The Foreign Service Journal, December 2013

72 DECEMBER 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT A PARENT’S GUIDE TO PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL EVALUATIONS The goal of a psychoeducational evaluation is to enhance a child’s ability to be as successful as possible. BY CHAD C . NE LSON Chad C. Nelson is a licensed psychologist in private practice in the Lutherville, Md., area. He specializes in the evaluation of learning, attention and emotional disorders in children, adolescents and young adults. Dr. Nelson can be reached at doctorcnelson@comcast.net. A s parents, we strive to help our children as much as possible. Despite our best efforts, however, we may see them strug- gling in some areas. These struggles may occur early in a child’s development, manifested as dif- ficulty understanding directions, learning to read or managing social interactions. For others, the challenge may arise as a child progresses in age, whether it involves reading comprehension, completing tests in the allotted time period, attending to tasks or organizing tasks and materials. Despite assistance, these struggles may persist, leaving parents, children and teachers feeling frustrated or helpless. Under those circumstances, a psychoed- ucational evaluation may open the door to greater understanding of the child by everyone involved and help point the way toward solutions. For Foreign Service families, in partic- ular, such evaluations may help identify academic intervention and accommoda- tions that may be necessary for children entering or continuing on in American and international schools around the world, as well as transitioning from one school to the other. For FS children who are beginning to make the transition to college, evaluation can help identify accommodations that may be necessary in college. It can also help students prepare for higher educa- tion by identifying the ways in which they learn most efficiently. What Is It? Psychoeducational evaluation is a process by which a trained professional works with those involved in a child’s learning or development to identify the child’s strengths and weaknesses. Its goal is to enhance everyone’s ability to help the child be as successful as pos- sible. People involved in the process often include you, your child, your child’s teachers and, possibly, even your child’s pediatrician. Such an evaluation can answer many questions. For instance: ■ What kind of learner is my child? ■ Why is my child struggling in one subject, but not others? ■ Why does my child cry at the thought of school or doing homework? ■ Why have my child’s grades declined? ■ Why do I have to repeat myself over and over to get my child to do some- thing? ■ Why is my child struggling to make friends?