Assessment Services

At Riverwise, we are passionate about providing high quality, comprehensive psychoeducational / psychological assessments for school aged children, teens, and youth preparing to attend post-secondary education. The goal of an assessment is to better understand how an individual learns and functions at school, how they think, feel, and interact with their environment, and to identify any underlying difficulties. This information then serves to develop individualized recommendations and pinpoint next steps.

Depending on the presenting issues and questions, an assessment may explore:

• Thinking and reasoning abilities

• Oral language skills

• Cognitive and processing abilities like memory, visual-motor skills, processing speed, phonological processing

• Attention and executive functioning skills

• Social-emotional functioning and mental health

• Behaviour

• Academic skills including reading, writing, and math

Your child or adolescent may receive a formal diagnosis as a result of their assessment. We commonly see children with Learning Disabilities, Intellectual Disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. We also see children with high intellectual ability who may be identified as Gifted. Whether your child does or does not receive a formal diagnosis, we will provide detailed information about their strengths and needs, as well as individualized recommendations for home and school. Feedback will be provided to you during a meeting, and you will receive a detailed report.

Our assessment process typically includes:

• An in-depth interview with parents or caregivers to review relevant history and current concerns

• Consultation with teachers to understand functioning at school

• Parent/caregiver and teacher questionnaires and rating scales

• Review of any relevant developmental or educational documents

• Formal testing of all relevant abilities; informal play-based activities; child / adolescent interview

• A feedback meeting to discuss assessment results, diagnoses, and recommendations

• A comprehensive psychological assessment report explaining results and recommendations