It was clear from our first conversation that Jane is highly-trained and a passionate advocate for children with language-based learning disabilities. What truly struck me was her ability to connect with my daughter, 14, who is very reserved and shy. I was worried their sessions might not yield helpful insights. Jane immediately created an easy, warm rapport — I could see my daughter relax and engage. Jane’s evaluation showed that some of what we thought were simply personality traits, like her discomfort at being put on the spot when called on in class, correlated with areas where she struggles cognitively. That was a lightbulb moment and a connection no one had made in her previous assessments. My daughter felt seen as the learner she is for the first time. We benefitted hugely from Jane’s presence at our subsequent meeting with the school. She presented strategies that were unique to how our daughter learns — and behaves — in the classroom.
Danielle M. - Parent
Evaluations
Evaluating an incoming student is an essential component of services offered at Soundview. The data is used to identify areas of strength and weakness and informs an individualized plan for your student. In addition, a baseline is important to establish and yearly follow-up testing demonstrates growth.
Evaluating an incoming student is a multi-step process. First, families are asked to complete an intake questionnaire that provides relevant background information, identifies areas of concern and a reason for referral. Next, current teachers, school counselors and/or academic advisors are contacted to share additional information on the student. Testing sessions are scheduled for up to 6 hours over two to three sessions but can vary depending on the individual and the reason for evaluation. Once a complete report is written, a parent conference is held to share results, insights, and recommendations.
Psychoeducational Evaluations
Psychoeducational evaluations are assessments of your student’s cognitive, academic, and/or social-emotional functioning. A key component of the complete psychoeducational evaluation is the administration of the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children - V. This test is given by a licensed school psychologist, contracted by Soundview Education Services. The WISC-V, combined with other measures of memory, learning, visual processing, language, and academic achievement, creates a profile of your child’s learning abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.
Academic Evaluations of Achievement
For incoming students with a recent psychoeducational evaluation within the last three years, Soundview offers academic evaluations. Academic evaluations provide information regarding your student’s performance relative to his or her peers in the areas of reading, writing, and math.
Students in educational therapy are administered academic evaluations annually to demonstrate growth and determine future goals.
Literacy & Language Evaluations
For students who show weakness predominantly in the area of reading, Soundview offers a battery specific to the functions of reading acquisition. These evaluations provide information regarding a student’s processing speed, receptive and expressive language functioning, phonological awareness, decoding, encoding, fluency, and comprehension.