Understanding Your Assessment Report

What Is an Assessment Report?

After your child completes a psychological assessment, you receive a written report. This document summarizes the testing results, explains what those results mean, and provides recommendations to support your child at home and school.

Assessment reports can feel overwhelming at first. They use clinical language, include numbers and percentiles, and may be 15 to 30 pages long. This guide breaks down the key sections so you know what to look for and how to use the information.

Key Sections of a Report

Most assessment reports follow a standard structure. Here is what each section covers.

Background and Referral Information

This section describes why the assessment was requested and what concerns were raised. It includes information gathered during the intake interview, such as developmental history, school performance, and family observations. Review this section to make sure the details are accurate.

Assessment Methods

This lists the tests and tools the psychologist used. You may see names like WISC-V (a cognitive ability test), WIAT-4 (an academic achievement test), or ADOS-2 (an autism assessment tool). Each test measures something specific. The psychologist chose these tools based on your child’s referral concerns.

Results and Scores

This is often the longest section. It presents your child’s scores on each test. You will see terms like:

• Standard Score: A number that compares your child to others the same age. The average range is 90 to 110.
• Percentile Rank: Shows where your child falls compared to 100 same-age peers. A percentile of 25 means your child scored higher than 25 out of 100 peers.
• Confidence Interval: A range around the score that accounts for normal variation. For example, a standard score of 95 with a confidence interval of 90 to 100 means the true score likely falls within that range.

Scores in the average range do not mean “no concerns.” A child can have average overall ability but show a significant gap between areas of strength and areas of difficulty. These patterns matter for diagnosis and support planning.

Clinical Impressions

The psychologist summarizes what the scores mean as a whole. This section connects test results to your child’s everyday experiences. It may include a formal diagnosis, such as ADHD, a specific learning disability, or autism. It may also note areas that do not meet diagnostic criteria but still affect your child.

Recommendations

This section provides specific, actionable suggestions. These may include:

• School accommodations (such as extended time on tests, preferential seating, or assistive technology)
• Referrals to other professionals (such as speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, or tutors)
• Strategies for home (such as visual schedules, homework routines, or sensory supports)
• Eligibility documentation for government programs (such as the Disability Tax Credit or OSAP disability grants)

Read this section carefully. It is the most directly useful part of the report for your family and your child’s school.

How to Use Your Report

Share with Your Child’s School

Bring the report to a meeting with your child’s teacher and the school’s special education resource teacher (SERT). Ask the school to put the recommended accommodations in place through an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or a less formal support plan.

Keep Copies

Keep the original report in a safe place. Make copies for your child’s school, family doctor, and any other professionals working with your child. You will reference this report for years, especially during school transitions.

Ask Questions

If anything in the report is unclear, contact the psychologist who wrote it. Most psychologists offer a feedback session where they walk you through the results and answer your questions. If your assessment was done at Cornerstone, this feedback session is included.

Revisit Over Time

Your child’s needs may change as they grow. Academic demands increase, social expectations shift, and coping strategies evolve. Revisit the report before major transitions, such as starting middle school, entering high school, or applying to post-secondary programs. Some children benefit from updated testing every few years.

Common Questions

What if I disagree with the results?

If the results do not match what you see at home, raise this with the psychologist during the feedback session. Context matters, and additional information from you can help refine the conclusions. You also have the right to seek a second opinion from another registered psychologist.

Can the school reject the recommendations?

Schools in Ontario are required to accommodate documented learning needs. If a school is not following through on recommendations, you can request a meeting with the principal or contact the school board’s special education department.

Will my child need to be reassessed?

It depends on the situation. Some diagnoses, like a specific learning disability, are considered stable and do not usually require reassessment. Others, like ADHD, may benefit from updated testing if symptoms change significantly or if new concerns arise. Your psychologist can advise on timing.