Assessments

Comprehensive Assessments and Evaluations

SMart Center Counseling performs comprehensive assessments and evaluations for a wide range of psychological and behavioral issues for children, teens and adults. Our center believes in taking a ‘whole person approach’ with assessments and diagnoses by interviewing the child’s caregivers to learn about their developmental history and academic history. SMart Center Counseling conducts a full battery of testing, not just a screening tool, and provides a comprehensive report with recommendations and referral options for next steps. The number of sessions for the type of testing is based upon the child’s progress. Typically, the sessions begin with an hour-long clinical interview with the child’s caregiver. After the clinical interview, the number of sessions can range from anywhere between 1 to 6 sessions; this is dependent on the needs of the individual and the information gathered during the testing period.

Selective Mutism and Social Communication Evaluation

This evaluation is a part of our Intensive S-CAT® Program. This is a comprehensive social communication evaluation and treatment program that is designed for preschool and school-aged children as well as young adults who are having social communication challenges due to selective mutism, social anxiety, social communication (pragmatic) disorder, or extreme shyness.

Speech & Language Evaluation

The SMart Center offers comprehensive speech and language evaluations conducted by certified and licensed speech-language pathologists tailored for children with social communication challenges from preschool through high school years.This evaluation includes standardized and informal measures to appropriately assess the oral mechanism, speech sound articulation, speech production during co-articulation, receptive and expressive language (understanding language and expressing oneself at an age-appropriate level involving semantics, syntax, morphology, and/or pragmatic language), voice (pitch, quality, and loudness), and fluency of speech (rate and rhythm). The series of assessment tools vary depending on the individualized needs of the child. All testing is conducted by an ASHA certified and PA licensed speech-language pathologist. The speech-language pathologists at the SMart Center are well qualified to properly assess children’s speech and language skills. They hold a Master’s or Doctoral degree and have many years of experience treating children with speech-language needs, including those with Selective Mutism. All speech-language pathologists at the SMart Center have experience working with children who have selective mutism and know how to evaluate and engage those with social communication disorders. Typically involves 3-4 hours of testing.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Evaluation

Children are often diagnosed with ADHD following self-reports and clinical interviews. However, ADHD often overlaps with many other diagnoses and symptoms including anxiety, trauma, depression, and other disorders. That is why formalized executive functioning testing is always recommended in order to obtain an accurate diagnostic picture and impression. A comprehensive report along with recommendations is provided and reviewed at a feedback session with a licensed psychologist.

Autism Assessment and Diagnosis

Smart Center Counseling provides effective and evidence-based assessments and treatment recommendations for individuals who may have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Smart Center Counseling performs comprehensive evaluations to better understand the person’s functioning, build upon their strengths and provide them with the appropriate supports. At Smart Center Counseling we utilize the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2) as well as the Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI-R) which are considered to be the ‘gold standard’ for diagnosing Autism. The ASD testing consists of two sessions: 1) Session One is a three hour interview with the client’s caregiver (specifically someone who is able to provide information about the client’s first, 5 years of development), 2) Session Two is an hour long assessment with the child/adolescent. At the conclusion of the testing, the evaluator will develop a comprehensive report based upon the findings from the testing period. The evaluator will schedule a feedback session with the caregiver and the client which will review the results of the testing, diagnostic information, and specific-individualized recommendations that will provide the child/adolescent with the most effective strategies and resources for support.

Psychoeducational

This evaluation is designed for preschool and school-age children and adolescents who are having difficulties in school. The results of this evaluation can be helpful in determining whether a child needs (or continues to need) special education and related services. Additionally, this evaluation helps to pinpoint the specific problems that are contributing to academic difficulties so that appropriate interventions can be identified. This evaluation includes a comprehensive clinical interview and developmental history, review of records, measures of intellectual functioning and academic achievement, social-emotional screening measures, a psychoeducational report, and a feedback session. 4-6 hours of testing

Neuropsychological

This comprehensive evaluation is designed for school-age children, adolescents, and adults to help identify areas of neuropsychological strength and weakness. This evaluation assesses multiple areas of functioning in order to provide a thorough picture of an individual’s cognitive functioning. All neuropsychological evaluations include a comprehensive clinical interview and developmental history, review of records, measures of intellectual functioning, a neuropsychological report, and a feedback session. In addition, neuropsychological evaluations typically include assessment of the following areas of functioning (may vary depending on the age or level of functioning of the individual): language and verbal reasoning, nonverbal and visual-spatial reasoning, attention, executive functioning, memory and learning, fine motor and visual-motor integration skills, and social-emotional functioning. 6-8 hours of testing