Educational Testing

Dr. Sears can provide the following services through her office at MINDscapes LLC. Please call 614-604-6067 for more info.


Psychoeducational Evaluation (Learning Disabilities, etc)

This type of evaluation includes measures of cognitive ability and academic achievement in order to determine processing strengths and weaknesses as well as learning disabilities such as dyslexia. Evaluations are individually tailored to address the presenting concerns. For this reason, additional measures, as needed, may be used such as those used to identify behavioral/emotional difficulties, executive functioning, and adaptive functioning. This evaluation includes one or more appointments to complete all of the cognitive and academic testing, a thorough review of all intake and background information, data synthesis and analysis, and a written report which includes all of the above information as well as educationally-related diagnoses and recommendations.

College Accommodations Evaluation

This evaluation will be designed to fulfill the student’s chosen college/university requirements for identification as a student with a disability. A thorough review of the student’s IEPs or 504 Plans (while in high school) will be required in order to document previous disabilities, as well as accommodations that were necessary. This evaluation will include measures of cognitive ability and academic achievement as well as any other measures that may pertain to the student’s disability. This evaluation includes one or more appointments (based on the individual needs) to complete all of the testing, a thorough review of pertinent intake and background information, test synthesis and analysis, and a written report which includes all of the above information as well as diagnoses and recommendations for accommodations that will be necessary in college.

Consultative Feedback Conference

Following any evaluation, the client/parent(s) will schedule a time to meet with the psychologist to review all test results, diagnoses, and recommendations. A copy of the written evaluation will be provided during the feedback appointment.

Face-to-Face Meetings with School Personnel

Upon parent request, the school psychologist can provide consultation to the child’s school/teacher including information on the child’s learning strengths/weaknesses, information regarding the child’s diagnosis, and recommended academic or behavioral interventions. If requested, the school psychologist may also attend relevant meetings including ETR (MFE), IEP, RtI, and 504 Planning meetings.

Educational Consultation

This service includes reviewing files, ETRs, IEPs, or any educationally-related information regarding the student. Recommendations for reducing academic barriers to learning will be provided, based on the information provided.

School Observation

At the parent’s request, the psychologist can do school observations that include observation in the classroom and any other areas of the school which present difficulty for the child.

Counseling services for prevention or alleviation of educationally related learning problems

Short-term, trauma-based therapeutic services are also provided to reduce the impact of traumatic events on educational performance. These services are offered as individual sessions or group session (3 or more people). The typical length of these short-term intervention groups is 6 weeks, but this timeframe can be assessed during the first appointment.

Academic Evaluation (K-college)
Assesses reading, writing, math, oral language, phonological processing, etc. depending on presenting concerns. Results provide age and grade-level scores to determine areas of academic strengths and weaknesses. Assessment results will include recommendations to support academic success. Upon request, the report will be written for submission to meet year-end documentation of academic progress, as required by the state of Ohio, for homeschooled children. The fee includes initial interview, administration of tests, written report with scores and analysis, and consultative feedback conference to discuss results.

Reading/Writing Evaluation (Dyslexia/Dysgraphia; K-6 grade)
Measures the development of psychological processes directly related to the acquisition of reading/writing skills. The assessment is used to confirm or rule out the existence of a learning disability in reading and/or writing. The fee includes the initial interview, administration of tests, written report including scores and analysis, and feedback conference to discuss results.

Math Evaluation (Dyscalculia; K-6 grade)
Measures the development of cognitive processes that are critical to learning math skills and actual math performance. The assessment is used to confirm or rule out the existence of a learning disability in math. The fee includes the initial interview, administration of tests, written report including scores and analysis, and feedback conference to discuss results.

Intelligence Test (K-College)
Assesses areas of cognitive functioning that support learning. Subtests from the cognitive test will be administered in order to form broad clusters in each of seven cognitive processes known to contribute to learning. An overall Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is also provided. The fee includes the initial interview, administration of tests, written report including scores and analysis, and feedback conference to discuss results.

Social-Emotional Evaluation (K-College)
This important area should not be overlooked when considering what factors impact a child’s ability to perform in an academic setting! The assessment can help identify social/emotional problems and/or highlight probable mental health diagnoses (i.e. ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s Disorder, Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, etc). It can guide decisions concerning who qualifies for special services, which interventions are likely to be effective, how well strategies are working and make individualized recommendations to support academic success. The fee includes the initial interview, administration of tests, written report including scores and analysis, and feedback conference to discuss results.

Executive Functioning Evaluation (K-College)
Impairments in executive functioning are known to have significant and negative consequences on learning. Areas of executive functioning include: plan/organize, working memory, initiate, emotional control, shift, inhibit, monitor, and organization of materials. Deficits in any of these areas have important implications for academic success. This evaluation assesses executive functioning skills and is useful in evaluating children with a wide spectrum of acquired and developmental neurological conditions, such as: Learning disabilities, Low birth weight, Traumatic brain injury, Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Tourette's disorder, Pervasive developmental disorders/autism, etc. The fee includes the initial interview, administration of tests, written report including scores and analysis, and feedback conference to discuss results.

Adaptive Functioning Evaluation (K-College)
Adaptive functioning skills encompass the practical, everyday skills required to function and meet environmental demands, including those needed to effectively and independently care for oneself and to interact with others. These skills include our ability to communicate with others, care for our personal hygiene needs, complete home or school-based tasks at an age-appropriate level, and take care of our own health. Social skills are another extremely important component of our adaptive functioning, which involve the ability to develop mutually beneficial relationships. Deficits in adaptive functioning are likely to create barriers to academic progress and should be addressed to support the learning process. The fee includes the initial interview, administration of tests, written report including scores and analysis, and feedback conference to discuss results.


Call Dr. Sears @  614-604-6067 to set up an appointment or for any further questions you may have.