10 Reasons Your Child May Need Psychological Testing

What is psychological testing, where can you get it, and what are the reasons your child may need one? Psychological testing is a mixture of assessments and observations that help determine if your child needs support academically, emotionally or behaviorally.

Often, testing for your child is given in their school to determine the need for any type of special education or concessions for learning. More in-depth and detailed testing is done privately through a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist or clinical social worker. If you have consistent concerns around emotional, behavioral or learning matters, psychological assessment will give answers.

How do I know when my child needs testing?

*Laura’s son James was struggling in school. He was in first grade, and his teachers were noticing that he was struggling more than the other kids with academics and behavior. The school recommended that he get tested for a learning disability. Laura didn’t think her son had a problem and also didn’t want to label him for the rest of his life. Laura’s husband was also confused because he himself had always been in gifted and talented classes.

The school staff explained that in order to qualify for a learning disability, Laura’s son would need to have a large discrepancy between his IQ score and his ability to do schoolwork that is developmentally appropriate for his grade level. It’s important to note that IQ alone is not a definitive measure of a disability. Children of all ability levels; cognitively, emotionally and physically, can exhibit learning disabilities and psychological testing can give clarity.

At the time, it looked like the only option for Laura’s son was to repeat the first grade. Laura decided not to have her son tested. He repeated first grade, and continued to struggle. Eventually, because conditioned worsened, her son got tested in fifth grade, then qualified for services in special education for a learning disability.

Four years has passed that could’ve made James’ school life easier. Most of all James absorbed four more years of feeling like he couldn’t keep up, something was wrong with him and he was “dumb”. Because of the young age, it will take a very long time for James to un-learn his negative self-view. Although he only suffered academically, it spilled over into suffering socially and emotionally as well.

10 reasons to have your child tested.

You may consider having your child psychologically assessed at any time and here are some reasons you may encounter:
They are having persistent academic problems. If your child is having trouble keeping up with school work, despite putting in the effort and receiving tutoring, testing can help determine cognitive and learning challenges.
They have frequent emotional outbursts. If your child has frequent tantrums, extreme reactions or the inability to control their emotions, beyond what is developmentally appropriate, it could signal a mood disorder, ADHD or anxiety.
They are having behavioral problems. If you are getting reports from the school or noticing yourself, that your child has aggressive behavior, conflict with peers, or more than average defiance, testing can reveal whether there is a behavioral disorder, such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Reactive Attachment Disorder.
They struggle with social interactions. When your child has trouble making or keeping friends, is often withdrawn or socially awkward, testing can indicate whether they have a social disorder, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
There are drastic changes in their sleeping or eating patterns. If there is no obvious cause for these changes, it could signify emotional distress, or psychological conditions.
Their self-esteem has made a dramatic decline. If you notice your child withdrawing from activities they once enjoyed, expressing feelings of worthlessness, or talking negatively about themselves, psychological testing can show whether depression, an adverse experience, or other trauma is affecting them.
Concentration is a problem. If your child has trouble concentrating on tasks, especially ones they don’t enjoy, has trouble starting a task or trouble completing a task, testing can show if ADHD or an underlying disability is to blame.
Unexplained physical symptoms. If you’ve seen doctor after doctor, and no one can explain why your child is experiencing physical symptoms like headaches, stomach-aches, or other pains, testing can reveal if there is a psychological stressor.
Intense fear or anxiety. Your child refuses to go to school, or participate in certain activities due to unexplainable fear or anxiety. Psychological testing can indicate if an anxiety disorder is at the root.
Regression in development. If your child appears to be going backwards in physical development, this could indicate that there is extreme stress. Even though the outside seems stress-free, their inwards could be experiencing too much stress. A psychological evaluation could possible expose a developmental deficiency.

Early intervention is ideal.

Early acknowledgment is ideal for proper and accurate academic, emotional, behavioral and psychological testing to be of benefit for your child. The sooner a disorder or disability is recognized, the sooner your child can benefit from specialized learning strategies, and tools to help them overcome any challenges.

When assessing is put off like Laura did, your child will have to struggle for longer than necessary. She waited, not because she didn’t care about her son, but because she didn’t want to admit to herself that there could be a problem. If you address problems early, you can often prevent secondary problems, such as low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. Kids who have early interventions have better long-term outcomes.

If you aren’t sure where to turn for testing, reach out to your pediatrician, school counselor, or other experts in the field of child development.

If you would like recommendations or direction for resources, set up a complimentary call with Therapeutic Educational Consulting here.

Photo credit, Feodora Chiosea