FAQs

We have different titles based on our formal education and work experience (i.e., Psychologist, Psychological Associate, Psychoeducational Consultant), but we all work closely with families, teachers, and other school staff to support the social, emotional, and learning needs of students.

The people who know children best (their caregivers and teachers) often know WHAT difficulties are happening, but they don’t always know WHY they're happening or HOW TO HELP in a different way. Psychological assessments can support the WHY and HOW of a student’s learning profile.

When we assess an individual student, we spend time with the student and ask how they see themselves, their world, and the people around them.  Then we give them a number of different activities to complete to see what they already know, what they still need to learn, how they figure things out, what comes easily, and what is a challenge. We also talk with parents and teachers about how they understand students in the classroom, in the playground, at home, and elsewhere.

At the end of an assessment, we work with teachers to figure out which classroom routines and teaching strategies will fit best for  the student and share information with parents about their child to help at home. We also teach the students themselves about their strengths in thinking, learning, and getting along with others, and help them understand why some things may be difficult to do.  For example, sometimes students have language difficulties that get in the way, sometimes they are too anxious, sometimes too sad or worried, etc.

Finally, we make a plan with teachers and parents about how they can help students do their best at school, at home, and in life. We work together to figure out which supports, programs or resources might be helpful. Our suggestions are based on research and evidence about what works in many situations. 

If caregivers or teachers have concerns about a child's developmental , academic, or social-emotional functioning, they can work on a plan to support that child's specific needs. This is first done by going to an IST. At an In-School Support Team (IST) meeting, staff within the school work with the classroom teacher to help better understand the student’s needs. Team members share expertise on meeting those needs. The IST is comprised of school-based staff including an administrator and special education teacher, often the Methods and Resource Teacher (MART) or Resource teacher in elementary schools. 

If necessary, further support may be found through the School Support Team (SST). If the IST has done all it can to understand and address the student’s needs and it determines that more support is required, the student should be referred to the SST.  At the SST, concerns about the student are discussed by a broader team of representatives from Special Education, Psychology, Social Work, Attendance Counselling, Speech-Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, Child and Youth Services, parents/guardians/caregiver/students over 16 years of age, outside agencies and others as required. 

If an SST determines that a psychological assessment would be of benefit and the parents/caregivers agree, a referral is made to Psychological Services.

A referral allows professionals to create a file and contact caregivers to obtain informed consent. With the exception of special education teachers, the involvement of professionals requires informed consent from parents/guardians or students who are of age in order to initiate an individual assessment. In all instances, parents/guardians or students who are of age are contacted to obtain their informed consent to ensure they understand the reasons for the assessment, the nature of the assessment, the risks and benefits of the assessment, and possible outcomes of the assessment. Issues of where and how the records will be stored and the limits to confidentiality are also outlined. 

You can:  

●     Explain the purpose of the assessment (e.g., “I know reading can be difficult and your school’s Psychologist is going to work with you for a little while to find out why and what we can do to help”)

●     Explain the process (e.g., “She’s going to do some activities with you over the next few weeks. Some of the activities will be like things you do in school and some may be more like games. There are no ‘marks’ and you can’t study for them, just do your best and she’ll get some good information about how you learn”).

●     Be positive (e.g., “Other students leave the class for different reasons and she’s worked with lots of students at your school. I hear most of them think the activities are pretty fun”). 

In general, we share information with school staff who work with and support your child. Before you give permission to work with your child, we will discuss our  responsibilities and answer any questions you may have about  privacy and confidentiality. At all times, you have a right to see your child’s Personal Health Information. No information is shared with anyone outside of the TDSB unless you ask us to do so in writing (except under special circumstances required by law).

A diagnosis is a professional opinion about the cause of a student’s difficulties. Diagnoses in children include Learning Disabilities, Intellectual Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and anxiety and depression, among others.

There are laws in Ontario that state who is allowed to make a diagnosis. In the TDSB, members of Psychological Services are the only regulated health professionals who are allowed to provide diagnoses. Our profession is governed by the College of Psychologists of Ontario.

An exceptionality is a determination (called an “identification”) that is made by school board staff based on education laws in Ontario. It describes conditions that affect a student’s ability to learn that both caregivers and school agree should be officially acknowledged. Some exceptionalities have similar names to diagnoses, but they are not the same. Examples of exceptionalities (include but are not limited to) Communication - Autism, Communication - Learning Disability, Intellectual - Giftedness, Intellectual - Mild Intellectual Disability and Behaviour.

TDSB’s Special Education department holds meetings where decisions about exceptionalities are made. Psychological Services are usually a part of these meetings. A diagnosis is not needed for a student to be identified with an exceptionality, though they may have one. Neither a diagnosis nor exceptionality is needed for a student to receive support at school.

There is a 2 step process for gifted testing:

First, all children in Grade 3 take the Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test (CCAT).

Then, children who score well on the CCAT are discussed at an SST meeting (see above question on assessment process for more information) and are then referred to and assessed by a member of Psychological Services, if appropriate.  

An Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) is a group which usually consists of a Special Education Coordinator, Psychology staff member, and a Principal.  The IPRC reviews available information about a student's learning strengths and needs and decides if they are eligible for an exceptionality and the type of placement that would be most appropriate (i.e., regular class or Special Education class). Parents are invited to attend IPRC meetings. IPRC decisions are reviewed annually.  

There are different types of exceptionalities as set out by the Ministry of Education. Exceptionalities (and their categories) include:

Communication 

• Autism 

• Learning Disability 

• Language Impairment 

• Speech Impairment 

• Deaf/Hard of Hearing 

Intellectual 

• Developmental Disability 

• Giftedness 

• Mild Intellectual Disability 

Physical 

• Blind/Low Vision 

• Physical Disability 

Behaviour 

• Behaviour 

Multiple 

• Multiple Exceptionalities 

More information on Special Education can be found using the following link: Guide to Special Education for Parents and Guardians. This guide includes many frequently asked questions about the IPRC process. 

A visual of the entire IPRC process (including placement) from the 2020 Special Education Plan can be found here: Assessment, IPRC and Placement.

Sharing assessment reports from practitioners outside of the TDSB with your child's school can be helpful for many reasons including:

• allowing school staff to better understand your child's learning profile, including their strengths and needs 

• accessing support and programming based on your child's needs

• guiding development and updates of their individual education plan (IEP) 

• prevention of unnecessary duplication of testing if another assessment is going to be done at the TDSB