Well, it’s that time of year again, in a year like never before. As we scrape desperately toward the finish line of the beast that is the ‘vid, let’s recalibrate.
My husband and I chose to enroll 2 of our 3 children in online schooling this year; like most parents (irrespective of what schooling format was chosen this year), we are curious-slash-wary as to what the upcoming academic year might hold for us. Did we “do” this year right? Will our kiddos be behind? Ahead? Dismayed? Confused? I have no idea. Just what a psychologist should say, right? Actually, yes. I don’t sugar-coat reality very well! And there is no evidence-based practice upon which this pandemic and its implications for psychological (and human) practice are predicated. A brave, new world, indeed.
Many of the clients with whom I worked this year found the pandemic to be a double-edged sword (that’s a #wholeotherblogentry!). Many clients observed that their previously existing challenges were exacerbated by the pandemic; many noted that challenges they had not previously noticed were “unearthed” by the pandemic. So, circling back around to school considerations, and supporting our kiddos for success as we charge forward…what do these new challenges look like?
For many kiddos (and adults), we will find a way to navigate things valiantly. We will thus earn and learn resilience along the way. This is awesome. However, some of us truly have identified marked issues that have arisen or worsened, and it might be time to address that. One way to address said predicament is a psychoeducational assessment. Now – caveat – not all psychoeds are created equal! The most helpful assessments are generally of an extremely comprehensive nature and include the cognitive (IQ-related stuff, though IQ cannot always be reported, depending on the profile, etc.), academic (reading, writing, and math), and social/emotional/behavioural (i.e., ADHD, OCD, depression, anxiety, etc.) profiles of the person being assessed. Often, these 3 areas are interconnected, and their tri-directional influence helps us to understand what’s up (and what’s down!), so that diagnoses and recommendations are spot-on. Even in my counseling work, I am often asking parents to share the results of previous assessments with me, so that I can have a better understanding of the human(s) in front of me. The data and insights gleaned from a psychoed can inform all areas of life, including academics, but also in social, family, career, extra-curricular, etc. landscapes. Understand the brain, understand the train!
I love doing psychoeducational assessments. Report writing is somewhat more tedious (!), but I really feel like putting a huge, shiny, multicolored ribbon on the final report. It’s really quite satisfying! It’s also monumentally satisfying when a parent looks at me and melts into tears of relief because it now all makes sense. Nothing worse than knowing something is askew, and especially not knowing what it is; nothing more empowering than the understanding and effective navigating of said thing.
My timelines for psychoeducational assessments are extremely prompt; my reports are extremely thorough. If you have wondered about what might be up for your kiddo(s), or even yourself, please connect with me via email ([email protected]) to discuss. We can get you and your kiddos better-equipped for the upcoming school year, and for life. No sense suffering in silence– let’s get this figured out and get ourselves equipped to reach our own pinnacles!
