One of the biggest challenges faced in the world of mental health treatment is misdiagnosis and inaccurate psychological assessments. This occurs due to the fact that many psychological disorders have overlapping and interconnected symptoms, or physicians and clinicians don’t spend sufficient time testing, which makes it harder to pinpoint the root cause of a client’s challenges and strengths.
Two people can experience the same challenges in very different ways as everyone perceives their reality differently. This subjectivity brings along with it a degree of vagueness that needs to be tackled by skilled psychologists and psychiatrists.
Therapists often deal with clients who show a myriad of symptoms that point in multiple directions. In order to accurately assess the nature, cause, and treatment for a particular challenge, a comprehensive, norm-based, age based, and evidence-based approach needs to be used. Our team of therapists at Aspiring Families have decades of experience in diagnosing and treating simple to some of the most complex psychological conditions.
What Does a Diagnostic Evaluation or Assessment Include?
We provide evaluations and psychological assessments for children, teens, college students, and adults. To better identify the specific underlying issues, we conduct diagnostic evaluations and assessments that accurately pinpoint the developmental, emotional, cognitive, academic, personal, and social components of any given condition.
We utilize state-of-the-art, standardized, norm-based, and valid diagnostic in-person tests, in addition to a comprehensive clinical interview, along with school and home observations, and norm based teacher, parent, and self-reports to generate a complete report with scores and specific recommendations that will be provided to you.
Typically, the process includes:
- Detailed diagnostic interview(s) and standardized norm based measures with the client, parents, family, teachers, partner, and significant others.
- School and Home Observations
- Specific testing utilizing state-of-the-art, standardized, valid, and reliable in person testing to assess focused areas of strengths and vulnerabilities related to the presenting issues.
Diagnostic testing for:
- ADHD
- Anxiety Disorders
- Depression
- Developmental Delays
- Eating Disorders
- Executive Functioning
- Intellectual Abilities and Giftedness
- Intellectual Delays
- Learning Disabilities
- Memory
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Personality Testing
- Visual-Spatial Abilities
- Visual Motor Abilities
- Vocational Assessments
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders
- Processing Speed
- Spectrum Disorders
We may also consider:
- A consultation with the pediatrician or primary full time care physician.
- A review of the medical and educational history and reports including medications, medical illnesses, previous testing, evaluations, school/IEP reports, and medical and psychiatric records.
- Collaborative information from previous psychologists and psychiatrists.
- A medical consultation with our medical director.
What You Receive:
- A detailed comprehensive report will be provided to you that includes all the data, explanations, and standardized scores, diagnoses and specific targeted recommendations for schools, colleges, homes, and the professional environment. The report can be utilized to obtain school and college accommodations via 504’s and Individualized Educational Plans, and accommodations for standardized school and college tests.
- The psychologist will facilitate and support you through the process of obtaining further psycho-educational support privately, in school or in college, and for standardized required tests. At your request, the psychologist will also attend any 504 and IEP meetings at your school. Your psychologist can also assist you in work accommodation requests.
For more information about booking a comprehensive diagnostic assessment for you or your child, schedule a free consultation today.