What will happen during my child’s psychological evaluation?
The psychological evaluation will be individually tailored to the specific concerns that you or the referral source have. As such, the procedures differ from one assessment to another. In most instances, this will include a thorough interview with a parent or guardian about many aspects of your child’s functioning, development and background, and observation of your child. The evaluation may also include interviewing your child and psychological testing (for example, solving problems, remembering information, writing and reading), usually alone, although sometimes with a parent present. You may be asked to complete one or more questionnaires that provide helpful information about your child. Evaluation appointments usually last between 2 ½ hours and 4 hours, although for more complex evaluations, a longer appointment may be scheduled. We will provide rest breaks and a lunch break in needed. There is no physical examination or hurtful or invasive procedures such as shots or medicines during our psychological services back to top How should I prepare my child for the evaluation? If possible, please arrange for your child to have a good night’s sleep the night before the evaluation, and make sure he or she is well fed before the evaluation. If your child has questions about the evaluation, you can reassure him or her that the evaluation will involve only talking and some games and activities like putting puzzles together, looking at pictures, remembering things and answering word problems. Your child can be reassured that there will be no physical examination and no shots or other medical procedures. back to top How should I prepare? If you have records or information that you feel would be helpful to our understanding your child, please bring this with you. Please arrange to arrive at Maine Child Psychology a few minutes before your child’s scheduled appointment. We appreciate your full attention during the evaluation session. If possible, please arrange to turn off cell phones and other electronic devices during the evaluation. Also, please arrange childcare for any siblings or other children in your care, so that you do not need to divide your attention between the evaluation and caring for other children. back to top What should I bring to the evaluation? Please bring any paperwork that you feel may be helpful or that has been sent to you by Maine Child Psychology to complete. This may include the background information form, authorization to obtain records, the blue Child Behavior Checklist form sent to you, and other school, medical, or other social service agency records you possess. Our professional staff will spend quite a bit of time speaking with parents and other adults during the evaluation, while your child is encouraged to play independently. Please bring some preferred toys, books, games, stuffed animals or other comfort toys for your child to play with. It is okay for your child to bring a hand-held electronic game, but your child will be instructed to turn this off for part or most of the evaluation. We also encourage you to bring a snack and beverage for your child. However, please do not bring snacks or beverages that are difficult to clean up or may create a mess, such as very sticky or crumbly snacks, or beverages or juices that may stain. back to top Do I need to be present for the evaluation? A parent or legal guardian who knows the child well must be present for the psychological evaluation. It is important that a parent or legal guardian participates in decisions about the purpose and nature of the evaluation (informed consent). In addition, parents or guardians have a wealth of information that is important to our assessment. If it is not possible for a parent or legal guardian who knows the child well to attend the evaluation, please call our office to discuss how we can best help your child. back to top Does my child need to be present for the evaluation? Your child will need to be present during part of the evaluation. This will allow the evaluator to speak with and observe your child, and have your child complete any questionnaires or testing that is required. However, if two parents or caregivers come to the appointment, one can take breaks with your child (for example, go for a short walk, if your child becomes distressed or has difficulty playing independently). This will also be particularly helpful if there are topics you wish to discuss without your child present. back to top What should I do if I am uncomfortable with part of the evaluation? Please speak up! Our goal is to promote child- and family-centered care. Although our professional staff members are conducting the evaluation, you are the parent, and set the ground rules for your child. At any time during your child’s appointment, please ask evaluator if you have questions or concerns about the evaluation. back to top What should I do if my child misbehaves during the evaluation? Rule #1 is that we expect all children to follow reasonable requests and instructions given to them by parents or guardians. For a variety of reasons, many children will sometimes misbehave during an evaluation. Don’t be embarrassed - we expect this and are prepared for this. We encourage you to use those parenting strategies with which you feel most comfortable. The evaluator may assist as well by redirecting or suggesting other activities to a child, limiting access to some areas of the office, reinforcing appropriate behavior, and if necessary and with your agreement, setting limits or consequences such as restricting play choices or a brief time out. If a child exhibits severe disruptive behavior or you or the evaluator feel it would be best to stop the evaluation at any point, we will do so, and reschedule the evaluation if necessary. back to top If you feel my child would benefit from medicine, will you prescribe this? No. A psychologist is not a physician, and we do not prescribe medication. However, we may provide information and recommendations that will assist your child’s physician to make good decisions about what kinds of treatment (including medication) may be most helpful to your child. back to top What is the cost of the evaluation? If your child is referred for evaluation by Child Development Services or by his or her school, the full cost of the evaluation will be paid by the referring agency and there will be no cost to you. Good psychological evaluations tend to be complex, and involve reviewing records, interviewing you and your child, administering and scoring tests, integrating information, and writing a report. Private-pay psychological evaluations are billed at $150 per hour. The total cost of the evaluation is based on the amount of time used to complete the evaluation (not just the amount of time that you and your child are in the office), and varies depending on the nature of the evaluation. Typically, the evaluation will take 4-6 hours in all. We will let you know before the evaluation what the estimated final cost will be, as well as the amount that may be covered by your child’s insurance. A deposit of 50% of the estimated cost of the evaluation is due prior to the beginning of the evaluation, with the remainder due upon completion of the final report. Please contact us for information specific to your situation. Additional services, such as legal consultation or court appearances, are billed at a different rate. back to top Are evaluations covered by insurance? Depending on the evaluator, our staff are participating providers with Mainecare, Aetna, Anthem/Blue Cross, Cigna, Martins Point, Tricare and UBH, and will bill those insurances directly. For other insurance plans, we will work with your insurance carrier to arrange authorization for our services. Often we are able to arrange an out-of-network exception which allows us to bill your insurance company directly. Please contact us for details specific to your insurance carrier. Please note that many insurance companies cover psychological evaluations for some conditions, such as mood disorders or autism, but not for other conditions such as a learning disability. Please check with your insurance carrier to determine your eligibility for reimbursement. back to top |
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