Are You Concerned For Your Child’s Academic Well-being?

Is your child struggling with their grades or taking an unreasonable amount of time doing their homework—even with your assistance? Do you frequently receive calls from their teachers reporting that your child is disrupting class, lashing out at others or refusing to do classwork? Is your child’s grouchiness, irritability or non-compliance stressing you out or affecting the family dynamic?

Perhaps you want to understand why your child is having trouble making friends or not performing well academically at school when they seem capable of doing the work. Maybe you know your child is intelligent and tries their best, but something just isn’t clicking. You may even worry that their school is the one failing them.

For parents who are trying to make sense of their child’s poor academic performance or disruptive behaviors at home, it can be a discouraging and exhausting journey. And, if you are the parent of a child who is struggling with a learning disability, ADHD, or a mental health issue, such as anxiety or depression, trying to help them can sometimes be demoralizing. You are probably at your wit’s end and just want to help your child be their best possible self.

Would you like to understand your child’s strengths and weaknesses, help them overcome their challenges and level the playing field for their academic success?

Many Children Struggle With Academics

If you are worried about your child’s academic performance, you are not alone. Millions of children nationwide struggle with a range of diagnoses, ranging from learning disabilities or dyslexia, to ADHD to autism—and that prevalence is on the rise.  In fact, the National Institute for Mental Health found that the rate of diagnoses for ADHD in children rose 42 percent from 2003 to 2011!

Many children have differences in the way they process information making it difficult for them to be successful in the classroom. Other children have no problem with their ability to learn but instead, struggle with regulating their emotions or behavior. These difficulties may also have a negative impact on their academic performance.

The transition from home-life to school-life can be difficult for young children and parents alike. Your child, once under your constant supervision, is now in an environment that you can’t gain immediate access to, at least not on a constant basis. And so, as parents, we aren’t able to see what is happening in the classroom. We can’t be there to fortify their weaknesses and teach them to draw upon their strengths.

Fortunately, a psychoeducational assessment can help you and your child accomplish just that. By engaging in testing you are not only nourishing their academic success, you are also protecting their mental and physical well-being.

A Psychological Evaluation Can Give You Clarity and Insight

For many children with learning issues, their in-class behavior may be misconstrued as simple trouble-making or defiance. But, a psychoeducational evaluation can clarify these situations by giving insight as to whether the child is capable of completing the work, or if they are unwilling or unmotivated to do so. Testing can decode their behavior, identify strengths and weaknesses and give direction as to what tools the child needs to overcome challenges to their success both in and out of the classroom.

In a comfortable and confidential environment, your child will complete a battery of assessments designed to uncover a wide range of issues. Cognitive and academic assessments will provide information about any strengths and weaknesses in your child’s learning and academic skills.  Emotional and behavioral assessments will provide information about your child’s mental health. Each battery of tests is individualized to answer the questions you have about your child’s learning and behavior.

The information you obtain from testing will help you, as a parent, learn how to set reasonable goals and expectations for your child. Over time, your child’s level of confidence, self-acceptance and interest in learning can increase as can their overall school performance. In turn, your household will become more peaceful and your relationship with your child can deepen.

Psychoeducational testing provides more than just insight and management skills. The information and subsequent report you receive following the evaluation may qualify your child for a number of academic accommodations, such as access to assistive technologies, notetaking assistance, alternative quiet spaces for test-taking and extended deadlines for homework and projects. Your child may also qualify to receive specialized instruction at school.

Testing can also offer a wealth of resources and strategies that can help students overcome learning disabilities, attention problems and mental health issues that may be impacting their academics. It may reveal that your child could benefit from psychotherapy or medication.  But, most importantly, your child will walk away with the understanding that they can be different, do things differently and still be successful.

We understand that life may seem overwhelming right now. You’ve probably been struggling unsuccessfully to help your child in every way you know how to, but nothing seems to work. If you think there is a missing link in your child’s learning, psychological testing can provide answers.

Testing for ADHD and learning disabilities can profoundly affect the rest of your child’s life. With our help, we can draw a clear roadmap to your child’s academic success. The valuable skills and awareness they acquire here can follow them through life indefinitely.

I am considering a psychological evaluation for my child, but I still have questions and concerns…

I am worried that a diagnosis will endanger their future.

A psychoeducational evaluation isn’t about placing a label on your child. This is about getting your child the help they need before another school year passes and they are left behind, perhaps again.

However, we do understand your hesitation and fear. That’s why the tests we provide are confidential. The evaluations we administer are often more thorough and specialized than those provided in the school setting. And, at the end of the day, you and your psychologist will be the only ones with this information. The parts you decide to divulge to others, such as schools or physicians, are entirely up to you.

Why psychological testing and not just tutoring?

Trying to fix something when you don’t even know how it works can be a frustrating endeavor. But, with the very specific information we receive from testing, we can identify your child’s learning style and target what isn’t working for them and what is.

We can also tailor a plan for helping your child overcome obstacles to their academic success; in some cases, that may include tutoring. By identifying the source of your child’s struggles, you can address the issue directly and effectively, something tutoring alone may not be able to accomplish.

I am worried about the cost.

Testing gives you the ability to really understand what is going on inside your child’s mind. If you are trying to help your child by investing in tutoring sessions or psychotherapy, you may, unfortunately, be wasting your money. After all, you can’t fix something without identifying the problem.

A psychological evaluation assures that your money, time and energy are invested wisely by identifying and addressing your child’s challenges at their source. By engaging in testing, you are ensuring that your child will learn how to overcome their challenges effectively—and that is priceless.

Equip Your Child For Academic Success

If your child is struggling in school or is demonstrating confusing behavioral patterns, we can help. Please call 404 491 1684 or email us at info@lightwaypsych.com for a free, 15-minute consultation.

Brandi Tanner, Ph.D., NCSP

Dr. Tanner provides comprehensive psychological and psychoeducational evaluations to assess learning, emotional, and behavioral concerns in children and adolescents.

SPECIALTY AREAS: Autism, ADHD, Specific Learning Disorder, Anxiety, Depression, learning problems, behavioral problems