Reflections on a Summer of Psychoeducational Testing

As another Houston summer comes to an end, I’ve been reflecting on what was a busy season of psychoeducational testing in my practice. Summer has become an increasingly popular time for families to pursue evaluations for concerns related to ADHD, dyslexia and other learning differences, autism, anxiety, and executive functioning.

After spending much of this summer working with children and adolescents and their families, I continue to find that summer can be an excellent time to complete a psychoeducational evaluation. There are some important limitations to consider, however. Here are a few things I noticed this summer, and some considerations for families thinking about scheduling an evaluation next year.

Summer gives us something valuable: time

One of the biggest advantages of summer testing is simply having fewer competing demands.

A comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation takes time. In addition to interviews and testing appointments, parents are asked to complete questionnaires, gather school records, and provide information from teachers. During the school year, all of this has to happen alongside classes, homework, sports, activities, and family obligations.

Testing itself also takes several hours. I usually schedule school-aged children to come in the morning for two three-hour appointments (less if the child is in pre-k or kinder). Especially for a young person already underperforming in school, missing class for testing can introduce can be an added stressor.

Summer often gives us more breathing room. Testing can be scheduled in alignment with the student’s most alert time of day without worrying about what instruction or assignments they are missing back at school..

There is time to understand the results before the new school year

Another benefit is what happens after the evaluation.

A good psychoeducational evaluation should do much more than provide a diagnosis. My goal is to help families understand how their child thinks and learns, why certain things may be more difficult than expected, and what we can do differently going forward.

Completing an evaluation during the summer can give parents time to digest that information and consider recommendations before the demands of the school year are fully underway.

Depending on the findings, that might mean sharing the evaluation with the school, considering accommodations, arranging targeted academic intervention, finding a therapist or other provider, or simply changing some of the ways a family approaches homework, organization, or expectations at home.

Rather than beginning the school year wondering whether an old problem will reappear, families can begin with a clearer understanding of what their child needs. Beginning a new school year feeling confident and empowered can make a big difference.

But teacher feedback can be harder to obtain

There is one obvious disadvantage to evaluating a child when school isn't in session: teachers are an extremely valuable source of information, and they may not be available during the summer.

For questions involving ADHD, autism, anxiety, executive functioning, or academic performance, I don't want to understand only how a child performs in my office. I also want to know what teachers have observed over time in the classroom.

This requires some planning.

When we know an evaluation will occur during the summer, we can sometimes collect teacher rating scales and feedback in May, before teachers leave for summer break. If that isn't possible, we may wait until teachers return in August to obtain their input before finalizing conclusions. Waiting on teacher input can slow the process but I will always prioritize comprehensiveness over speed.

The right approach depends on the referral question and the information already available. The important point is that summer scheduling should not mean simply leaving valuable school information out of the evaluation.

What about the “summer slide”?

Parents sometimes wonder whether academic testing during the summer could underestimate their child's abilities because certain skills have gotten rusty.

It's a reasonable question.

Children may be reading less, writing less, or practicing math skills less frequently during summer break. A child returning to an academic task in July may therefore feel a little less fluent than that same child did during the final weeks of school.

This is something a psychologist should consider when interpreting summer testing.

In most cases, however, I would not expect ordinary summer skill loss to be substantial enough to impact whether a child does or does not receive a diagnosis. Diagnoses such as dyslexia or other specific learning disorders aren't based on a single score in isolation. We look for patterns across multiple measures and consider developmental history, school performance, prior testing, teacher and parent observations, and other evidence.

Test scores always need context. Summer is simply one more piece of that context.

Summer schedules aren't always as open as they look

There is also a practical irony of summer evaluations: everyone has more flexibility, and everyone goes on vacation!

Over the course of the evaluation process, families often travel. Psychologists take vacations, too! Camps and other summer plans can create additional scheduling complications.

As a result, an evaluation that begins in the summer can occasionally take a little longer from the first appointment to the final feedback session than a fall or spring evaluation, even when the actual assessment work is proceeding normally.

Fortunately, virtual feedback sessions make this much easier. Parents don't necessarily need to wait until everyone is back in Houston and available for another office appointment. In many cases, we can meet virtually to discuss the results, answer questions, and review recommendations even when summer travel makes an in-person meeting difficult.

The best time to evaluate is ultimately the time your child needs answers

After a busy summer of testing, I remain a fan of summer evaluations. Children can often approach testing without the fatigue and competing demands of the school year, families have greater scheduling flexibility, and there is an opportunity to enter the next school year with a clearer plan.

But summer isn't inherently the “right” time for every child.

If a child is struggling significantly in October, for example, I generally wouldn't suggest spending the entire school year waiting for June simply because summer testing is convenient. There is real value in understanding the problem sooner and beginning appropriate support.

The more important question is whether there is something about your child's learning, attention, behavior, or emotional functioning that you don't yet understand, and whether having better information could change what you do next.

For families who already know they would like an evaluation before the next school year, though, planning ahead for summer can make the process considerably easier. If summer testing makes sense for your family, I recommend getting in touch in April so that teacher outreach can begin well ahead of the end of the school year.

If you are considering a psychoeducational evaluation in Houston for concerns related to ADHD, dyslexia, learning differences, autism, anxiety, or other factors affecting your child's experience at school, I am happy to talk with you about whether an evaluation would be helpful and when it makes sense to begin.