Why Summer is a Great Time for a Psychoeducational Assessment

As summer approaches, it's a good time to consider whether your child might benefit from a psychoeducational assessment, especially if they faced challenges this school year with learning, attention, behaviour, or emotional well-being at home or at school.

A psychoeducational assessment is a comprehensive evaluation conducted by a psychologist to understand how a person learns and processes information. For school-aged children, it's most commonly used to identify learning difficulties, ADHD, or other cognitive or emotional challenges affecting academic performance. Assessment results are used to put supports in place to help children be more successful at school and in their daily lives.

Although the new school year seems far off, completing a psychoeducational assessment over the summer can offer several strategic advantages such as:

1. Your child is more focused and relaxed

Summer is often a less stressful time with fewer academic pressures and less juggling of sport and extra-curricular schedules. Children are therefore more focused and relaxed, which helps produce more accurate results. Plus, with school out, they won't miss class or learning opportunities when they attend assessment appointments.

2. Access to latest report cards

With end-of-year report cards distributed in June, you can provide our psychologist with access to your child's latest academic performance and teacher's notes. Plus if we receive your referral early to mid-June, we can send additional teacher questionnaires to the school before the end of the school year.

3. Shorter wait times for psychoeducational assessments

Shorter wait times at Aspire Speech during the summer mean you'll get an assessment date sooner and the results and accommodations will be communicated back to you more quickly. We currently have appointments available for July and August 2025.

4. Get ready for the new school year

Following the assessment, you’ll receive a full report with recommendations that can be shared with teachers, principals, and the school board. A confirmed diagnosis also allows your child to have access to accommodations and supports in the classroom through an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and, if necessary, for the Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) to better support your child’s strengths and needs. Having an assessment completed over the summer allows you to create a plan for your child at the start of the school year and set them up for success in the year ahead.

Get in touch with us today to discuss whether a psychoeducational assessment is right for your child.