Children's Treatment Network - Virtual Psychological Assessments

Virtual Psychological Assessments

Hello, your child has been booked for a virtual neuropsychological assessment. This is a remote assessment or tele-psychology assessment. All of these terms mean that the assessment will not be done face-to-face in an office, but instead it will be done with the psychologist/psychometrist sitting at her computer in her office, and with your child sitting at home in front of a computer or tablet.

To help you and your child prepare for this assessment, please watch the video, download the checklist and review the five parts of the assessment process.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Carol-Anne (Carol-Anne.Johnston@mackenziehealth.ca)
prior to the start of your assessment.

1. Watch this video to learn how to set up a room in your house where your child will complete this assessment. Please make sure that your equipment is completely set-up before each appointment starts.

2. Click here to download the checklist of materials that you will need for this assessment. Please contact Carol-Anne (Carol-Anne.Johnston@mackenziehealth.ca) as soon as possible if you are missing any of these materials.

3. The neuropsychological assessment is a process that includes five parts:

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The Interview

All assessments start with an interview which will take place with the parents and the psychologist by videoconference. Younger children can join for the first few minutes and then leave. Older children and teenagers may wish to participate in the entire interview with their parents. The purpose is for you to share your concerns with the psychologist and for the psychologist to ask some questions about your child’s history. This usually takes 1-2 hours. Once your child’s assessment is confirmed, you should receive an email containing the date and time and the link you will use to join the videoconference. On the day of your interview, you should log onto your computer and the link a few minutes early to make sure you don’t have any difficulty connecting.

If you are having any difficulty connecting, please refer to this information sheet.
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Questionnaires

At the end of the interview, the psychologist may ask you (and your child’s teacher) to complete some questionnaires about your child’s mental health, learning and behaviour. You will receive an email with links to complete these questionnaires online.

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Testing Sessions

During the testing sessions, your child will complete a number of different activities with the psychometrist (Carol-Anne), such as answering questions, solving puzzles or doing school work like reading, writing and math.

The testing sessions will take place online by videoconference. These sessions typically start around 9 a.m. and end around 2:30 p.m. There will be scheduled breaks during the day when your child can take breaks and have snacks/lunch.

Here’s a sample schedule of an assessment day. Please note that the schedule may be modified according to your child’s specific needs.

9 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.	First testing block [online]
9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.	Break [offline]
10:15 a.m. – 11 a.m.	Second testing block [online]
11a.m. – 12 p.m.	Break [offline]
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	Third testing block [online]
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.	Break [offline]
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.	Fourth testing block [online]

Additional appointments will be scheduled as needed. Please discuss this with Carol-Anne or the psychologist if you have concerns.

Most children will require an adult to stay in the testing room with them during the testing sessions. The adult may be asked to help with the computer or set up the test materials. The adult will sit in a separate chair behind the child, and CANNOT help the child with any activities during the assessment. In fact, the adult should NOT interact with the child unless asked by Carol-Anne. If the adult helps the child in any way, the assessment may be CANCELLED.

We will be sending a bag full of materials to your [house/office]. It may be dropped by one of our staff or by a courier company. When you receive the package, please open the courier bag. Inside you will find:

A number of sealed envelopes
An instruction sheet stapled to one of the envelopes
Another (empty) courier bag with a paid return stamp so that you can return these items to us at the end of the assessment

Please DO NOT open the sealed envelopes inside the courier bag before the assessment. Carol-Anne will tell you when each envelope can be opened. If you open the envelopes before the appointment, your child’s assessment may be CANCELLED.

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Feedback Meeting

After the questionnaires and the testing are complete, a feedback meeting will be scheduled. This meeting will happen by videoconference with the psychologist. Younger children are not required to attend this meeting unless they want to. Older children are encouraged to attend the meeting with their parents, at least for the first 15 minutes. If an older child decides not to attend the meeting, s/he must give permission for his/her parents to attend the feedback meeting without him/her.

You will receive a link to the videoconference by email. On the day of the feedback meeting you may want to log on a few minutes early to make sure you don’t have any difficulty connecting.

If you are having any difficulty connecting, please refer to this information sheet.
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Final Report

After the interview, testing sessions, questionnaires and feedback meeting are all completed, the psychologist will write a report. You can choose to receive a copy of this report by mail or email. After you receive the report, you can share it with your child’s doctor(s), teacher(s) or any other professionals helping your child.