Evaluation
Find out what is actually going on for your child.
When school is hard, the reasons rarely sit in one place. A comprehensive psychological evaluation measures how your child thinks, learns, pays attention, manages emotion, and relates to other people — then explains, in writing, how those pieces fit together.
Ages 3–17 Serving Greater Boston and Eastern Massachusetts Reports written for schools, districts, and IEP teams
Confidential — Prepared for the family
Comprehensive Psychological Evaluation
- 01 Cognitive and intellectual functioning
- 02 Academic achievement
- 03 Language and processing
- 04 Executive functioning
- 05 Social-emotional and behavioral functioning
- 06 Autism and developmental history
What is measured
One evaluation. Six areas. One explanation.
A psychological evaluation is not a single test. Each section below answers a question parents actually ask us — and every section is written so a teacher, a district, and a pediatrician can all use it. Choose a section to see what it covers.
The question this answers
“Is my child capable of more than school is seeing?”
We measure reasoning, verbal comprehension, visual-spatial thinking, working memory, and processing speed — the abilities underneath everything else. This is where an unusually bright child with an unexpected weakness first becomes visible, and where a wide gap between ability and classroom performance gets documented instead of guessed at.
Included in this section
- Verbal reasoning
- Nonverbal and visual-spatial reasoning
- Working memory
- Processing speed
- Cognitive profile and score ranges
Measures include the WPPSI-IV, WISC-5, and WAIS-5, chosen by age and referral question.
The question this answers
“Why is schoolwork so much harder for my child than for other kids?”
Standardized achievement testing measures reading, writing, and math directly, then compares them against your child’s own cognitive profile. That comparison is what separates “needs to try harder” from a specific learning disability such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia — and it is the evidence a school team needs to act.
Included in this section
- Word reading and decoding
- Reading fluency and comprehension
- Spelling and written expression
- Math calculation and problem solving
- Ability–achievement comparison
The question this answers
“Is something getting in the way of information going in?”
A child can understand a concept perfectly and still lose it between hearing and using it. We look at phonological processing, rapid naming, memory, and how quickly your child takes in and works with information — the mechanics that explain slow homework, lost instructions, and reading that never became automatic.
Included in this section
- Phonological awareness
- Rapid automatized naming
- Verbal and visual memory
- Auditory processing concerns
- Speed of retrieval
The question this answers
“Why can’t my child start, plan, or finish anything?”
Executive functioning is the management system for learning: getting started, holding a plan in mind, shifting strategies, monitoring the work, and handing it in. Weak executive skills look like laziness and almost never are. We assess them directly and through structured ratings from home and school, because these skills often look different in the two places.
Included in this section
- Task initiation
- Planning and organization
- Cognitive flexibility
- Sustained and divided attention
- Self-monitoring
- Parent and teacher ratings
The question this answers
“Is this anxiety, mood, behavior — or a reaction to struggling?”
Emotional and behavioral concerns are assessed as carefully as academics, because they are often tangled together: years of unrecognized learning difficulty produce real anxiety, and real anxiety suppresses learning. Standardized rating scales, clinical interview, and self-report help separate cause from consequence and point to the right kind of support.
Included in this section
- Anxiety and mood
- Emotional regulation
- Behavior at home and at school
- Social skills and peer relationships
- Self-esteem and school avoidance
- Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)
We also publish two free questionnaires you can try at home (ages 2½–9, ages 10–18). These are research instruments in beta — useful for organizing what you are noticing, not a diagnosis and not a substitute for evaluation.
The question this answers
“Could this be autism — and if so, what does my child need?”
When autism is part of the referral question, the evaluation includes structured observation, a detailed developmental history, social communication measures, and adaptive functioning. A diagnosis is only half the work; the report describes how your child’s profile shows up in a classroom and what support belongs in the IEP.
Included in this section
- Social communication
- Restricted and repetitive patterns
- Sensory profile
- Developmental history
- Adaptive functioning
- ASRS and GARS
When an evaluation helps
If any of this sounds like your house, testing will tell you something.
Families usually come to us after a long stretch of trying everything. An evaluation replaces guessing with information — including, sometimes, the finding that a child is fine and the setting is the problem.
- Reading or writing is far harder than everything else
- Homework takes hours longer than it should
- Bright at home, struggling on paper
- School says “not eligible” but nothing improves
- Meltdowns, avoidance, or stomachaches on school mornings
- Attention concerns raised by more than one teacher
- Social situations are confusing or exhausting
- A diagnosis was given quickly and never fully explained
- An IEP exists but is not working
- You disagree with the school’s testing and want an IEE
What you receive
A report that schools can act on — and a person who explains it.
Testing is only useful if the results change what happens on Monday morning. Every evaluation ends with a written report, a meeting where we walk you through it in plain language, and recommendations specific enough for a team to implement.
- A comprehensive written report Scores, interpretation, diagnostic impressions, and the reasoning behind them — not a page of numbers.
- Diagnostic clarity A clear answer on learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, anxiety, and mood, including what was ruled out.
- Eligibility guidance How the findings map onto special education eligibility, a 504 plan, or an IEP.
- Specific recommendations Accommodations, services, and teaching approaches written to be implemented, not filed.
- A feedback meeting We go through the findings with you, answer questions, and agree on next steps.
- Support at the team meeting We attend special education team meetings and present the findings alongside you.
How it works
Four steps, start to finish.
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Intake conversation
We talk through your concerns, school history, and what you need the evaluation to answer, then confirm which measures fit.
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Testing sessions
Your child works one-to-one with the evaluator across 1-3 sessions, with breaks. Most children find it far less stressful than they expected.
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Feedback meeting
Before the report is finalized, we sit down with you and explain what we found, what it means, and what we recommend.
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Report and school support
You receive the full written report within 7 days and we can attend the school meeting where it is discussed.
Related evaluations
When the referral question is more specific
Every evaluation is built around the question you need answered. These are the referrals we see most often.
Autism evaluation
Structured observation, developmental history, and adaptive functioning, with classroom-ready recommendations.
Read more →
ADHD evaluation
Attention and executive functioning assessed directly and through home and school ratings, with other explanations ruled out.
Read more →
Talented and gifted testing
Cognitive and achievement testing for advanced learners, including twice-exceptional profiles that hide each other.
Read more →
Dyslexia and learning disabilities
Reading, writing, and math assessed against your child’s cognitive profile to document a specific learning disability.
Read more →
Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE)
An independent evaluation when you disagree with the district’s testing, prepared to stand up in a team meeting.
Read more →
Advocacy and team meetings
We attend special education team meetings and help translate findings into an IEP or 504 plan.
Read more →
Bilingual assessment
Evaluation in Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin Chinese, so language never gets mistaken for ability.
Brain training and neuroplasticity
Follow-up programs that build on the evaluation findings once the profile is clear.
Read more →
Common questions
What parents ask before they call
What is the difference between a psychological and a neuropsychological evaluation?
Both measure thinking, learning, and emotional functioning. A neuropsychological evaluation goes further into brain-behavior domains such as memory, attention networks, and processing, and is often the right choice after a medical event, a complex profile, or when earlier testing did not explain the picture. We help you choose during the intake call.
Will the school accept your report?
Our reports are written for school teams and use the language of eligibility, accommodations, and services. Districts consider outside evaluations as part of the team process. We also attend team meetings to present findings directly.
How long does the evaluation take?
Testing usually runs across 1-4 hours. scheduled so your child is fresh rather than exhausted. The written report follows within 7 days.
My child was already tested by the school. Is this worth doing?
Often, yes. School evaluations are built to answer one question — whether a student qualifies for services — and stop there. A comprehensive private evaluation asks the broader question of what is happening and why. If you disagree with the district’s findings, you may also be entitled to an Independent Educational Evaluation.
What do I tell my child about coming in?
That they are coming to meet someone whose job is to figure out how they learn best, and that there is nothing to study for. Most children enjoy the sessions once they start, because the work is pitched to their level and someone is finally paying attention to what is hard.
Start with a conversation, not a commitment.
Tell us what you are seeing at home and at school. We will tell you honestly whether an evaluation is the right next step, and which one.
- Phone or text508-717-4110
- Emailneldc.org@gmail.com
- ReferralsReferral portal, forms, and consent
- IEE requestRequest an Independent Educational Evaluation