Once you have decided that an assessment is needed please contact your physician or school, who will prepare a referral. Once we have received the referral you will be sent an Intake Package. Once the Intake forms are completed and returned to us your child will be placed on our waitlist. The length of the wait varies during the year, with end of school year and summer always being the longest. A parent intake is the next step to determine the assessment referral query and to plan the assessment course. The following steps may be taken, keeping in mind every child is unique and therefore each assessment may differ slightly:
Children should always be assessed in the context of their environment, which is why parent and teacher feedback is very important. An assessment test battery will be selected based on an understanding of the referral question, review of a child’s academic history, parent and teacher input and sound clinical judgment. All tests utilized are standardized, deemed by scientific review as valid and reliable and will be administered in a manner consistent with the publisher and the Cayman Island Government’s regulations regarding the administration of psycho-metric testing. Additional information from adjunct professionals such pediatricians, speech and language therapist, occupational therapist or other specialists may also be included. A comprehensive assessment means that testing instruments from several categories will be selected to ensure the whole child is considered and all areas of strengths and weaknesses explored. Best practice in the field of psychology guides us to select only those tests which we believe will provide valuable data needed to accurately answer the referral question and make a reliable diagnosis if applicable. As a result, we will choose tests from all categories, but will not expose children or adolescents to more testing than is absolutely necessary.
A psychological report is a starting point and best used as a guide for ongoing support and services for your child. Once a final report has been prepared it will be shared with parents for review. Once permission to share the report is granted, it will be forwarded to your child’s pediatrician and school. Most public and private schools in Cayman have a Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) responsible for the development of Individualized Education Plans (IEP) for students with any type of learning, social, emotional, behavioural or developmental disorder or disability. The information in the report will help your school’s SENCO develop teaching plans that will meet your child’s specific needs. A psychological evaluation typically remains valid for three (3) years. If specific clinical services like counseling, speech therapy, behavioural therapy, occupational therapy, social skills training, academic tutoring or family therapy are recommended, the assessment report will be used to help medical and clinical practitioners make important treatment decisions. The results of an assessment can also provide parents and family members with a better understanding of a child’s needs, including strengths and challenges which can improve family functioning and guide parenting decisions.
Psychological assessments range in cost depending on the nature of the referral and the scope of testing required; with most costing between $3000 – $4000. On average, an assessment will require 10 -14 hours of clinical time, including observations, testing, scoring, interpretation and report writing. Some insurance companies do cover assessment services, but plans are highly variable and pre-authorization is required. We suggest you obtain a referral of medical necessity from your pediatrician and seek clarification from your insurance provider if you wish to claim back these costs. We require full payment before the final report will be handed over.
We will directly invoice CINICO if we have received a CMO approved referral from HSA, and verification of coverage from CINICO has been received. PARENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL COSTS UNPAID BY INSURANCE.