Psychoeducational Assessment

How a Psychologist Can Help You Understand Learning and Academic Challenges

If you or your child is struggling in school, falling behind despite working hard, or receiving mixed feedback from teachers, a psychoeducational assessment may help explain why. At Suntree Wellness in Milton, Ontario, our psychologists provide comprehensive psychoeducational assessments for children, teens, and adults to identify learning disabilities, cognitive strengths and weaknesses, ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, and other factors that affect academic performance.

Because there is no single test that reveals a learning disability or explains why someone struggles academically, a psychoeducational assessment involves an in-depth evaluation of intellectual ability, memory, processing speed, language, and academic achievement. A psychoeducational assessment is also the only evaluation that generates the formal documentation schools, universities, and colleges require for accommodations and support due to learning disabilities. Conditions like anxiety, ADHD, and depression can also affect learning — which is why a thorough assessment with a psychologist looks at the full picture to ensure an accurate, evidence-based understanding of current challenges.

What Happens During a Psychoeducational Assessment?

A psychoeducational assessment at Suntree Wellness includes several steps designed to understand each client’s unique learning profile:

  • Intake Session: We begin with a 60-minute interview (in-person or virtual) to learn about relevant background information, academic history, current challenges, and any concerns related to learning, attention, or mental health.
  • In-Person Testing: The client will attend two testing sessions (although young children will sometimes do three shorter sessions) where the psychologist administers standardized tasks measuring intellectual ability (IQ), memory, processing speed, attention, language, reading, writing, and math. Questionnaires screening for ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, and other conditions that can affect learning are also included.
  • Feedback Session: In a feedback session (virtual or in-person), your psychologist reviews all findings, discusses any diagnoses, and provides detailed recommendations for treatment, school accommodations, and next steps.
  • Written Report: A few weeks after testing, you’ll receive a formal written report summarizing results, diagnoses, and personalized recommendations. This report can be shared with schools, universities or colleges, doctors, therapists, or employers to support access to accommodations and services.

While formal follow-ups aren’t required, clients are always welcome to contact us with additional questions or to pursue therapy, coaching, or further support.

What Is a Psychoeducational Assessment Used For?

A psychoeducational assessment is the most comprehensive psychological assessment available, and it is often specifically required — not just helpful — in a number of situations:

  • Identifying learning disabilities in reading (dyslexia), writing, or math — a formal psychological assessment is the standard required to make these diagnoses
  • Obtaining an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) at school
  • Accessing accommodations at university or college (e.g., extended time on exams, note-taking support)
  • Diagnosing ADHD when learning challenges are also present
  • Identifying autism when social-communication challenges, sensory sensitivities, or restricted interests co-occur with learning difficulties
  • Identifying giftedness alongside learning challenges (twice-exceptional learners)
  • Understanding why a bright student is underperforming despite effort

How Do I Know If I Need a Psychoeducational Assessment?

You might consider a psychoeducational assessment with a psychologist if you or your child experience challenges such as:

  • Significant difficulty learning to read, spell, or write
  • Persistent struggles with math despite instruction
  • Slow reading speed or poor reading comprehension
  • Taking way longer to complete tasks compared to other people
  • Difficulty following multi-step instructions or staying organized
  • Strong verbal skills but poor performance on written tasks (or vice versa)
  • Inconsistent academic performance that doesn’t match ability or effort
  • A teacher, tutor, or school suggesting a learning assessment

Because many of these challenges can overlap with ADHD, autism, anxiety, or other conditions, a psychoeducational assessment clarifies what’s really driving the difficulty — and guides the right support plan.

Psychoeducational Assessment Costs

Psychological assessments are not covered by OHIP but may be reimbursed through private insurance. At Suntree Wellness, a psychoeducational assessment is billed at $255 per hour, totaling 15 hours ($3,825).

This includes:

  • Intake session: 1 hour
  • Testing sessions: up to 6 hours (typically two 3-hour sessions)
  • Feedback session: 1 hour
  • Scoring and report writing: 7 hours

We offer direct billing to some insurance providers and provide detailed invoices for reimbursement. Please check with your insurer before starting your assessment to confirm coverage and documentation requirements.

Special Notes for Parents

If you’re scheduling a psychoeducational assessment for your child or teen, parents typically attend the intake and feedback sessions (and can be included on the invoice if present). Testing itself is completed one-on-one between the psychologist and your child to ensure accurate results. Two testing sessions are usually required, which are usually scheduled on separate days to minimize fatigue.

What Are My Next Steps?

We invite you to contact Suntree Wellness by email or phone to book the initial intake or schedule a free 15-minute consultation to learn more about psychoeducational assessments, ADHD testing, or autism assessments in Milton, Ontario.

📧 info@suntreewellness.com 📞 (905) 288-7169

Suntree Wellness is a psychology clinic that serves Milton and nearby communities including Oakville, Mississauga, Georgetown, Halton Hills, Burlington, and Brampton.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Testing sessions are hands-on and varied, and most children find them more engaging than they expect. Your child will work one-on-one with the psychologist on a range of tasks, some completed on a computer or iPad, which many kids find fun and interactive, and others involving hands-on activities like arranging blocks to match a design, solving visual puzzles, and answering questions about word meanings. There are also tasks involving recalling sequences of numbers or letters, and timed reading, writing, and math activities. The goal is to capture a broad picture of how your child thinks and learns — not just to test what they’ve been taught in school, but also how their mind processes and solves problems.

Keeping it simple and low-pressure works best. Something like: “We’re going to meet with a psychologist, who is someone that helps you learn about your strengths, the things you’re good at, and any areas where things feel harder for you, like reading, writing, math, or paying attention at school. All they want is for you to try your best so that we can figure out the best ways to help you learn and grow.” For younger children, you can reassure them that many of the activities are done on a computer or iPad and will feel more like games than schoolwork. They will have time for snack and bathroom breaks, as well times to do fun activities like draw, play with fidget toys, and move around. Avoiding the word “test” altogether can help ease any anxiety beforehand.

Waitlists for psychological assessments in the Milton and Halton region can be lengthy at many clinics. We currently have immediate availability, but this can change quickly and also depends on your schedule. We encourage you to reach out by email or phone to learn more about our current wait times and booking process.

The feedback session, where the psychologist walks you through the findings and recommendations, is usually done 1 to 2 weeks after testing is completed. This feedback session is also a final opportunity for the psychologist to ask clarifying questions to provide the most accurate diagnoses and recommendations. The written report is usually provided 1-3 weeks after the feedback session is completed.

Yes. The intake and feedback sessions can be completed virtually or in-person, whichever works best for your family. The testing sessions themselves must be done in person at our Milton clinic, as they involve standardized tasks that require direct observation.

School assessments are offered at no-cost to families, although can involve significant wait times (can be 1-2 years) and may be limited in scope. A private psychoeducational assessment with a psychologist in Milton is more comprehensive, completed on your timeline, and produces a detailed report you own and can use across multiple settings — schools, universities and colleges, healthcare providers, therapists, etc. It also screens for conditions like ADHD and autism that a school assessment may not address. If you or your child qualifies for additional services like the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) or Disability Services Ontario (DSO), the psychologist can help you with completing the required paperwork at additional cost.

Yes, in most cases. If the assessment results support eligibility, the psychologist can assist with completing the required documentation for programs such as the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), the Ontario Autism Program (OAP), Developmental Services Ontario (DSO), or university and college accommodations forms. We unfortunately cannot guarantee acceptance into these programs, even when appropriate diagnoses are provided, as eligibility is determined by the program’s staff. Program eligibility paperwork is done after the assessment process is completed and is billed separately at our standard rate of $255 per hour — paperwork typically takes approximately 15-30 minutes to complete. We’re happy to discuss which programs may be relevant to your situation during your feedback session.

Before or at the intake session, it’s helpful to have any previous assessments, school reports, or report cards available to share with your psychologist — these provide useful background and help ensure nothing important is missed. If relevant, we will also ask your child’s teacher to complete a brief questionnaire about how your child is functioning at school, so it’s helpful to give the school a heads-up that this request may be coming. For the testing sessions themselves, no special preparation is needed — just make sure your child is well-rested and pack some snacks and a drink. If your child is already on medication, such as medication for ADHD, please keep taking the medication as prescribed.