Most parents worry about their children from time to time. The cause of their worries may pass, or they may continue to create concerns over time. When worries persist, parents often seek a better understanding of their child’s situation to determine how to help him or her. Adults themselves may worry about problematic situations in their own lives, too. These situations can be new or long-standing. Left untreated, they can give rise to heightened stress, diminished self-esteem, lack of success in college or the workplace, chronic disorganization, and/or relationship problems.
At CRG, our highly trained and experienced professionals use a comprehensive approach to assessment to ensure you can fully understand your or your child’s situation. Based on the concerns and questions you have presented, an evaluation has been recommended to further assess the concerns and provide standardized data and information in order to provide an accurate diagnosis(es) and assist in developing a treatment plan. Our evaluation process has four steps:
- Initial Visit
- Testing Appointment
- Follow-Up Appointment
- Written Report
Initial Visit with Psychologist or Psychiatrist
An evaluation starts with an initial appointment with a psychiatrist, psychologist, or therapist. The first appointment typically lasts 90 minutes. If the client is a child, the clinician spends time with the parent(s) and child together, then with the parent(s) and child individually to gather as much detailed information as possible. The clinician also reviews any records you provide, including:
- Grade reports
- Results of previous testing
- School plans (i.e., Individual Education Program, Section 504 Plan, etc.)
- Teacher reports
- Medical records (when relevant)
At the end of the appointment, a referral is made to the most appropriate CRG professional who can conduct the type of evaluation you or your child needs.
Testing Appointment
The testing is generally done on a second day. The tests used are determined by the supervising psychologist and administered by one of our school psychologists. Testing generally requires about four hours. Appointments are scheduled in the morning and usually last until lunchtime. If additional time is needed, testing will continue after lunch or will be completed on another occasion. Breaks are taken during the testing session and snacks are provided.
The test battery helps our assessment professionals gain objective and observational data about you or your child in order to answer the presenting questions. Generally, the test battery includes:
- An intelligence test
- Academic achievement tests
- A computerized test of attention
- Parent rating scales
- Self-report checklists completed by the child, adolescent, or adult
The results of the administered tests are then reviewed by the psychologist and school psychologist in order to determine the nature of you or your child’s difficulties and to determine appropriate interventions. On occasion, further testing will be necessary in order to follow-up on questions that arose during the first session of testing. If additional testing is felt to be warranted, you will be contacted by the psychologist or educational specialist who conducted the testing to explain the additional testing needed and the reason for the testing.
Follow-Up Appointment
A third appointment is scheduled with the supervising psychologist to meet with you and your child, if appropriate, in order to review the results of the evaluation. At that time, you will be provided with further information regarding the nature of any relevant diagnoses. The clinician who has supervised the assessment will also discuss an individualized action plan for recommended next steps.
Written Report
In addition to the follow-up session, the results of the evaluation and individualized recommendations are summarized in a comprehensive written report. The report contains a review of the concerns and relevant background information about you or your child. All administered tests are described and the results are presented and explained. Relevant observations of your or your child’s test-taking behaviors are described to enrich the quantitative data with qualitative information. All of this information is integrated into a diagnostic summary. The report concludes with personalized recommendations for treatment, which may include:
- Academic or work accommodations
- Suggestions for therapy
- Medication considerations
- A reading list for education regarding the factors affecting you or your child’s functioning
The report will be mailed or e-mailed to you shortly after your follow-up appointment. You may elect to have copies sent to your primary care physician and other designated professionals working with you and/or your child.
Cost and Payment
Payment is expected when each service is rendered, as noted in CRG’s financial policy. The cost of an evaluation will vary depending on the time required to complete the testing and the complexity of the evaluation. The range of fees should have been discussed with you when you scheduled your initial appointment at CRG, but we are happy to discuss these with you further. The fee will be broken in to two payments. You will be billed for the administration of the tests on the day of testing. You will be billed for the interpretation of the results and the actual report on the day of the follow-up. As your healthcare provider, we will file your claims with your insurance company. We do not file Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, or ICHIA. Please remember that payment is due at the time each service is delivered. CRG accepts cash, personal in-state checks, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. The following ranges are for psychological and psychoeducational evaluations:
- Age 18 months to 4 years: $1475-$2170
- Age 5 years to 7 years: $1605-$2430
- Age 8 years to 12 years: $1735-$2735
- Age 13 years and above: $1995-$2995
If your child is referred for a neuropsychological evaluation the following ranges are as follows:
- Age 2 years to 5 years: $2,010 to 2,320
- Age 6 years to 12 years: $2,630 to 3,095
- Age 12 + years: $2,940 to 3,405
If your child is referred for or it is determined they need further evaluation for autism spectrum disorder the range for this fee is: $1240-$1755.
NOTE: These ranges are just an estimate. The fees may change depending on the time required to complete the testing as well as the test being administered.
The fee will be broken down in to two payments. You will be billed for the administration of the tests on the day of testing. You will be billed for the interpretation of the results and the actual report on the day of the follow-up. As your healthcare provider, we will file your claims with your insurance company. We do not file Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, or ICHIA. Please remember that payment is due at the time each service is delivered. CRG accepts cash, personal in-state checks, VISA MasterCard, Discover and American Express.
If CRG has a contract with your network and you have mental health benefits, we will collect co-payments and file the claim for the evaluation with your insurance company. Our policy is that you provide us a credit card to keep on file. Your credit card will be charged once the disposition of your claim has been determined by your insurance company.
Some things to remember about the day of testing:
- Make sure that you or your child have had a good night’s rest and have eaten breakfast prior to the testing session.
- Please bring with you any rating scales that were given to you to be completed for the evaluation. Not returning these rating scales may delay the final report.
- Check with the psychologist with whom you are working about whether or not medication should be taken on the day of testing.
- Be sure to bring glasses and any communication/assistive devices, which are routinely used during the testing appointment.
- Fruit juice and snacks (pretzels, animal crackers, Goldfish, and Fruit Snacks) will be provided during the testing session. If you or your child has special dietary requirements, please bring a snack that can be eaten during breaks.
