The comprehensive assessment focuses on developing the student’s profile of strengths and weaknesses as a learner. To address issues of concern raised by parents, teachers, and students themselves, each assessment is customized to investigate the cognitive skill, information processing, and emotional and behavioral factors that influence the student’s learning and achievement. Guided by the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intellectual abilities, all relevant subskills (there are roughly 20-30) are examined within the broad categories of: crystallized and fluid intelligence, short and long term memory, auditory and visual processing, expressive and receptive language, processing speed, psychomotor skills, attention and executive function, and social/emotional/behavioral functioning. Once the student’s cognitive profile has been developed, causal inferences are made between these abilities and academic performance in reading, writing, mathematics and oral language. Social, emotional, and behavioral factors are investigated. Attention and executive function are assessed. Study skills are addressed when relevant.
My comprehensive assessments differ from the norm in: the very thorough approach to assessing the many factors potentially impacting learning; the links/inferences made between these cognitive skills and actual performance in each academic strand; the emphasis on positive factors such as strengths and interests as well as weaknesses; the depth and detail of practical, targeted recommendations provided for implementation at home and school including skill and talent development; and, most importantly, my sensitivity to the emotional needs of students and parents alike.
