-structured assessment to evaluate behaviours, social interactions, and communication skills in individuals suspected of being autistic, as required in British Columbia for diagnosis of individuals under the age of 19.

Questionnaires or interviews may be used to better understand things like attention, mood, anxiety, or behaviour.

For children, these are usually completed by parents, teachers, and the child/youth themself.

For adults, these are usually completed by the individual themself and sometimes a close family member.

The psychologist looks at patterns across learning, behaviour, and development to understand how the person's brain works.

They will look at the criteria for different possible diagnoses that could explain why their brain works the way it does.

The psychologist writes a report that explains the person's strengths and needs, any diagnoses (if relevant), and clear recommendations.

The psychologist can complete forms that might be needed within the community to access disability related supports, such as the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) or Persons with Disabilities (PWD; for adults only).

If the client is in post-secondary, the psychologist can also complete the Appendix 8 form, which supports access to government grants for students with disabilities.

The psychologist can also work with the client post-diagnosis to help them understand their brain better and to work on establishing supports and accommodations for the individual.