Virtual Psychological Assessments

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.

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.

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.
 
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

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.

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.