Attention and Executive Function Assessment

In the later elementary and middle school years, many children who had previously been performing at or above grade level begin to experience struggles in focusing on and completing their work. Some continue to have strong academic skills, and do not display any weaknesses in reading, writing or mathematics. Teachers and parents may, however, begin to notice that they struggle to sustain their attention on their work in and out of the classroom, and to handle the increasing organizational demands of project-based learning and long-term written assignments.

CDA offers a brief assessment that targets areas of attention, executive functioning and organizational skills with a psychologist to determine if there are areas that are hampering a student’s performance. It includes a structured interview with the child and their parents, a review of any ongoing emotional and academic concerns, and a session of paper-and-pencil and computerized assessment. Based on the results of this testing, the evaluating psychologist determines if a child has a primary attention disorder, or if their struggle to focus is based more on emotional concerns or situational factors. When appropriate, we offer referrals for intervention and/or remediation in and out of school, and ongoing family support.