FAQ

Assessment FAQ

  • Many benefit plans have some degree of Psychology coverage. In many cases, we are able to use benefits from each parent as well as the child to represent time spent with each of you. We can set the receipt up to reflect this in order to maximize your benefit coverage. At this point, we do not direct bill to insurance companies, but you will be provided with a detailed receipt to submit to your insurance provider.

    • Gifted assessments typically take 1-2 weeks

    • ADHD, Mood, Anxiety & Behaviour assessments can take up to 6 weeks

    • Full psychoeducational assessments can take up to 8 weeks

  • We are big believers in completing the assessment as soon as your child demonstrates “red flag” behaviours:

    • chronic headaches and/or stomach aches before and at school

    • school avoidance and refusal

    • unexpected academic underachievement

    • reports from the school that your child is struggling, etc.

    The traditional “Wait to Fail” model tells parents to wait until grade 3 to complete an assessment. The justification is to allow time for further cognitive development.

    However, this model prepares children to fail regularly for 3-5 years (or more) before supporting them.

    Unfortunately, by then, many students experience much more significant functional impairment. Additionally, this lack of appropriate support often leads to a child developing secondary mental health conditions, like anxiety, and depression.

  • Since assessments at Avery are completed privately, no, you do not need to provide your child’s school with a copy of the report.

    However, if you would like the school to support and accommodate for your child’s individual needs, you will likely need to provide the report to the school. The report will help your child’s school understand how to best serve your child.

  • Fees range depending on the purpose of the assessment, as the amount of time required for each varies.

    For example, a Gifted Assessment takes approximately 10 hours to complete, from start to finish, including report writing. The cost would range from $600 to $1,200.

    A Psychoeducational Assessment without Autism screening can take 20-30 hours depending on the child’s age. The fee for this is $2,950.

    A Psychoeducational Assessment with Autism screening can take 30-40 hours. The fee is $3,250.

    Cost should not be a barrier to your child getting help. We work hard to ensure our fees are competitive with other Calgary-area service providers.

    Contact us for more specific information.

  • If the parents share or have joint custody of the child, both parents will need to provide informed consent in order for the assessment process to happen.

    You must provide your psychologist any court documents referencing custody arrangements.

    If a guardian seeks the assessment, they must provide proof of guardianship to their psychologist.

  • We encourage an honest, age-appropriate response.

    This would include a discussion of the purpose of the assessment, which is to make sure that all of the adults (parents, educators, other professionals) are able to provide the best support for their learning.

    We minimize the concept of “testing” and focus on learning about strengths and struggles.

    Check out this fantastic article by Understood.org for more help

  • Psycho-educational assessments are designed to provide documented advocacy for your child’s learning needs.

    However, whether your child receives help and what type of help they receives depends on the results of the assessment and the decisions of the school and the school division.

  • Contact us to book an assessment. You do not require a referral.

STARS Literacy Program FAQ

  • The amount of literacy instruction ultimately depends on several things:

    • your child’s current literacy skills

    • your availability

    • your budget

    The key elements to any intensive literacy program are:

    • FREQUENCY, as fewer days between lessons equals less learning loss

    • INTENSITY, as in the amount of time spent in each session

    We recommend 5-10 hours per week in 1-2 hour blocks, but some time (e.g., 2 hours a week) is better than none at all!

  • Yes!

    Our reading, spelling and writing instructors are educational experts trained to work with ALL students.

    STARS literacy coaches personalize each child’s experience to maximize their learning.

    However, if your child is working through a medication trial (e.g., ADHD medications), we recommend completing the trial before introducing intensive literacy instruction.

  • Our experience over the past 20 years has indicated that the instruction children receive with us actually increases their ability learn at school.

    STARS teaches students critical literacy skills they require for learning across ALL subjects.

    Your child’s teacher may be able to work with you to help bridge gaps in math.

    Otherwise, we find that over the span of their education, the small amount of curriculum they may miss pales in comparison to the skills, confidence, and ability to read and write!

  • This depends on your child’s needs.

    We typically start each session with relationship and rapport building so your child feels safe to take learning risks. This also builds trust with your child.

    We take breaks as needed with games, play and a bit of silly mixed in.

    We want your child to enjoy working with us enough to keep coming back!