Anna Arailoudi
Registered School / Educational Psycologist
Child/Adolescent Psycho-diagnostic Assessment
“The assessment is necessary to create an individualized intervention and a holistic treatment plan”
Who should undergo a psychodiagnostic evaluation?
Students with suspected learning difficulties, with ADHD, with an autistic spectrum disorder, with a weakness in memory and concentration, with difficulty in expressing speech, with deficits in visual-motor coordination and processing speed, etc.
Assessment process steps
Taking a history with the parents (clinical interview)
1-2 sessions with parents
In taking a history, important information is collected about the child’s development, his school progress, his family background, his social-emotional profile, etc. The ultimate goal is to understand where his current difficulty comes from and what factors may influence it. After written consent from both parents, relevant questionnaires are given to the school and potential therapists to collect additional information.
Assessment
4-5 sessions with the child
In the assessment process, quantitative data is collected from various standarized psychometric tools/questionnaires (WISC-V, WPPSI – III, VINELAND, CARS, ACHENBACH) and qualitative data is collected through observation of the child/adolescent. Assessment may include questionnaires, intelligence tests, learning and social-emotional assessment.
Announcement of results / Writing a report
1 session with parents
The penultimate step involves meeting with the parents for feedback and discussion of the results. Also, an analytical report is written that includes the entire evaluation process, methodology, results and recommendations. The report is a mean of communication between professionals, but it can also be submitted as an official document to the relevant public services, e.g. to the Ministry of Education for provision of Special Education or to the Department of Social Integration of Persons with Disabilities.
Designing an intervention program
During the last meeting, an individualized intervention plan is drawn up based on the child’s strengths and weaknesses, as they emerged through the assessment. Recommendations may concern the school context or the family environment, monitoring by a psychologist and/or referral to other specialist professionals, if deemed necessary.
How long does the assessment take?
It usually lasts 1.5 – 2 months.
The assessment can be done in Greek and English.