Wondering if your child needs a psychoeducational evaluation? Learn which concerns to discuss, what testing can clarify, and next steps for Connecticut parents.
By Kayla Widmeyer, MS, Ed.S.
When parents first ask me about a psychoeducational evaluation, they are usually trying to answer one question: Why is learning so hard for my child? They describe homework that feels overwhelming, difficulty remembering what was taught earlier that day, or a child who comes home and breaks down when it is time to work. They may also notice their child losing confidence or becoming reluctant to go to school.
As a school psychologist, I want to understand those everyday experiences alongside the academic concerns. What feels hardest for this child? What is already helping? What do we still need to understand?
Once we begin discussing an evaluation, parents understandably have questions about the process: What will you assess? How long will it take? What areas does the testing look at? What will my child be asked to do? In my work in schools, families also want to know how testing will fit into the school day. Those questions deserve clear answers before testing begins and understanding the purpose and plan for an evaluation is part of helping families feel informed and involved.
A psychoeducational evaluation may be worth discussing when learning difficulties persist, schoolwork requires substantial support, or you need a clearer understanding of your child's strengths and needs. A difficult week or an online checklist cannot tell you whether your child needs testing. Specific observations and conversations with qualified professionals can help you decide.
You do not have to arrive with a suspected diagnosis. You can begin with a question: “Why does this feel so difficult for my child, and what would help?”
This guide will help you organize what you are noticing, understand what an evaluation can offer, and explore next steps including school-based options for Connecticut families.
What is a psychoeducational evaluation?
A psychoeducational evaluation examines learning and thinking skills and helps to explain a student's strengths and areas of difficulty. It brings standardized assessment results together with information about the child's development, education, and everyday experiences.
The American Academy of Pediatrics describes an evaluation investigating the presence of a learning disability as including cognitive and academic assessment, with other areas explored when appropriate. Those additional areas may include attention, memory, language, or emotional functioning. Read the AAP's overview of learning disability evaluation.
When speaking with parents about their concerns, we try to develop central questions to guide the testing that will be completed. Together, we discuss the whole child in an effort to answer the question: “What are we trying to understand, and how will the information help us make decisions?” At Everpoint, our psychoeducational evaluations in Connecticut begin with the family's concerns. We select assessment areas based on the student's needs and the questions the family wants answered.
What concerns are worth bringing up?
Persistent difficulty with reading, writing, math, directions, organization, or completing schoolwork is worth discussing with your child's teacher and pediatrician. The AAP identifies these as areas in which school-aged children may need help. See the AAP's guide to learning differences.
Try describing the task and what happens, using examples such as these:
Reading:
“My child repeatedly gets stuck on words in assigned reading.”
“My child dislikes reading and it is a struggle to get him to sit down and do his nightly homework.”
“When my child is done reading, she can’t remember what she read. We have to go back and reread sections.”
“My child is still sounding every word out when she reads.”
Math
“My child has trouble explaining which step comes next.”
“My child really struggles to break apart word problems.”
“She knows how to do the computation, but can’t seem to apply it.”
“It became clear while doing factorization, that my child does not know their math facts. He is still counting on his fingers. It is not automatic.”
Writing:
“She can explain her answer outloud, but writing it takes substantial help.”
“I can’t even read what my child has written!”
“Even simple words are spelled incorrectly.”
“Generating ideas is really difficult for my child.”
“It is difficult for my child to tell a coherent story. His writing is disorganized and does not stay on topic.”
Executive Functioning:
“My child gets distracted doing everyday tasks, like brushing her teeth and getting dressed.
“My child needs constant reminders while getting ready to leave the house.”
“When I check my child’s folder at the end of the day, it still has yesterday’s homework in it!”
“My child is not able to do homework independently. I have to sit next to her while she completes it.
These are conversation starters, not diagnostic signs on their own. In addition to where your child struggles, bringing examples of what your child does easily is important, too. Understanding strengths belongs in the same conversation!
How can I tell whether this is a temporary struggle?
We all have areas of strength and areas of difficulty. Weaknesses are not the same as disabilities and the first step to determining the difference is looking at patterns, context, and impact. A single difficult assignment provides different information from the same difficulty appearing repeatedly across similar tasks, subjects and grade levels.
Consider these questions:
When did you first notice the problem?
Does it happen in one subject or several?
What can your child do independently, and where do they need help?
What instruction or support has been tried, and what changed?
Has anything changed in attendance, sleep, health, friendships, or family life?
School difficulties can have several contributing factors. In its guidance on children falling behind in school, the AAP recommends involving the pediatrician and considering learning, emotional, social, and health concerns. However, you do not need to resolve those possibilities yourself. Your observations help the professionals decide what information is needed next and gathering examples should not become a reason to postpone asking for help.
What should I bring to a conversation with the school?
When you decide it’s time to bring your concerns to the school, bring a few concrete examples and a short list of questions. You do not need a perfectly organized binder or a technical explanation to begin. Some useful materials might include a recent assignment, teacher feedback, progress reports, and a note about how much help was needed at home. If your child already receives support in school, ask what skills are being targeted and how progress is being measured.
For example, “Writing is hard” gives less detail than: “On Tuesday, my child explained three ideas aloud, then needed repeated prompts to write the first sentence.” This is an illustrative example of a useful observation, not a client story.
You might ask:
“Are you seeing the same difficulty in class?”
“What does my child do well independently?”
“What have we tried, and what does the progress information show?”
“Should we discuss a referral for an evaluation?”
Before the conversation ends, clarify the next action and who will follow up. If your child receives support outside of school in the form of tutoring or counseling, that is very helpful information for the school team to have as well.
Can I request an evaluation through my child's school?
Yes. Connecticut parents can make a written referral requesting consideration of an initial special education evaluation. The Planning and Placement Team, or PPT, meets to consider the referral and whether an evaluation is needed. A referral is not itself a determination that a child has a disability, nor does it guarantee the team will complete an evaluation. The team, as a whole, must suspect the presence of a disability to move forward with an evaluation.
When making a referral, the Connecticut State Department of Education explains that parents do not have to use the district's standard form; a written concern that clearly requests an evaluation for suspected disability can serve as a referral. And this can come in the form of an email, conversation with the teacher or handwritten note. Read Connecticut's referral guidance. School interventions can continue during this process and the same guidance states that intervention procedures must not be used to delay or deny a timely evaluation when a disability is suspected.
Ask your school for its referral contact, procedural safeguards, and an explanation of the next steps. Keep a copy of your request and the school's response.
Do we need a private evaluation?
A private evaluation is one option to explore, but you do not need to purchase one simply to raise concerns with your child's school. Public-school special education evaluations are provided at no cost to families through the applicable school process. The AAP encourages parents to ask their school about these evaluation services first before paying for a private evaluation.
If you are considering private testing, start by identifying what you hope it will clarify. Perhaps you want another perspective or have a question that you feel remains unanswered.
Before scheduling, ask:
What questions will this evaluation address?
Who will conduct it, and what are their qualifications?
What report, recommendations, and feedback are included?
What will it cost, and when should we expect the results?
How might the information be used in conversations with the school?
These questions help you compare the proposed service with the decision your family needs to make.
What can evaluation results tell us—and what are their limits?
Evaluation findings can help explain learning patterns and inform recommendations. Findings from standardized academic and cognitive measures are interpreted alongside developmental history, observations, and other information as necessary. A score alone does not describe the whole child.
For school evaluations, Connecticut's guidance calls for multiple assessment tools and prohibits using a single measure as the sole basis for eligibility. Once the evaluation is completed, the Planning and Placement Team considers whether the student meets the requirements for special education. An evaluation or diagnosis does not automatically establish eligibility. Read Connecticut's evaluation and eligibility guidance.
During a feedback meeting, useful questions include:
“How do the results relate to what we see during schoolwork?”
“Which recommendations should we prioritize?”
“What should we discuss with the school?”
“Are there questions this evaluation could not answer?”
You should leave with an explanation you can understand and a clearer sense of what to explore next. In addition, Everpoint Education also believes in making sure parents have a clear understanding of what they can expect if the evaluation is brought back to their child’s school, private or public.
How can I explain an evaluation to my child?
Whenever I met a child for the first time to begin testing, I start by asking if they knew their parents had a meeting with the school. I then go on to talk about how the team discussed activities that go really well for the child at school and things that can be hard. The child and I then have a discussion about what he/she sees as their areas of strength and weakness. I then tell them we are going to do some activities together to try to figure out why those trickier areas are tricky for them.
Framing the conversation around strengths and weaknesses is helpful because we all have them! You can also add something like, “You’re going to meet with someone who will help us understand how you learn best. There will be different activities and some may feel easier than others, and we'll use what we learn to think about what could help at school.”
Give your child room to ask questions. An older student may want to know who will see the report or how results might affect school support. Those are reasonable questions to bring to the evaluator together.
Avoid promising that every activity will be easy or that the evaluation will immediately fix school. A more useful message is that you are taking their experience seriously and seeking information to help.
Frequently asked questions about psychoeducational evaluations
Can my child need an evaluation if they earn good grades?
Good grades do not settle the question on their own. Discuss the effort, support, and difficulties behind those grades with the school team. Connecticut's eligibility guidance considers multiple aspects of school functioning, not only academic performance. Whether an evaluation is appropriate depends on the individual concerns.
Does difficulty paying attention mean my child has ADHD?
Difficulty paying attention does not establish ADHD on its own. Bring specific examples to your child's pediatrician and school team. They can help consider possible contributors and whether additional assessment is appropriate. Ask any prospective evaluator whether the questions you have fall within their assessment scope.
Do we need to finish tutoring before asking about an evaluation?
You can raise evaluation concerns while your child is receiving support. Tutoring and school interventions may provide useful information about progress, but they are not a reason to postpone discussing a suspected disability. Connecticut's referral guidance explains that interventions and the referral process can proceed together.
Is an evaluation the same as executive function coaching?
No. An evaluation helps clarify learning strengths and needs. Executive function coaching provides practice with skills such as planning, organization, and following through. Your family's questions help determine whether assessment, coaching, another service, or a combination is worth discussing.
What happens if we contact Everpoint about an evaluation?
We begin by discussing your concerns, your child's history, and what you hope to understand. If an Everpoint evaluation is an appropriate fit, we explain the proposed scope, fee, and scheduling before testing begins. Comprehensive evaluations include a written report, recommendations, and a feedback meeting.
Find a starting point for your family
You do not have to know why school feels difficult before you ask for help. A few concrete observations can start a useful conversation about your child's learning and the support they may need.
Everpoint Education is based in Branford and provides psychoeducational evaluations for families across Connecticut. Tell us what you are noticing and what you hope to understand. We will help you consider whether our evaluation services fit your questions.
Everpoint Education was co-founded by Kayla Widmeyer, M.S., Ed.S., a certified school psychologist, and Eric Widmeyer, M.S., an educator. Learn about Everpoint's founders.
