Testing & Assessments
Avenues of Counseling and Mediation, LLC offers a full, comprehensive range of academic services to help your child succeed in school to their fullest potential.
Diane Heidorf, M.A., LPCC has extensive experience in addressing the educational, emotional, social, and behavioral challenges that children and adolescents experience. Her more than 25 years of experience in multiple school settings as a school psychologist and school counselor provides unique insight into how the education system impacts children from administration to the teacher-student relationship and the dynamics of the classroom.
Why get academic testing for your child?
It can be so heartbreaking to have your child come home from school every day and say to you "I am so bored in class..." or "I just don't understand this subject..." Parents often come to us feeling helpless and at a loss for how to help their child when they express these concerns. Our specialized testing can shed light on a wide range of potential learning and developmental issues. Through formal and informal assessment, we can offer a full learning profile.
Comprehensive Assessment
- IQ testing
- Achievement testing
- Gifted identification and parental support
- Twice-exceptional (2e) determination (e.g., gifted with learning deficits)
- ADHD assessment and diagnosis
- Learning style assessment
- Social-emotional-behavioral assessment
IQ (Intelligence Quotient) Testing
Parents often obtain IQ testing for their child to get an objective view of their child's learning potential or learning style. This information helps parents make informed decisions regarding educational options and how to best meet their child's individual learning needs. We can provide IQ testing for children from ages 2 years, 6 months to 16 years, 11 months.
Achievement Testing
Many parents would like objective information about their child's achievement in reading, math, and writing. Individually administered achievement testing can provide this valuable information, so parents can determine what their child needs to succeed in school. Interventions that are targeted to an identified deficit will make the most difference for that child.
The Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration-5th Edition (VMI) measures visual-motor integration in children and adults. It is useful in screening for visual-motor deficits that can lead to learning and behavior problems.
The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-3rd Edition (WIAT-III) gives parents and school personnel objective data regarding where the child is currently performing. With a total of 16 subtests, the WIAT-III provides composite scores in these areas:
- Oral language (grades PK-12)
- Total reading (grades 1-12)
- Basic reading (grades 1-12)
- Reading comprehension & fluency (grades 2-12)
- Written expression (grades K-12)
- Mathematics (grades K-12)
- Math fluency (grades 1-12)
- Developmental Test (VMI)
Giftedness and Twice Exceptional (2e) Identification
Gifted can mean many different things to various groups of people. The State of Ohio Department of Education recognizes four different types of "giftedness:"
- Superior cognitive
- Specific academic
- Creative thinking
- Visual or performing arts
At Avenues of Counseling our therapists can identify students as "superior cognitive" and/or "specific academic" gifted using state-approved identification instruments to accomplish this assessment. These tests are the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Third Edition (WPPSI-III), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-3rd Edition (WIAT-III).
Many gifted children do not do well on the group ability tests that school districts administer as part of the screening process. Individually administered IQ testing offers more in-depth, valid and useful information than do group tests. Most districts will consider a privately administered IQ test to determine gifted identification.
ADHD Assessment and Diagnosis
Determining if a child or adolescent has ADHD takes many steps. There is no single test to diagnose the disorder. A comprehensive evaluation is necessary to establish the diagnosis, rule out other causes, and determine the presence or absence of coexisting conditions (e.g., depression, anxiety, etc.). Our ADHD assessments include:
- Complete history (developmental, medical, social, emotional, behavioral, academic)
- Various rating scales and checklists for parents, teachers and child
- Consultation with the child's teacher
- Review of all school assessments and performance
- In-depth interviews with parent and child
- Observation of child's behavior
- Determine if further testing is warranted
- Collaboration with child's physician