Frequently Asked Questions about Assessments

Why do people ask for assessments?

What is the difference between a psychological and a neuropsychological assessment?

What is involved in getting an assessment?

How much does an assessment cost? Do you accept insurance? Do you ever work on a reduced fee scale?

How can I prepare my young child for an assessment?

How do I talk about an assessment to my adolescent?

What can I expect to get out of an assessment?

Is an assessment confidential?

What if my child's other parent doesn't agree to an assessment? Can it still be done if one of us thinks it is important?

If the parents are divorced, who is responsible to pay for an assessment?

1. Why do people ask for assessments?

There are many reasons why one might want a psychological or neuropsychological assessment. Here are a few:

• Your child is having learning or attention problems and you'd like to know whether this is an attention disorder or is the result of some tension in the child's life, such as family friction, divorce or remarriage, etc.
• Your child has learning or behavior problems the teacher or you can't fully understand. You'd like to understand what is going on. More importantly, you'd like to know what to do to help.
• You are questioning whether or how some family stressor is affecting your child's mood, or functioning.
• You need a plan to deal better with your young adolescent's changes in mood, or lack of academic interest, but first you need to understand him or her better. What is going on is a vital thing to know before you try to "fix" anything.
• Your child is socially awkward and it's causing you and your child upset. Is this Asperger's Disorder or some problem on the autism spectrum? If so, what then? How can you help?
• You are an adult worried about your loss of memory. Is this age related, stress related, disease related? How much "loss" is truly there compared to other people your age?
• Your elderly parent is exhibiting memory loss, confusion and is increasingly hard to manage. Is this Alzheimer's Disorder?
• You or your spouse sees a change in mood or in memory especially since some accident? Is the change related to the accident? What is there to do about it?

2. What is the difference between a psychological and a neuropsychological assessment?

A neuropsychological assessment examines the brain by measuring the various areas of functioning we assign to the brain. Such things as cognition, memory, attention, spatial skills, and visuomotor functioning are tested in detail. What emerges is a very full picture of how one is functioning, what problems there may be in one area and, of course, recommendations for how to begin to improve. A psychological assessment looks at functioning, too, but does not typically measure all areas of performance, but only the ones most pertinent to the question at hand. Either type can be given to a child or an adult. What type of assessment is best for you depends on what is needed to fully answer the problem presented, as well as on medical and/or accident history. Which type of assessment fits your need is usually answered in consultation with one of our staff assessors who are trained in both.

3. What is involved in getting an assessment?

All you have to do is call The Family Institute and ask for the assessment program administrator. You can talk her, Erin, or to the director, Dr. Ardizzone. Either one will explain the process and answer questions. Here is how the process works once you decide to have the evaluation:

• You'll be assigned an assessor that best suits your needs, depending on what kind of assessment is best, on your insurance provider and your ability to pay. He or she will call you to schedule an initial meeting and answer further questions.
• You'll be sent materials to read that explains the procedure and asks you to fill out a history form.
• At the first meeting you'll discuss your assessment questions with the psychologist ("What would you like to know from an assessment?") The assessor will complete the history form you filled in, and will discuss the next step (e.g., If we are assessing a child, we'll want your permission to observe the child at school and talk to the teacher.)
• After a school meeting (which takes place before the assessor has met your child), you'll set up the times for the actual administration of tests. Usually, testing takes about eight hours and is done on a few hours in two or three days.
• At the conclusion, if you are an adult you'll meet with the assessor to discuss one finding that you can quickly start to change.
• On the following week, you'd meet again to discuss all the findings and to speak about suggestions to improve things.
• If a young child is being assessed, he or she and the parents will meet once to receive a "present," a story the assessor has written and illustrated to help the child understand what positive findings have emerged and what the child can start to do differently.
• If the child is an adolescent, with your permission, prior to meeting with all three of you, the assessor will meet with your child privately. The psychologist will discuss what is needed to make the shift in thinking or behaving that will make things better. Although the child's parents will also meet the psychologist (with their adolescent) to obtain results and recommendations, we find that the offer of a private meeting helps motivate a child to agree to the assessment. It gives them a personal reason to cooperate since they are getting something they value out of this.
• Finally, a written report (usually 16 to 25 pages) will be sent and further questions may be answered by phone.

4. How much does an assessment cost? Do you accept insurance? Do you ever work on a reduced fee scale?

The cost varies depending on which staff member is involved, on insurance, and need.

Senior neuropsychological staff are not on insurance panels. Their service is paid directly, although many insurance companies will reimburse you directly. The staff member/assessor will furnish you with a receipt you can send your insurance company so that have proof of service and for them to use in reimbursing you. The senior neuropsychologist fee is $4500., sometimes less, depending on the scope of the assessment.

If you have Blue Cross insurance you will be assigned a staff member who accepts this. Blue Cross requires authorization which the assessor will seek once you have met or talked. If the assessment is approved, you will pay a co-pay. The amount depends on how your policy is written. It is often $20.-$30. charged by the hour. You should figure on about 20 hours of time. If a graduate fellow is the assessor, he or she will be supervised by one of the senior neuropsychologists.

If you need to receive a reduced rate, beginning in September you may be assessed by a graduate student (in a clinical psychology program at one of the major universities in Chicago). This person will be supervised by one of the senior neuropsychologists. In this case, there is often a waiting list.

In every case, the assessor you have will be highly qualified and/or carefully supervised. The Family Institute is one of the foremost training facilities in the country in family work. Our assessment program aims at the same high standard of service as our therapeutic work has.

5. How can I prepare my young child for an assessment?

You start by telling him or her that both of parents have met the assessor in person. (Your young child will not come to the first session.) Tell your child something concrete that attracted you to the person. You might talk about how (s)he listened, or something interesting or light-hearted. You can talk about how the person likes to get to know children who are good at...(mention something your child does well) and to find out what else they're good at, or even what they might have a problem with, so he or she can help them. Explain that the person will want to play games, do puzzles and ask some questions. Tell them that most children like the process. (That's true, by the way. Most children like the attention, the challenging games, and the chance to show how smart they are.) Don't be taken back if your child doesn't want to do this. Don't overwhelm the child with reasons why it is important. Tell them simply that their dad or mom want to know better how to help them and the doctor will give them information to do that. If the child is aware of some academic or attention problem he or she has, mention it and say you're hoping the psychologist will show you all how to make things easier and better.

6. How do I talk about an assessment to my adolescent?

Start by expecting some push-back and not let that daunt you, or be the start of an argument. Say in a simple way, that you, as parent, are stumped by whatever problem keeps coming up between you (low grades, misbehavior, too much conflict, etc.). Remind your son or daughter that the problem isn't some secret; it is something you all have struggled with already. You might say you don't want to be so upset so often, or to argue so much about the issue. It is time to really look at the problem and let a professional from outside the family give you all a better idea about what is going on and how to begin to solve it. Remind him that this isn't therapy; no one is asking him or her to talk about their life or their "problems."

Tell your child that the assessor will want to see the child alone in the very first session to ask if the child has a question for the assessor to investigate privately, without sharing that knowledge with the parent. Some questions adolescents ask are: Why do I have trouble falling asleep? Why can't I concentrate in school? Talk about the assessment as something that's been decided on, not something to be negotiated. If the adolescent has further questions, tell him he should ask the assessor to answer them.

7. What can I expect to get out of an assessment?

First, expect to get a lot of information. It may be about your mood, your skill level, how you solve problems, how you relate or how you or your child handles stress. The information will be about what you've asked in the beginning, but be sure it will in-depth information. What you learn will be relayed in a careful way so you can understand clearly. Psychological jargon will be rare or eliminated. Suggestions will be made about how to use the information to improve your life. The knowledge you gain will be useful for school, for bettering relationships, parenting, for your career, or for your life, in general. It will often cover information about stress, how it may be affecting you and how to better manage it.

8. Is an assessment confidential?

Yes. The only ones who have access to any information (as determined by law) is a parent or custodian (of a child being assessed) or the individual himself (for adults). No one is privy to know anything, including a spouse, a teacher, or a doctor, without express written consent. The same basic rules/laws apply to the assessment process as apply to therapy.

9. What if my child's other parent doesn't agree to an assessment? Can it still be done if one of us thinks it is important?

If the child is in an intact family (parents are not divorced or separated) one of the parents can refuse agreement. If there is a divorce, the parent who has full legal custody (e.g., the one who can make medical or school decisions alone), is the only one who needs to agree to an assessment.

10. If the parents are divorced, who is responsible to pay for an assessment?

The divorce documents regarding custody usually stipulates who bears medical expenses (mental health usually comes under this category). In any case, the parents need to resolve this question among themselves prior to an assessment being administered.