Does My Child Need Help? A Guide to Educational Assessments and Interventions

Are you worried about your child’s learning ability or behaviour? Do you suspect they may have a problem like dyslexia or AD/HD? Your child’s teacher may have recommended they be assessed by an educational psychologist, but what does this entail?

Written by a practising educational psychologist with 25 years’ experience in the United States and Ireland, Does My Child Need Help? clearly explains the process and positive impact of an educational assessment, guiding the reader step-by-step through the process of:

• Initial contact with the psychologist
• Subjective assessment – behaviour observations, background information, existing reports, etc.
• Objective assessment – cognitive tests, rating scales and other measures
• Diagnosis
• The components of the psychologist’s report
• Recommendations and interventionsDoes My Child Need Help? will aid parents in understanding the entire process, answering common questions such as ‘What happens?’, ‘What do I say to my child?’ and ‘What do the results mean for my child’s education?’ through case studies, example reports, and testimonials from parents, resource teachers and special needs coordinators.
  Using graphs to visually illustrate how different problems are diagnosed, the author shares his expert advice with the reader, covering the diagnosis and management of frequently occurring problems such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, AD/HD, autistic spectrum disorders and emotional/behavioural difficulties. While aimed primarily at parents, Does My Child Need Help? will also prove useful to teachers, special needs assistants, administrators, students, healthcare professionals and psychologists.

  Dr William K. Wilkinson is a psychologist specialising in the educational and psychological assessment and treatment of learning and behavioural problems. He has operated a private practice in Galway for nineteen years and is an adjunct lecturer in Clinical Psychology at NUI Galway.