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Back on Track offers comprehensive mental health evaluation & screening services.  

 Diagnosing pediatric mental health disorders can be difficult because many different factors can affect children’s moods and behaviors, including physical health issues and experiences in their environment. For this reason, a mental health evaluation is often essential to understanding a child’s difficulties and how to help them become the best version of themselves.

A mental health evaluation (or assessment) is a process by which a professional gains detailed information about a child’s difficulties in order to make an accurate diagnosis and provide recommendations for the most appropriate treatment.

The type of problem a child is experiencing will determine the type of evaluation needed and where it will be completed. Some evaluations take place in a child’s school; others are completed at our office. An evaluation will usually consist of 1 or more assessment, completed by parents/caregivers, teachers, and/or the child, a clinical interview with the parent/caregivers, a review of relevent documentation, and an interview with the child.

 There are many types of evaluations or assessments to determine if your child needs mental health support. A mental health professional at Back on Track will work with you to determine which might be the most beneficial, depending on the exact problems you are seeing in your child or teenager.

The types of evaluations that mental health professionals can conduct, include:

This is needed when:

A child is showing serious emotional or behavioral problems

To determine if symptoms have a physiological cause

Medication is being considered as a treatment option

Who is it conducted by?

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

Important things to know about the psychiatric evaluation

• A psychiatrist has specialized knowledge of medications for mental health problems and can give prescriptions if necessary
• If needed, laboratory studies such as blood tests, x-rays or physical examination are ordered to rule out physical health problems as a cause of symptoms

 This is needed when:

• A child is showing serious emotional or behavioral problems
• A child’s diagnosis is unclear or needs clarification

Who conducts this mental health assessment?

• Licensed Mental Health Clinician (LPC, LCSW)
• Clinical Psychologist

What should I know about the psychological evaluation?

• A psychologist or licensed mental health clinician has specialized knowledge of children’s mental health problems and treatment
• One-on-one testing with the child (i.e., intellectual, personality, information processing, memory and/or attention testing)
• Possible observation of the child’s behavior at school

ADHD testing is typically needed when:

• Several symptoms present before age 12
• Symptoms are present in multiple settings (home, school, work)
• Symptoms interfere with or reduce daily functioning
• Symptoms are not better explained by another mental health condition

Who is the test conducted by?

• May be conducted by Licensed Mental Health Clinicians, Primary Care Physicians, Psychologist, or Psychiatrist

What are important things to know about ADHD testing?

• This may be done in conjunction with other testing or as “stand-alone” testing when ADHD is suspected.

 When is this needed?

• A child is having difficulty learning
• Eligibility for special education is being considered

Who conducts this evaluation?

• School, clinical or educational psychologist

What are the important things I should know about a psychoeducational evaluation?

• These professionals have specialized knowledge of how children learn and classroom interventions
• One-on-one testing with the child (i.e., intellectual, achievement, speech and language, information processing, attention and/or personality testing)
• Observation of the child’s behavior in class
• Generally, this is not covered by insurance.

 When is this needed?

• A young child (birth to 7 years) is not showing age appropriate skills or is not meeting developmental milestones
• Eligibility for special education is being considered

Who is this conducted by?

• Usually by a team that could include a psychologist, physician, speech/language pathologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse

What are the important things to know about the development evaluation?

• These professionals have specialized knowledge of child development
• One-on-one testing with the child (i.e., motor skills, communication, pre-academic skills, adaptive functioning)
• Observation of the child’s behavior in the office and/or school

Why might my child need this?

• Child is experiencing problems with memory, attention, problem-solving and/or visual-motor functioning
• Child has a medical condition that may affect brain functioning (e.g., brain tumor, brain injury, cancer, epilepsy, etc.)
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What mental health professional conducts this assessment?

• Neuropsychologist

What should I know about this evaluation?

• A neuropsychologist has specialized knowledge of brain functioning
• One-on-one testing with the child (e.g., intellectual, achievement, speech and language, information processing, attention, visual-motor and/or personality testing)

 This evaluation may be needed if:

• Sexual abuse perpetration is alleged or suspected
• Information is needed regarding child’s risk of re-offending, need for supervision and/or treatment recommendations

Who conducts this evaluation?

• Clinical psychologist, usually with specialized training in sex offender management

What are important things you should know about this evaluation?

• This psychologist has specialized knowledge of sexual development and issues related to sexual abuse perpetration
• Interviews with caregiver and child focus more on a child’s sexual development, sexual attitudes, sexual interests, and sexual behaviors
• One-on-one testing with the child (i.e., personality testing)

 When is this needed?

• A Child Study referral has been made to the child’s school with concerns regarding educational performance

Who conducts this?

• Usually conducted by personnel from the child’s school district but can be conducted by a Licensed Mental Health Clinician or Psychologist

What should I know about IEP testing?

• Actual testing completed may vary, based on the referral and the need. 
• Can include psychological (IQ) testing, social history, educational testing, speech and language evaluation, and/or occupational therapy evaluation. 
• After testing is completed, a meeting is held to determine whether child is eligible to receive special education services. If so, then an IEP is developed.