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A full psycho-educational assessment must be conducted by a qualified psychologist. Some schools* may provide this service to students having learning issues. However, gifted learners are often not a priority when it comes to allocating these scarce and critical resources. Parents may opt to engage a psychologist of their choice to perform appropriate testing. The extended medical benefits provided by some employers may partially cover this service. The Ontario Psychological Association (OPA) provides advice for the general public and a referral service at this link.
* Schools also administer other educational assessments and screening tests which can be conducted by specially trained teachers and which may indicate giftedness.
ABC does not endorse any particular service providers. However, in general we advise that you seek a psychologist who works regularly with children and specializes in educational assessments (such as the WISC IV). The psychologist will select the test(s) best suited to your individual child based on their age and other factors.
ABC Ontario also recommends that you ask any psychologists that you are considering prescreening questions such as:
Have you tested other gifted children the same age as my child?
Have you tested children who are gifted and also have other learning issues? (ie. LD, ADD, Autism etc)
Do you conduct the testing yourself or do you have psychometrists who do the actual testing?
If so, how experienced is the pyschometrist?
You should feel comfortable asking any other questions that you feel would be pertinent in the case of your
particular child as well as discussing any other concerns you have about your child's social-emotional well-being.
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