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Developmental Delay

Diagnostic Evaluation

A developmental assessment evaluates how a child under six grows, learns, and interacts by measuring their development across different domains in comparison with age-matched peers.

This evaluation identifies the child’s strengths, challenges, and support needs. Early intervention significantly improves the prognosis.

FAQ

  • The assessment relies on the analysis of any previous reports, clinical observations made during the sessions, and a battery of standardized tests administered in the office in both written and digital formats. Together, these elements provide a detailed, nuanced, and objective understanding of the child’s mental functioning.

  • The first appointment is usually held with both parents present, without the child. It focuses on an in‑depth discussion of the child’s history, current difficulties, and the parents’ expectations.

    This interview aims to:

    • Determine whether a diagnostic evaluation is appropriate.

    • Clarify the assessment protocol (tests selected based on the information gathered beforehand).

    • Present the full evaluation process (number of sessions, duration, report, and feedback session).

    • Address any questions the parents may have.

    • Establish a trusting environment, essential for minimizing the impact of anxiety on test performance.

  • It enables the clinician to:

    • Establish a provisional diagnosis.

    • Gain an in-depth understanding of the child’s mental functioning and its impact on daily life.

    • Provide tailored recommendations and accommodations for daily life, both at home and at school.

    • Recommend appropriate interventions such as cognitive remediation, neuropsychological rehabilitation, orthoptics, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or psychotherapy.

  • Developmental domains assessed:

    • Social-emotional development

    • Adaptive/self-care development

    • Motor development

    • Expressive language and communication development

    • Overall/general development

    Adaptive domains assessed:

    • Communication

    • Daily living

    • Socialization

    Psycho-affective domains assessed:

    • Personality: assessment of personality organization, including pathological aspects, and identification of any underlying psychological vulnerabilities.

    • Autism: analysis of autism-related behaviors, language, communication, and social interactions; autism risk level; autism severity level.

    Cognitive domains assessed (for children over age 4 only):

    • Intellectual abilities: logical, conceptual, and quantitative reasoning.

    • Attentional functions: selective and sustained attention.

    • Executive functions: cognitive inhibition, cognitive flexibility, working memory, planning.

    • Memory functions: short-term memory.

    • Visuospatial functions: visuoperceptive and visuospatial abilities

    • Language functions: receptive and expressive language.

Contact Sandra Laujin