Being a special needs parent can be a lot of things, including great ones like rewarding, hilarious, and wonderful. It can also be challenging, frustrating, and exhausting. At Northern Colorado Assessment Center, we know the complex joys and struggles that many special needs parents face, and it is always our goal to offer answers, recommend resources, and provide guidance to relieve some of your stress and worries about providing the right support for your child. One of the many ways we help special needs parents is to sit down with them for consultations. During a consultation, we can discuss a number of things, including taking time to talk through options and the purpose of specific evaluations, review current resources and support your child receives, and plan for resource meetings. Many parents feel frustrated by the complex reports they receive after assessment, but the hope is always that the answers found through assessment help parents and their children stay positive. If you’re feeling stressed by the results of assessment or worried about what will happen once your child receives an assessment, take some time to read this blog about the many positive aspects of undergoing assessment, and if you want to talk in greater detail, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Understand Your Child More Fully
Parents often step in as advocates for children of any ability, but special needs parents can feel like they’re constantly at battle to ensure their children receive the right resources to be successful in and out of the classroom. One of the best ways to advocate for your child’s needs is to be able to clearly describe (in the boring, clinical terms we use in the assessment field) what resources and support will benefit your child. Through assessment, you will have a clear view of your child’s areas of strength and deficit, and you will be able to describe those aspects of your child’s needs in the language that educators and administrators are looking for.
Knowledge Is Positivity
As assessment psychologists, we often hear people talking about assessment as how they “figure out what’s wrong with them.” Assessment does help parents understand areas where children may struggle or require extra support, but it also shows parents all the amazing skills and abilities their child has. It can be extremely heartening to see the areas where children excel or show significantly greater ability. Knowing these areas of strength is just as significant as knowing where your child may struggle. By understanding where your child is most capable, you can help to guide them toward activities that are best suited to their skills and plan for extra resources during activities that may be more challenging.
Take Things One Day (or Minute) at a Time
Finally, this one is just good life advice, but it’s also an important reminder to come back to the results of assessment when you’re feeling worried or frustrated about your child’s progress. Assessments can help you remember the many strengths uncovered through testing and stick with them as they continue to grow. It may not happen all at once, but over time, your child will become the most authentic, fulfilled version of who they are. Whatever that looks like, it’s pretty amazing.
Schedule an Assessment Consultation
Whether this is your child or teen’s first assessment or they’ve been through the process more times than you can count, it never hurts to talk with an assessment psychologist about what specific results mean, how you can support your child’s progress, and just ask questions that come up. If you’re feeling stressed or frustrated, take a deep breath and give the Northern Colorado Assessment Center a call to schedule a consultation. We’ll be happy to review assessment reports with you (even if they’re not from our office), answer questions about accommodations and resources, and generally help you gain the necessary knowledge to better understand and plan for your child’s needs.
