Assessment

The purpose of an assessment is to evaluate brain functioning and mental health. It allows us to understand how a person is doing, to establish what the concerns are, to arrive at a diagnosis, and to guide treatment.

We offer four main types of assessments:

1. Neuropsychological Assessment
2. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Diagnostic Assessment
3. Psychoeducational Assessment
4. Psychological / ADHD assessment

All three assessment types involve an intake interview, testing, and rating scales. All assessments have the same basic structure and process:

• Intake Interview: The assessment begins with a comprehensive intake interview in which you share your concerns and provide relevant background information. Depending on the situation, we ask parents, spouses, partners, and/or legal guardians to participate. The intake interview is fundamental to the assessment and guides it from start to finish. It also helps us understand how we can be of help to you. Intake interviews usually take 1-2 hours.
• Test Administration: This involves completing a variety of standardized tests that examine general thinking skills, problem solving, academic achievement, language, attention, learning, memory, and/or executive functioning. We also use a variety of standardized questionnaires and rating scales to evaluate mood, behaviour, social functioning, family functioning, and daily living skills. This is the longest part of the assessment, ranging from 3 to 10 hours depending on the client's age and on the type of assessment required. In the case of a neuropsychological assessment, we usually complete testing over two days.
• Feedback: The assessment concludes with a meeting to review the results. We will also provide you with a copy of the assessment report. The report documents the assessment results and provides recommendations appropriate to your needs. We strive to write clear, jargon-free reports that everyone can understand.

Here is more information to help you decide what type of assessment may be appropriate. We would be happy to hear from you if you have any questions or if you need help deciding what to do.

Neuropsychological Assessment

This highly specialized assessment examines a wide variety of functional domains such as general intelligence, visual-spatial reasoning, problem solving, somatosensory functioning, motor functioning, language, attention, learning, memory, academic achievement, and executive functioning. We also evaluate mood, behaviour, social functioning, family functioning, and daily living skills. You probably have heard of a CT scan or an MRI. These give you a picture of how the brain looks. A neuropsychological assessment tells you how the brain works.

We routinely complete neuropsychological and psychoeducational assessments for the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services (DCS), Mi'kmaw Family and Children's Services of Nova Scotia (MFCS), and Jordan's Principle. We also provide independent neuropsychological evaluations (IME assessments) for the Worker's Compensation Board (WCB), Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), insurance companies, legal professionals, universities, and employers.

Our areas of specialty and expertise include:

• Acquired brain injury (ABI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
• Medical and neurological conditions including stroke, tumour, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, neurofibromatosis, epilepsy, and many other conditions

Here are some common situations that a neuropsychological assessment can help with:

• Prenatal exposure to alcohol or drugs
• Brain injury from trauma, stroke, lack of oxygen, or infection
• Cognitive changes after a concussion
• Toxic exposure to lead, carbon monoxide, or inhalants
• Baseline assessment of a person's functioning before medical treatment or surgery
• Physician-recommended assessment to help make or confirm a diagnosis

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Diagnostic Assessment

An FASD diagnostic assessment is essentially a neuropsychological assessment with some extra steps and procedures specific to FASD. Dr. McInerney has completed hundreds of FASD diagnostic assessments over the past 20 years. He brings a high level of knowledge, experience, sensitivity, and expertise to the assessment process. FASD diagnostic assessments are available for children, adolescents, and adults.

Psychoeducational Assessment

A psychoeducational assessment is intended for children, adolescents, and adults who are struggling in school or at work. The assessment involves a comprehensive examination of general thinking skills and academic development. We also evaluate emotional health, behaviour, social functioning, and family functioning, because difficulties in these areas can affect school or workplace performance. For school-aged children and youth, we also gather information directly from teachers. If requested, we will attend a school meeting to discuss the assessment results and to provide teaching recommendations.

Here are some common questions and scenarios that a psychoeducational assessment can help with:

Children and Youth

• Why is my child so frustrated at school?
• My son can see a word 50 times and know it one day, then forget it the next. Does he have a memory problem?
• Why is it such a struggle to get my daughter to complete her homework?
• Does my child have a learning disability?
• My daughter has trouble in math, but she does fine in other subjects. Why is that?
• My son has trouble paying attention in class, staying organized, staying seated, and following school routines. What's going on?
• Is my child gifted?

Adults

• I had a lot of difficulty at school when I was young. Now I'm struggling at work. Do I have a learning disability and/or an attention disorder that could help explain some of my difficulties?
• I had a learning disability as a child. Am I still affected now as an adult?
• Can you provide me with an updated assessment to help my transition to college or university?
• I'm having difficulty processing information at work. Is this because I had ADHD as a child?
• My college, university, or employer will provide me with reasonable accommodations to help me be more successful, and I need an updated assessment as part of my request

After the assessment is complete, you will learn the following about your child or about yourself:

• Profile of strengths and challenges
• Specific processing and/or academic difficulties
• Ability to carry out academic tasks under timed and untimed conditions
• Recommendations for accommodations, strategies and/or remediation

Psychological / ADHD Assessment

A psychological assessment examines whether someone has a mental health condition such as depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a personality disorder, or another condition.

Priority and Urgent Assessments

We now offer priority and urgent assessment services. Priority assessments occur within one to three months of the referral. Urgent assessments occur within 7-14 days of the referral. Please click here for more information.