School Psychology Services For the Gainesville, Florida Area  
 
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Answers to Common Questions

How long does an evaluation take?

This is very dependent on your child. Considerations include your child's abilities, response style, and the area(s) of concern. Dr. Scott works to make your child comfortable by allowing him/her to work at his/her own pace.

Generally speaking, a gifted evaluation takes 1 to 1½ hours, an evaluation for learning difficulties takes approximately 4 to 6 hours, and an evaluation for social-emotional or attentional difficulties takes approximately 4½ to 7 hours. These estimates are for time spent with your child and do not include evaluation preparations, report writing, or parent meetings.

What does an evaluation involve?

A psychological evaluation can include many components, depending on your concerns and the needs of your child. The following is a brief description of what your child's evaluation may include.

  • Intelligence – a measure of learning aptitude/potential. Typically includes abilities such as verbal comprehension, problem solving, reasoning, etc.
  • Cognitive Processing – a measure of how your child uses information to learn. May involve areas such as memory, spatial relations, language, visual-motor, auditory processing and/or information processing abilities.
  • Achievement – a measure of your child's academic skills in the areas of reading, mathematics, written language, and/or oral language.
  • Attention – a combination of measures that explore your child's functioning in the areas of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
  • Social-Emotional Functioning – a combination of measures that explore your child's personality, temperament, and/or behavior at home and at school.
  • Developmental Abilities – a measure of your child's development in the areas of cognitive, motor, communication, social-emotional, and adaptive abilities.

Why should I have Dr. Scott evaluate my child instead of the school psychologist at my child's school?

Dr. Scott collaborates with children, parents, educators, and other professionals to identify underlying causes of learning and behavior challenges. She works to help relevant parties understand these concerns and create healthy, supportive learning environments for her clients that strengthen connections between home and school.

While some or all of Dr. Scott's services may be available to you free of charge through the public school system, you benefit from her experience and sensitivity to your child's needs. Dr. Scott focuses on your child's strengths, challenges, and learning styles in an environment that is family and child friendly. Her goal is to make your child feel at ease, so that his/her true abilities shine through.

Dr. Scott's case load and other work-related responsibilities are also different from that of school psychologists in the public school system. As a result, she can often see your child more quickly and explore his/her abilities with fewer time restrictions.

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