Psychological Assessments in Ottawa
Assessment
At Anchor, our team of psychologists offers comprehensive psychoeducational, autism, ADHD, and psychodiagnostic assessments—designed to provide clarity, insight, and direction. We have extensive experience in providing comprehensive assessments that take a strengths-based approach to understand you or your child.
Psychoeducational Assessment
(Child, Youth, Transition Age)
At Anchor Psychological Services, having a psychologist complete every component of the psychoeducational assessment makes us unique. Psychologists are specially trained to notice subtle behaviours, adapt assessments in real time, and integrate cognitive and emotional data. Our assessments stand out for being thorough and personalized. From the initial testing to interpretation and report writing, this continuity ensures clinical precision, meaningful insights, and a deeper understanding of your child’s learning and emotional profile.
Our reports go beyond scores—offering clear, practical recommendations tailored for home, school, and community settings. The result is a report that is user-friendly for both parents and teachers, making it a valuable tool for supporting your child’s growth.
These assessments are currently being conducted by Dr. Sandy Erb, Dr. Alex Irwin, Dr. Hien Nguyen, and Dr. Sarah Jane Norwood.
What kind of assessments do we do?
You, your child, educator, or other health care providers may wonder if you are your child/youth have any of the following:
Learning Disability (e.g., dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia)
Your child may have some or all of the following:
- Has had a unique learning journey, with some challenges along the way
- Developed reading, writing, or numeracy skills later than some peers
- Is building foundational academic skills at their own pace
- May not feel reflected in traditional grading systems or school expectations
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Your child may have some or all of the following:
- Finds it challenging to maintain focus in certain environments
- May need extra support to follow multi-step instructions
- Has a strong need for movement and may prefer not to sit still for long periods
- Notices many things in their environment and may shift attention frequently
- Is still developing strategies for emotional regulation and impulse control
- Their inward focus or daydreaming is not outwardly disruptive and may go unnoticed by educators/adults
Autism
Your child may have some or all of the following:
- Differences in social communication
- Differences in forming and maintaining friendships
- Differences in emotional and sensory regulation
- Differences in interpreting social cues
- Differences in adapting to transitions
- Having strong preferences or focused interests
- Benefits from the support of trusted adults to learn and apply social and friendship skills
- Has developed effective strategies to navigate social situations, though sustained use of these strategies can be mentally and emotionally taxing
Gifted Identification
Your child may have some or all of the following:
- Seems very bright compared to other kids
- Grasps concepts easily and quickly
- Feels bored at school
- May have been tested as school and fallen just short of cut-off criteria
Developmental and/or Intellectual Delay
Your child may have some or all of the following:
- Is developing academic skills at their own pace
- Approaches tasks differently than many peers their age
- Takes time to explore and understand new concepts
- Has followed a unique timeline for skills like talking, walking, or toileting
The Assessment Process
Assessments are dynamic and individually tailored to the client and referral questions.
In general, this process ranges from 14.5-22 hours. Assessments are billed at our current hourly rate and the number of hours varies depending on the referral question and the needs of the client.
While the format can be modified and adapted to the client’s needs, assessments are usually completed over multiple visits and involve the following components:
Intake interview
Information gathering from multiple sources
One-to-one testing
Report-writing
Feedback session to review the results and recommendations
Autism Assessment
(Child, Youth, and Adults)
We have a team with deep expertise in autism that is passionate about providing neurodivergent-affirming, strengths-based care. Our psychologists provide psychodiagnostic assessments for autism, with expertise in high-masking and/or late-identified individuals. For children and youth between the ages of 6 and post-secondary age, we usually recommend a full psychoeducational assessment. A psychoeducational assessment will include an assessment of overall learning and cognitive functioning as well as an assessment of symptoms of autism. This is often recommended to prevent misdiagnosis and ensure an accurate and comprehensive diagnosis to best meet your child or youth’s needs. For older youth and adults, we may recommend a psychodiagnostic assessment that does not include a comprehensive assessment of learning and cognition and that focuses solely on symptoms of autism.
What We Assess For
You, your child, educators, other health care providers may wonder if you or your child/youth has autism if you or your child have some or all of the following:
Differences in social communication
Differences in forming and maintaining friendships
Differences in emotional and sensory regulation
Differences in interpreting social cues
Differences in adapting to transitions
Having strong preferences or focused interests
Benefits from the support of trusted adults to learn and apply social and friendship skills
Has developed effective strategies to navigate social situations (though sustained use of these strategies can be mentally and emotionally taxing)
The Assessment Process
Assessments are dynamic and individually tailored to the client and referral questions. While the format can be modified and adapted to the client’s needs, assessments are usually completed over multiple visits and involve the following components:
Psychoeducational Assessment of Autism:
In general, this process ranges from 14.5-22 hours. Assessments are billed at our current hourly rate and the number of hours varies depending on the referral question and the needs of the client.
Intake interview
Information gathering from multiple sources
One-to-one testing
Report-writing
Feedback session to review the results and recommendations
Psychodiagnostic Assessment of Autism:
In general, this process ranges from 8 to 12 hours. Assessments are billed at our current hourly rate and the number of hours varies depending on the needs of the client.
Intake interview
Information gathering from multiple sources
Report-writing
Feedback session to review the results and recommendations
Psychodiagnostic Assessment
(Child, Youth, and Adults)
Only a psychologist or psychiatrist can do this evaluation. Psychodiagnostic assessments are dynamic and tailored to your individual needs. They usually involve information gathering via a clinical interview, completion of questionnaires (from multiple sources where necessary), and consultation with the individual’s treating therapist or others (if applicable). Following completion of the assessment, information from these sources is integrated. A detailed written report is provided that summarizes psychological functioning, including any diagnoses, and makes specific treatment recommendations. This information is then shared with the individual (and/or family as appropriate) in a feedback session.
Why would you seek a psychodiagnostic assessment for you or for your child?
It is done to better understand an individual’s emotional, social, cognitive, and behavioural functioning. Some common reasons include:
Obtaining and clarifying a diagnosis
When an individual is experiencing symptoms of mental health issues but the exact nature of the issue is unclear, a psychodiagnostic assessment can help clarify the diagnosis and create an appropriate treatment plan.
Obtaining access to services
Some government services, school and work accommodations, or insurance plans require diagnoses to access appropriate support.