Many students are headed back to school on computers instead of in the classroom, which means that many parents will be seeing how their children are behaving and comprehending in the classroom for the first time. Watching your child struggle is never easy, and children who are under increased stress due to changes to school and their lives are particularly at risk of having difficulty transitioning. Could your child benefit from a needs assessment?
Changing Times
Last year, your child went on the school bus to a classroom filled with children, teachers and aides for class. If they had academic, social, emotional or behavioral struggles in the classroom, you would not necessarily know unless the teacher told you directly. Now that kids are taking school classes over Zoom and video chat, you might notice that they are having difficulties that would not have been pointed out to you before.
When Can Pediatric Needs Assessments Be Beneficial?
A needs assessment does not mean that anything is wrong. Instead, it looks to see whether or not your child could be better accommodated due to any current limitations. A pediatric assessment can determine if there are any existing learning disabilities or other conditions, like epilepsy, ADHD, autism, dyslexia, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADD or other medical, developmental or neurological disorders. Without help from an experienced professional, it can be almost impossible to determine if there are underlying conditions that could be hampering your child’s classroom success.
What Do Needs Assessments Accomplish?
In short, needs assessments work by measuring your child’s performance in a number of areas, including organization skills, planning skills, memory, attention, behavior and other areas. Once the assessment is complete, it can be used as a tool to inform a more formal diagnosis.
Needs assessments are particularly important in a world of virtual schooling, where classroom teachers have less direct access to students and might be less able to properly evaluate them. A neuropsychological and psychoeducational assessment can be used to get a better look at your child’s strengths and weaknesses, and how they could be addressed in a classroom setting.
Get a Free Consultation for Your Needs Assessment with Reflect Neuropsychology
Reflect Neuropsychology is a leading neuropsychology firm in Southern California. We specialize in counseling, therapy and neuropsychological assessment of children, adolescents and adults. As a highly-specialized practice, we can focus on evidence-based, personally-tailored treatment and evaluation. To learn more about our services and schedule an appointment, visit us online or call us at (818) 324-3800.
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