Evaluations


So, What Happens at an Evaluation?

Often times before bringing their child in, parents will ask us, “What do you do during an evaluation?”   Although every evaluation is different and unique for that specific child, there are some common processes that our physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists follow.

The therapist will talk with the parent/caregiver about your concerns, the child’s medical history, developmental history (including gross motor, fine motor, sensory integration, and/or speech and language skills), educational/academic history, behaviors, etc.

The therapist will interact with the child, using play-based assessment when appropriate, to observe certain skills.

Standardized test(s) may be given, depending on the child’s level of function, cooperation, and attention skills.  We often use dynamic assessment measures as well.  These include prompting the child to perform certain tasks/skills, teaching a skill and then testing, observation, clinical checklists, parent report, and documentation review.

The therapist may observe the child by himself/herself or with the parent in order look for skills from a clinical checklist.

At the end of the evaluation, your therapist will briefly discuss some initial impressions.   However, a diagnosis may not be given until a later date so that the therapist can review all of the evaluation results.

Your therapist will be in touch with you within 5 business days to discuss results and treatment options, if appropriate.

  Filed under: Evaluations