I love Trader Joe’s. I evangelize about Trader Joe’s. I am obsessed with some only-in-Trader Joe’s items. Have you tried their seasonal lemon ricotta ravioli? Heaven on a plate. After hearing me rave, a friend went there for his weekly shopping. He was unimpressed. “They didn’t have half the things on my list—no white vinegar, no bug spray.”

My friend needed me to give him a tour of Trader Joe’s to appreciate its gifts. If you know what to expect you’ll be thrilled. If you need to refill your propane tank you’ll be disappointed.

Let me take you on a tour of psychoeducational reports.

What you will find out

How your child compares to others his age in some important skill areas

Does he read more slowly than most of his classmates? A little slower or a lot slower? Does she have more trouble remembering math facts than expected?

How your child compares to herself in important skill areas

Is she a really fast reader but super slow when working math word problems? Does he have an above average vocabulary but below average reading comprehension? Some students are frustrated that some skills come easily but others are much harder for them.

Whether the results point to a category or diagnosis

Labels and diagnoses are useful when they give shortcuts to recommendations. Your child’s profile may be similar to those of other students in a specific category–students with dyslexia or ADHD or problems in visual-spatial processing. If so, it makes sense to start with interventions that have helped students with the same issues.

If your child needs intervention, accommodations, or both

If your second grade daughter’s evaluation points to dyslexia, she needs specialized reading instruction. On the other hand, workarounds are better for some problems. If a high school student struggles with handwriting, I often recommend using voice recognition software.

If there is evidence for a learning disability

A learning disability is a weakness in one or more academic skills–reading, math, writing–caused by processing deficits. For example, weaknesses in phonological (speech sounds) processing, working memory, or naming speed can cause problems in reading (dyslexia)– and sometimes in writing and math as well. Some students have a right hemisphere learning disorder that causes problems with writing organization, some areas of math, and some aspects of reading. (This is often misleadingly referred to as a “nonverbal” learning disability.)

Your child’s IQ score

This is the last item on this list for a reason. There is way too much emphasis placed on IQ scores. In the hands of non-professionals (and some professionals) they are often more harmful than helpful. If IQ tests were not required by many schools and agencies I would use them more selectively.

What you won’t find out

Whether your child will grow out of a behavior or problem

Does your child struggle with handwriting, spell phonetically, or have problems organizing thoughts into a paragraph? All of these are typical at certain ages and unusual at others. A first grader who reverses letters and loses focus after 10 minutes is just being a first grader. A fifth grader with the same behaviors warrants a closer look.

Whether an issue is developmental (likely to resolve on its own) or warrants evaluation can be a hard call with very young students. Some skills, like copying and writing, are extremely variable in preschoolers and kindergartners. Test scores can say how much weaker your child’s skills are compared to a typical student. But scores can’t tell you whether those skills will improve a little or a lot in the next year or two.

When problems are clearly developmental you can wait them out or manage the environment. Instead of trying to teach your 18-month-old to stop putting things in her mouth you take away choking hazards. Instead of trying to keep your toddler from taking off his shoes in the car you can buy him Crocs. If your four-year-old is fidgety and restless during “seatwork” sign her up for a more play-based preschool.

Your child’s learning style

I have referred to learning styles as the Loch Ness Monster of education. Your child’s learning profile cannot be captured in one of three or even seven “styles.” Instead, an evaluation will reveal his individual academic strengths and weaknesses and offer suggestions tailored to his needs.

Recommendations for a career path

Parents often ask me what test results say about the types of jobs their child is best suited for. I cannot answer that question. My evaluations are geared toward school and learning issues. The test scores cannot be directly linked to success in various career paths. I know high-powered attorneys and tenured professors with dyslexia and successful music teachers without a lot of musical “talent.” These individuals typically have many non-academic strengths–social skills, tolerance for frustration, the ability to use feedback to improve.

Your child’s “potential”

A psychoeducational assessment can tell you about your child’s skills right now. I can’t predict if your kindergartner with average scores will be successful in college. I can’t know if a high school student with a reading disability will reach her dream of being a surgeon. Research indicates that other factors are at least as importance as “ability” with regard to academic performance. These include teacher qualities, the student’s personality, family resources, and more.

Many people who were below average students in high school are wildly successful in “real” life. I know an engineer who rose to the highest level of her profession despite average visual-spatial skills and very slow processing speed. She countered these weaknesses with excellent abstract thinking skills, a wide range of problem-solving strategies, and impressive ability to concentration. I also know National Merit finalists who have struggled in their chosen careers.

What grades your child “should” be making

Standardized tests compare a student’s performance to national samples. A few tests have subjective scoring components. But once I have a raw score there is no “wiggle” room for me to influence standard scores and percentiles.

In contrast, grades are “fuzzy” indicators of knowledge and skills. One teacher or school may weigh homework and participation heavily while another emphasizes tests. A student can have very strong reading and writing skills but make average grades in English because she has hours of gymnastic lessons every day. Expectations also affect perceptions of “good” grades. Parents might be pleased about their son’s C in AP Statistics but disappointed over the B in his regular English class. As these examples indicate, it is impossible to directly translate the results of an evaluation to expectations for grades in the classroom.

Your child’s creativity

Almost every test I give has a very limited range of correct answers. They are not designed to measure creativity.

Für Elise

In my early days of private practice I saw a delightful fourth grader I will call Elise. Elise’s parents wanted to know why she worked so hard but had disappointing grades. My evaluation revealed the probable reasons for her struggles. When I met with her parents I emphasized that Elise had good reading comprehension and I enthusiastically described her effort and her delightful personality. I told them I saw some mild memory and processing speed problems that helped to explain her grades. I recommended ways to address these issues. Elise’s parents were grateful and pleased. The meeting was typical of hundreds of others I’ve had over the years.

Imagine my surprise when Elise’s father called me in tears after reading my written report. He said he had felt so positive during our meeting. He said I seemed to see their daughter as they did—charming, delightful, intelligent. But the report described her (accurately) as average in most areas. There was no mention of the spark her parents and I saw. Her father was despondent about the discrepancy between the vibrant Elise we had talked about and the “nothing special” Elise in the report. I offered to go over the report and meet with Elise’s parents again. Her father wasn’t interested. He just wanted to let me know how reading my report had affected him.

When I reread the report I was confused. I didn’t see a problem. To get an outsider’s perspective I removed all the identifying information and sent the report to my brother-in-law. He said he didn’t have a strong reaction but he did understand why the father was upset: “It was very dry and clinical.” I read the report once more, this time from the perspective of a parent. I thought about what it was like to read my medical records. “The patient is a well-nourished female with history of cervicalgia” and the accompanying string of numbers—BP, temperature, heart rate, weight. I’m not anyone in particular—I’m just “the patient.” My medical record is not offensive– but it feels odd to be reduced to numbers and symptoms and diagnoses.

I think about Elise and her parents every time I write a report. My reports are still packed with terms like “average range reading rate” and “deficit in phonological processing.” The purpose of a professional report is to describe parts of a person, not the entire person. Schools and agencies require certain types of information and certain terms. However, I am more likely now to include examples of the student’s comments and behavior that are unique. I don’t just say the student was socially poised or showed a good sense of humor. I write that “after noticing a photo she asked polite questions about the examiner’s daughter” or “toward the end of the second session he gestured dramatically while joking that the examiner seemed to enjoy ‘torturing’ him with ‘impossible’ math problems.”

I also include a brief summary that mentions the student’s non-academic qualities: “Montel is a friendly and funny student with a wide range of interests. His assets include an engaging and delightful personality, mature social skills, strong family support, an admirable work ethic, and excellent language skills. These strengths provide Montel with a strong foundation for success in college, despite his considerable difficulty with reading. “

You still don’t know Montel from this report, but I hope you have an image of him that goes beyond a diagnosis or percentile scores.

Resources

Questions to ask examiners from ldonline

Alan Kaufman and Joel Schneider in the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. (This article is really “in the weeds.” Full disclosure: Alan Kaufman is one of my heroes.)

Talk to me!

Is there a topic you’d like to read about? Email your suggestions to contact@sjunedye.org