Deciding to seek an assessment for your child is a powerful first step toward supporting their academic, social, and emotional success. At Edcommodate, we want to make the process of choosing the right assessment as simple and stress-free as possible.
This quick guide is designed specifically for parents of children and teens aged 6 to 17. By matching your primary observations with our specialized services, you can easily identify the best pathway for your child.
Step 1: Identify Your Primary Concerns
Look at the descriptions below and select the category that best matches what you are noticing in your child’s day-to-day life.
Category A: Academic & Learning Struggles
- What You See: Struggles with reading (phonics, comprehension), writing (spelling, organizing ideas), or math (basic facts, word problems). Your child might also struggle with focus, organization, following multi-step directions, or completing homework.
- Common Questions: Does my child have a learning disability like dyslexia? Do they have ADHD? Why are they falling behind their peers academically?
- The Right Assessment: Psychoeducational assessment.
Psychoeducational assessments rule out and provide specific diagnoses through standardized tests and testing for learning disorders in reading, writing, or mathematics for children and adolescents. The administering psychologist further reviews working memory, specific learning disorders, oral language, written language, academic skills, processing speed, giftedness, intellectual disability, attention deficit disorders, and more.
Category B: Social, Communication & Sensory Differences
- What You See: Difficulties making or keeping friends, reading social cues, or engaging in back-and-forth conversation. You may also notice highly repetitive behaviours, intense special interests, extreme sensitivity to sensory inputs (noises, clothing textures), or difficulty adapting to changes in routine.
- Common Questions: Is my child on the autism spectrum? Why do they struggle so much in social settings?
- The Right Assessment: Autism diagnostic assessment (ADOS-2).
Category C: Complex Learning, Attention & Medical/Mental Health Needs
- What You See: Your child struggles with learning and attention, but there are also complex mental health factors (severe anxiety, mood struggles) or a need for medical/prescriptive support alongside academic accommodations.
- Common Questions: We need a combined psychological and medical approach. Can we get diagnostic clarity and a medication/treatment plan at the same time?
- The Right Assessment: Psychoeducational assessment in collaboration with psychiatry.
Step 2: Review Your Recommended Pathway
Once you have identified your primary category, review the details of that specific assessment pathway below.
1. Psychoeducational Assessment
- Best For: Suspected Learning Disabilities (dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia), ADHD, executive functioning struggles, or cognitive profiling.
- How it Works: Conducted virtually or in-person. It evaluates your child’s intellectual abilities, academic achievement levels, memory, attention, and processing skills.
- The Outcome: A comprehensive diagnostic report detailing your child’s cognitive profile, official diagnoses (if applicable), and a highly customized list of school accommodations (IEP recommendations) and home strategies.
2. Autism Diagnostic Assessment
- Best For: Suspected Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
- How it Works: Conducted strictly in-person at our specialized clinic using the ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), which is the gold-standard clinical tool for diagnosing autism. Our clinicians are highly specialized in identifying subtle, high-masking presentations (particularly common in girls).
- The Outcome: A definitive diagnostic report outlining social-communication patterns and sensory profiles, along with recommendations for speech, occupational, or behavioural therapies and school supports.
3. Psychoeducational Assessment in Collaboration with Psychiatry
- Best For: Children (ages 8–17) who require a unified psychological and medical approach for ADHD, learning struggles, and co-occurring mental health concerns.
- How it Works: This is a one-of-a-kind pathway delivered in exclusive partnership with Integrative Psychiatry Canada (IPC). It combines a full psychoeducational assessment with virtual consultations with a Psychiatrist or Nurse Practitioner.
- The Outcome: You receive a comprehensive psychological profile plus official medical diagnoses and a direct medication/treatment plan, bypassing years of waitlists in the public medical system. All of our assessment reporting forms the basis of an IEP for school use.
Step 3: Fast-Track Your Booking
At Edcommodate, we do not have long, multi-month waitlists. Once you select your pathway, we can begin quickly:
- Psychoeducational Assessments: Estimated booking within 4 to 6 weeks.
- Autism & Psychiatry-Partnered Assessments: Estimated booking within 8 weeks.
Next Steps for Parents:
- Check Insurance: Contact your extended health provider to confirm your coverage for “Registered Psychological Services.” We will gladly provide an insurance pre-approval letter to assist you.
- Co-Parent Consent (If Separated/Divorced): For children under 18, we require consent from both parents/guardians. We offer collaborative options (sharing one intake/feedback session) or separate options if required.
- Connect with Us: Let our clinical intake team handle the rest.
Other Services:
- Developmental Assessments: Psychological assessments designed for ages 3 to 5 that assist with early intervention and early-year IEPs. These can be very useful for parents and teachers as well. Edcommodate has psychologists who specialize in the standardized test results for these age groups.
- Adult Learning Disability Assessments and Psychoeducational Assessments: Psychological assessments for ages 18 to 50 years old. We can provide formal diagnosis and post-secondary, workplace, or specialized examination (LSAT or MCAT) accommodation recommendations.
- Virtual ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) Diagnostic Assessments for Adults: Assessments designed for those seeking support or medications through a primary care practitioner, or who do not want to undergo a complete psychoeducational assessment.
If you reach out to us Monday through Friday between 9 AM and 4 PM, by phone at 226-748-4685 or email at admin@edcommodate.com, a member of our clinical administration team will call you back within 30 minutes to finalize your booking. Our services are available in-person in Ontario at multiple locations, and virtually in Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI, and Newfoundland.