Avirett Psychological

Services

Evaluations

The goal of an evaluation (sometimes referred to as an “assessment”) is to answer a specific question, like:

  • Why is my child struggling so much at school?
  • Why can’t he seem to focus or sit still?
  • Why does she get so angry so quickly?
  • Why is he struggling to make friendships?
  • Is my child gifted? Do they need a specific type of instruction?

Throughout the process of an evaluation, we will learn more about your child’s strengths, their struggles, and how to best help them at home and at school. As a part of the evaluation process, we will also rule in or rule out clinical diagnoses for which your child may meet criteria.

    The evaluation process consists of three to four appointments:

    1.

    The first appointment is a parent consultation where we will learn more about your child’s history, your current concerns, and is when we will go over a “game plan” for testing.

    2.

    The next one to two appointments are the direct testing appointments with your child. Most children enjoy the testing process, as it is different than most tests they have taken at school. The process is interactive and in a one-on-one setting between your child and the clinician. Testing consists of building blocks, solving puzzles, answering questions, working on the computer, and broadly talking and playing with the clinician.

    3.

    The final appointment is a feedback appointment, typically scheduled two to three weeks after the final feedback appointment. This is where you will receive the detailed report, talk about the results of the evaluation, and learn more about how you can help your child.

    There are a few different types of evaluations:

    Developmental Evaluations:

    Developmental evaluations, for children between the ages of 2 to 6, may be appropriate when a child demonstrates behaviors such as: meltdowns/outbursts, delayed learning, limited eye contact, delayed social skills, repetitive motor movements, delayed speech, severe inattention, or restricted interest in certain topics or objects. Through a series of interviews, observations, and testing, information will be collected about the child’s developmental history, behavior, language, and cognitive skills. Diagnoses that may be considered as part of this evaluation include: autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disabilities, or language delays. 

    Psychological Evaluations

    A psychological evaluation is often used to assess the route of emotional or behavioral concerns. A psychological evaluation may be useful when a child is demonstrating anxiety, depression, withdrawal, emotional instability, anger, or behavioral outbursts. Diagnoses that may be considered as a result of this type of evaluation include: depression, anxiety, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), and emerging personality disorders. 

    Neuropsychological Evaluation

    A neuropsychological assessment is a non-invasive, comprehensive evaluation that assesses patterns of strengths and weaknesses within an individual’s cognitive skills. A series of “tests” are given to assess attention, memory, processing speed, language, visual-spatial skills,  problem solving ability, and academic skills. A neuropsychological evaluation is useful when a child is struggling academically, has attentional concerns, or has brain-based medical concerns, such as known or suspected brain injuries or seizure disorders. Diagnoses that may be considered as a result of this type of evaluation include: specific learning disabilities/dyslexia, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, traumatic brain injuries, or seizure disorders.

    The typical wait time between reaching out, and first being seen for an evaluation, is two to four months. Although we desire to get all clients in sooner, due to current need, this is a typical wait time for most psychologists in our area. Please call or text 806.513.2008, or email info@avirettpsychological, to schedule an evaluation.

    One-on-One Therapy

    The goal of therapy is to help your family meet a behavioral, social, or emotional goal, such as:

    • My child will be able to express their feelings, instead of having a tantrum, when upset
    • My child will begin to experience more neutral to happy mood days, and will experience fewer depressive days
    • My child will learn to initiate conversations with peers and will start to build skills key for friendships
    • I will learn how build my relationship with my child and address challenging behaviors in a productive, skill-building way

    Therapy sessions are 45-50 minutes in length. They are often split into three sections: direct time with the child, direct time with the parent, and combined time with the child and parents to review skills.

    Avirett Psychological is excited to begin accepting new therapy clients again, beginning August, 2023. Therapy spots are limited. Please call 806.513.2008 and listen to the voicemail to determine if Avirett Psychological has openings for new therapy clients.

    One-on-One Therapy

    The goal of therapy is to help your family meet a behavioral, social, or emotional goal, such as:

    • My child will be able to express their feelings, instead of having a tantrum, when upset
    • My child will begin to experience more neutral to happy mood days, and will experience fewer depressive days
    • My child will learn to initiate conversations with peers and will start to build skills key for friendships
    • I will learn how build my relationship with my child and address challenging behaviors in a productive, skill-building way

    Therapy sessions are 45-50 minutes in length. They are often split into three sections: direct time with the child, direct time with the parent, and combined time with the child and parents to review skills.

    Avirett Psychological is excited to begin accepting new therapy clients again, beginning August, 2023. Therapy spots are limited. Please call 806.513.2008 and listen to the voicemail to determine if Avirett Psychological has openings for new therapy clients.

    Social Skills Group Therapy

    Avirett Psychological is excited to offer social skills group therapy in the Fall of 2023. Your child may benefit from a social skills group if they struggle with initiating social interactions, reading social cues, engaging in reciprocal back-and-forth relationships, and maintaining friendships. Many children in social skills group therapy have a prior diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Social skills groups will run for 6 to 8 weeks in a small group setting. To get on the waitlist for a social skills group, please click “contact us” below and send us a message with your child’s name, age, grade, and parent contact information.

     

    Contact Us

    Parenting Help

    If you are not sure where to start, but are frustrated with the dynamics between yourself, your partner, and your child, consider taking Dr. Avirett’s Parenting 101 course, or becoming a member of her Mind & Child Parenting community. Dr. Avirett co-created Mind & Child with another psychologist (Dr. Jordana Mortimer), as an effort to reach more families than one-on-one nature of private practice allows. The Parenting 101 course is a self-paced, 90 minute, video-based course, targeted for parents of children between the ages of 1 to 12. Through this course, you will learn core parenting tips, based on decades of developmental research. To learn more, visit: mindandchild.com

    Parenting Help

    If you are not sure where to start, but are frustrated with the dynamics between yourself, your partner, and your child, consider taking Dr. Avirett’s Parenting 101 course, or becoming a member of her Mind & Child Parenting community. Dr. Avirett co-created Mind & Child with another psychologist (Dr. Jordana Mortimer), as an effort to reach more families than one-on-one nature of private practice allows. The Parenting 101 course is a self-paced, 90 minute, video-based course, targeted for parents of children between the ages of 1 to 12. Through this course, you will learn core parenting tips, based on decades of developmental research. To learn more, visit: mindandchild.com