At Child and Family Development, our psychologists can accommodate most requests for testing, including Early Admissions and IQ testing for Charlotte students.
School readiness assessments of children ages 4 to 6 years provide valuable information to teachers and parents on school readiness, learning styles, appropriate learning environments, and developmental strengths and weaknesses. We recommend this service for children prior to beginning a formal kindergarten experience. If you are pursuing testing for either early admission to kindergarten or an application to a private school requiring standardized testing, we can provide you with the information you need. We are able to administer the following standardized tests:
• Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) which assesses children’s learning ability and how they process information. It is an aptitude test.
• Test of Early Reading Ability (TERA) which assesses basic reading skills. It is an achievement test. Young Children's Achievement Test (YCAT) which assesses early academic and pre-academic skills in general knowledge, reading, math, written expression, and spoken language.
• Woodcock-Johnson which assesses academic and pre-academic skills in reading, math, and written expression. It is an achievement test. Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT) is an achievement test which also assesses skills in reading, math, and written expression.
The testing is typically completed in one visit to our clinic in a 2 1/2 hour appointment. During that time, the psychologist will spend some time getting to know the child and making sure he is comfortable with the setting and tasks. The psychologist will administer a cognitive test or intelligence test (IQ) and a brief assessment of academic achievement. Once testing is finished with the child, the psychologist will provide a brief verbal interpretation of results to the parents.
A brief written report will be mailed to the parents within 10 business days of the appointment. The fee for this service is $450.00 and it is due at the time of service.
Read the Psychology tab on our website, www.childandfamilydevelopment.com, to learn more about the C&FD psychology team and our services.
My previous blog entries have been about what psychotherapy is like and how to get the most out of it. Now here’s a more specific look at the various approaches to therapy.
Therapy is shown to be effective in helping alleviate distress. In clinical trials, most psychotherapy is superior to no treatment or a placebo. (In this case, a placebo just means contact with an empathetic therapist who does not give an actual treatment). For anxiety and depression, research has found that
psychotherapy is as effective as medication, and without the negative effects medication can cause. Sometimes, using medication and therapy together is most helpful. We know therapy can be helpful. So how does it actually work? There are all kinds of approaches to therapy. Three main approaches include humanistic, cognitive/behavioral, and psychodynamic.
- Psychodynamic therapies. This approach focuses on changing problematic behaviors, feelings, and thoughts by discovering their underlying meanings and motivations. This approach is often used to address unhealthy family dynamics and relationships with others.
- Cognitive and/or Behavior therapies. This approach focuses on changing one’s behaviors and thoughts to change one’s mood. This approach is often used to address phobias, anxiety, and depression.
- Humanistic therapies. This approach focus’s on the therapist’s relationship with the client to help the client recognize his or her innate good nature, capacity to make rational choices, and potential for a fulfilling life. This approach is used to address a number of difficulties.
In addition to these three approaches, many therapists adopt an “eclectic” or “integrated” approach to therapy. That is, they pick and choose or combine approaches to best meet each client’s unique needs. Now that you know about various approaches to therapy, you can collaborate with your current or future therapist about which approach you think may work well for you or your child.
Child and Family Development offers psychological therapy and testing for children and families in Charlotte. Our therapists use a range of approaches, depending on the needs of the client. Presenting problems often include depression, anxiety, AD/HD, family conflict, learning disabilities, and academic concerns.
Portions of this post were adapted from The Encyclopedia of Psychology, edited by A. Kadzin (2000). See more at: http://www.apa.org/topics/therapy/psychotherapy-approaches.aspx
I am pleased to announce that Joy Granetz, Ph.D. is joining the Child and Family Development team on August 30.
Dr. Granetz received her Ph.D. in Psychology from George Mason University and is a North Carolina licensed psychologist. She has over twelve years of extensive experience in neuropsychological testing with a special focus in working with children and adolescents with learning disorders, attention related problems, and head injury. Dr. Granetz also provides therapy for children and adolescents with emotional and/or behavioral difficulties.
During her training, Dr. Granetz worked at the National Institutes of Health in the Cognitive Neuroscience Section administering neuropsychological tests. During a two year internship, she worked at the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where she performed neuropsychological assessments. In addition, she has published research on the neuropsychological effects of brain injury and learning disorders.
Prior to joining the Child and Family Development team, Dr. Granetz worked in a pediatric group practice in Northern Virginia for ten years. Dr. Granetz will be based at our South Charlotte clinic.
In addition to our assessment and treatment services, we plan to expand our scope to include neuropsychological testing.
As an Educational Specialist at Child and Family Development in Charlotte, I consult with parents about their child’s difficulties in the classroom setting. However, academic struggles do not always occur in isolation. In fact, as I review children’s background information, I frequently find that the parents have concerns in other developmental areas. Some have even pursued answers in the form of previous evaluations, but they still have lingering questions…
At Child and Family Development, we seek to understand the whole child. As a part of our initial meeting with parents, we gather detailed information about the child’s birth, developmental milestones, medical history, behavioral and emotional functioning, educational background, and previous evaluations/therapies. This input helps clinicians to determine the next step to take.
When a comprehensive evaluation is recommended, the clinicians spend time reviewing any data from prior evaluations so that we know what measures have been used and what findings were made at the time. However, our comprehensive evaluations seek to take those results to the next level. Oftentimes, a struggle in one area may be the cause or effect of a weakness in another area of performance. While other tests may have examined a specific issue in isolation, we work to fill in the missing pieces so that parents can see the complete picture.
Based on parent concerns, we establish our initial assessment measures. These may include IQ tests, academic achievement tests, language processing tests, visual-motor tests, receptive and expressive language tests, ADHD measures, autism spectrum measures, or social-emotional scales. However, as the clinicians move through the evaluation process, they use their observations and preliminary findings to guide the need for any further assessments.
The interpretive parent conference is an important component of the comprehensive evaluation process. Our clinicians focus not only on the numbers that make up the results but, even more importantly, the patterns of performance and the ways in which the child's strength and weaknesses play out in daily living. We also refer to any previous evaluation measures to examine changes over time. At Child and Family Development, clinicians make recommendations for further services based on our findings. We can make the determination about whether it is appropriate to pursue therapies, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, psychological services, or educational therapy. We also enjoy helping parents to take our information and put it into practice by remaining available for assistance as parents work through the next steps.
The transition from high school to college is a life-changing experience for many students. However, students with learning disabilities and attention disorders may feel particularly uncertain and anxious about taking that next step. The following are two important considerations to guide parents in helping their child prepare for a new phase of life:
· Advance planning is the key to success. Students who are currently receiving school accommodations and services are required to have an updated psychological-educational evaluation on file. Colleges and universities will also request test results, often completed within the last 3 years, in order to consider accommodations at their level. Because different laws apply to high-school and college-aged students, colleges will not simply accept copies of 504 and IEP documents in rendering a decision.
· Self-advocacy is important at the college level. Especially during the elementary and middle-school years, parents attend meetings and make decisions about their child’s learning needs. However, college students are considered adults in the eyes of the law. Colleges and universities expect the student to be able to clearly articulate his/her specific strengths and challenges. They also want to know what supports have been most helpful along the way. In preparation for that responsibility, high-school students should begin to attend the 504 and IEP meetings along with their parents. They will then feel more comfortable in taking over the reins in college.
If you have other questions or concerns about the college planning process, contact an educator at Child and Family Development in Charlotte. We offer comprehensive educational and psychological assessments, and we enjoy working with students who have learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, developmental delays, and autism spectrum disorders.
Parents are often confused about their dyslexic child's eligibility for special education services. In North Carolina and South Carolina, dyslexia is not an area of eligibility for special education services. However, dyslexia is a condition listed in the definition of Specific Learning Disabilities by the Individual with Disabilities Improvement Act, 2004.
'
Specific learning disability' means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. Such term includes such conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. Such term does not include a learning problem that is primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage." United States Code (20 U.S.C. §1401 [30])
Nevertheless, just because a child is diagnosed with dyslexia, does not mean they will automatically receive special education services. The child must still be referred for consideration of eligibility at the school by either the parent or teacher. In many school districts in NC and SC, the Response to Intervention model is used before children are tested for eligibility. Moreover, it is likely that only if the dyslexic child's academic weakness is significantly hindering them at school that they will be found eligible for services. This will be supported by the child's performance in the classroom as well as the results of the child's psychological-educational evaluation.
As an Educational Specialist with Child and Family Development in Charlotte, I evaluate and diagnose children with dyslexia as well as offer treatment and parent consultation services for special education eligibility.
Visit our website to learn more about Education Therapy and our comprehensive evaluation process.
As a child psychologist, I often get questions about "IQ" or intelligence tests.
Current assessment tools that attempt to measure intelligence and other cognitive processes are often referred to as cognitive assessments. The term "IQ" is a bit outdated and tends to give the illusion of a number that "tells all", while in actuality a number is just that, a number, and often does little to describe the way someone thinks, learns, or processes.
Someone may benefit from a cognitive or psychological assessment for:
~early entrance into school
~admittance into private school
~admittance into a gifted or talented program
~to investigate a possible learning issue or disability (such as ADHD/ADD, Autism, a Specific Learning Disability, etc.)
Here at Child and Family Development in Charlotte, North Carolina, we conduct psychological assessments (which may include cognitive measures), educational assessments, and a combination of both or psycho-educational assessments. The type of assessment is based on the individual's need and presenting concerns.
For more information on myself, Kristina Murphy, Psy.D., other staff, and services at Child and Family Development visit our website at www.childandfamilydevelopment.com.
Powered by Compendium
