Psychoeducational Assessment
~ Considerations & Fees ~
To make the most of your child or teen's assessment at Begin, there are a few things you should know prior to scheduling your first appointment.
Informed Consent for Assessment Services - Minors (age 17 and under)
Informed consent is a necessary and helpful part of assessment services at Begin, and it all starts with a virtual Assessment Intake meeting.
During the initial Intake, your clinician will conduct an interview to better understand your child's learning history, including school performance and presenting needs. You will be asked to share your concerns for your child, as well as your hopes for your child's future, and how you anticipate the assessment findings may help your child reach their fullest potential. Sometimes, your clinician will ask to speak with you privately to gather this important information; alternatively, it may be helpful to have both you and your child or teen present for this part of the visit...after all, they may have important ideas to share, as well!
Your clinician will want to speak with you about other important aspects of the consent process, as well, and this part is better done in private. Your clinician will explain the nature of the assessment, including the types of testing to be completed (e.g., cognitive, academic), as well as additional measures that may be included to better understand your child's learning profile. Possible outcomes of the assessment will be described to you, including possible learning strategies and relevant results and/or diagnoses [e.g., Learning Disability profile (LD), Specific Learning Disorder (SLD), Intellectual Developmental Disorder (IDD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)]. Your clinician will also explain that the assessment process has some associated risks, such as your child or teen's profile may not be as expected, or could result in your child experiencing frustration should the measures used pose a particular challenge. The benefits of assessment will also be described, including the opportunity for you and other important adults in your child's life (e.g., teachers, family doctor or pediatrician) to have a clearer picture of their learning abilities and needs.
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Your clinician will also discuss additional aspects of informed consent with you, including likely benefits/risks of treatment, mutual responsibilities, confidentiality protections and limitations. Service documentation will also be described, particularly the production of a formal assessment report that will be provided to you at the conclusion of the assessment, which (with the exception of demographic or background information) cannot be changed. So if there is something you hope to be included, please let your clinician know prior to writing the final report. You will be advised that you may withdraw your consent at any time, and that consent will be revisited should new diagnostic considerations arise to ensure you are comfortable moving forward with this unexpected line of inquiry. As your child's parent or guardian, should you change your mind about the assessment, you have the right to withhold or withdraw your consent at any time. In such a situation, your clinician will provide you with a summary report of the information gathered to the point in time when the withdrawn consent was received, either verbally or by email.
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For separated/divorced parents/guardians, it is also important to provide your child's clinician with any court-related documentation. If a custody and/or parenting order is in place, informed consent must be obtained from all required parties before assessment services for your child or teen is able to proceed. Should one court-appointed parent/guardian withdraw consent after the assessment has started, your clinician must discontinue working with your child upon receiving such notice, and provide a summary report of information gathered to that point in time.
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At the conclusion of your child or teen's assessment, you will have the opportunity to meet with your clinician, during which your clinician will share with you important information about the assessment findings. Such information will include reporting your child's Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and scores from other cognitive domains, academic skills, and other applicable testing results, as well as how this information may be used to help support your child's learning success. You will be invited to ask questions, and while you cannot change assessment findings if the results are not as you anticipated, your clinician will help you to comfortably understand the information shared as part of the overall assessment process.
Fees for Assessment Services
​Psychoeducational Assessment
​​The fee for a psychoeducational assessment, including initial intake meeting, direct testing, information review, results-review meeting, and formal diagnostic report, is $3240.
A psycho-educational assessment is a comprehensive learning evaluation that explores your child or teen's learning profile, academic skills, and possible processing deficits that may necessitate a Learning Disability identification and/or diagnosis of Specific Learning Disorder in core academic skills. Intellectual Developmental Disorder (formerly Intellectual Disability) may also be diagnosed through this evaluation. Alternatively, this assessment may provide important information for understanding the accommodations required by post-secondary students.
Evaluation of additional factors, such as social/emotional issues affecting your child's learning success, may also be requested for an additional fee.
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Note: Effective January 1, 2025, the fee for service will increase to $3480 to reflect the new fee schedule as recommended by the Psychologists' Association of Alberta.
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Giftedness Screening
The fee for giftedness screening, including initial intake meeting, direct testing, information review, results-review meeting, and formal evaluation report, is $1350.
Giftedness screening explores your child or teen's intellectual abilities through a cognitive- testing only evaluation, particularly to determine eligibility for identification as a Gifted and Talented student as described by Alberta Education.
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Should your child or teen meet criteria for "giftedness," and you wish to apply for specialized academic settings, such as Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) or the Congregated Gifted program, your clinician may suggest evaluating your child's academic skills as part of the application process. Incorporating an academic evaluation for your child is available for an additional $810.
Evaluation of additional factors, such as attention difficulties, learning/academic challenges, and/or social/emotional issues affecting your child's learning success, may also be requested for an additional fee.
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Note: Effective January 1, 2025, the fee for giftedness screening will increase to $1450 to reflect the new fee schedule as recommended by the Psychologists' Association of Alberta, with the fee for academic testing increasing to $870.
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*Begin's Assessment Service rates are consistent with the Psychologists' Association of Alberta suggested fee schedule.
Cancellation & Rescheduling Policy
Your appointment time is reserved especially for you. While we understand that unforeseen circumstances arise from time to time, we have a Cancellation and Rescheduling Policy in place to help us meet the scheduling needs of all of our clients.
As such, Begin requires at least 24 hours' notice for cancellation or rescheduling requests. Without a minimum of 24 hours' notice, a $125 late-cancellation or rescheduling fee will be applied to your account and charged to the card on file. Under extenuating and rare circumstances, Policy fees may be waived at your clinician's discretion.
