Psycho-Educational Testing
Serving families in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County, our diagnostic assessments are designed to identify factors impacting academic and social success. By identifying individual strengths and challenges, we provide personalized recommendations to support your child’s success.
Miriam is one of the premier psycho-educational evaluation providers in the St. Louis area. We understand that it can be frustrating when you know that your child has much more academic potential than what they are exhibiting. Understanding your child’s academic strengths and weaknesses is the first step needed to help him or her improve.
Children are complex and can have difficulty in school for many different reasons including language issues, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, learning disabilities, auditory processing problems, depression, anxiety, lack of motivation, sensory integration issues, fine and gross motor delays, and individual weaknesses in processing speed, memory and other cognitive areas.
The Evaluation Process
IQ and academic testing or a psycho-educational evaluation assesses a child’s cognitive abilities as they relate to reading, writing, math, written expression and other academic skills. The evaluation compares the child’s academic performance to other children in his or her grade or those of the same age, to determine if skills the child possesses are on target. When we analyze all of the testing data (the child’s IQ and academic scores, ADHD, autism, and behavioral assessment rating scales, parent/child interviews and clinical observations), we are usually able to tell why a child is struggling in school and can help design a pathway to improvement.
Understanding and Diagnosing Learning Disorders
Through a psycho-educational evaluation, we are able to diagnose ADHD and learning disabilities in reading, writing and math (Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia). Psycho-educational testing provides a comprehensive picture of a student’s ability to learn and his/her actual academic performance compared to same-age peers. When a significant discrepancy is present in academic testing and the child is struggling in school, we are able to diagnose Specific Learning Disorders in reading, writing and math.
When we add a full psychological evaluation to the psycho-educational evaluation, we are also able to diagnose mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. A language evaluation added to the psycho-educational evaluation helps us diagnose language disorders, social pragmatic communication disorder, speech issues and autism. When a child is very young or nonverbal or when autism rating scales are not conclusive, a specialized autism test (ADOS-2) may also be added to the psycho-educational evaluation to validate this diagnosis. Due to added costs, we only add on additional testing when we need more information to confirm a suspected diagnosis.
How to Get Started
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Schedule a Free Consultation: Contact us to share details about your child’s needs.
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Plan the Testing: We’ll recommend the appropriate assessments and create a testing plan tailored to your child.
- Review Results: Once testing is complete, we’ll guide you through the findings and recommendations.
Our Expert Team
The Miriam Learning Center employs Missouri certified school psychologists and examiners who have many years of experience administering and interpreting diagnostic tests. Our Master’s level Missouri Licensed Clinical Social Workers work closely with our diagnostic team so they can provide medical diagnoses using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Disorders (DSM-5-TR), the same medical diagnosis manual that psychiatrists, doctors, and psychologists use. We provide a medical diagnosis. Medical diagnoses do not always mean that a child may qualify for an educational diagnosis through their school district, because diagnostic criteria differs.
We can usually schedule psycho-educational evaluations within two weeks of the referral. Children will attend two, two-hour sessions and may be required to come back a third day if we need more testing information. Unless requested by parents, we do not test children more than two hours in one session/day, so we can obtain optimal results.
Parent Involvement
The evaluator will first meet with one or both parents to get a better understanding of the child’s developmental history and to discuss areas of concern. Parents will be required to complete many assessment forms to help with diagnostics. We also like to have schools complete the assessment forms. For some diagnoses such as ADHD, we need verification that the symptoms are present in two environments, so schools may be required to fill out some diagnostic forms if we suspect this condition. The quicker the school and parents return the forms, the faster we can finalize the report.
Although your child’s school may be aware that testing is going on, parents have full control over the disbursement of the evaluation results. No results become part of a child’s educational record unless parents choose to present the information to the child’s school.
Evaluation Report
After we complete testing, the tester writes a formal evaluation report with recommendations for the educational and home environment. Our licensed clinician will review the evaluation results with the parents and anyone else the family wishes to include. This consultation will last up to one hour.
Our Testing Services
We provide expert testing for children ages 2 to 18, offering assessments for learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, language disorders, and more. Our comprehensive, team-based approach ensures no detail is overlooked, helping to create personalized pathways for success. Let us help you uncover answers and find the support your child deserves.
Psycho-Educational Testing
Identifies a child's learning strengths and challenges through comprehensive assessments to uncover factors impacting school performance.
Learning Disability Testing
Diagnose specific learning disabilities, such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia, through targeted evaluations to understand academic struggles.
Autism Testing (ADOS)
Evaluates social, communication, and behavioral symptoms to diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and create tailored intervention plans.
Psychological Testing
Assesses social and emotional factors, like anxiety or depression, that may impact a child's learning and well-being, leading to actionable treatment plans.
ADHD/ADD Testing
Diagnose Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder through clinical interviews, rating scales, and observations to understand focus and behavioral challenges.
Language Testing
Identifies language comprehension, communication, and social language difficulties using standardized tests to assess skills and guide interventions.
Speech Testing
Evaluates articulation, fluency, and clarity of speech to diagnose issues like stuttering or apraxia, helping children improve verbal communication.
Occupational Therapy Testing
Assesses fine and gross motor skills and sensory integration to address delays affecting a child's daily functioning and development.
Physical Therapy Testing
Identifies physical challenges, such as motor delays or coordination difficulties, impacting a child’s ability to participate in daily activities.
Functional Behavior Assessment
Evaluates the reasons behind challenging behaviors, helping create strategies to improve emotional regulation and social skills.
Get a Free Consultation
Discover how we can support your child’s unique learning needs with a personalized consultation.