After the Evaluation: Next Steps for Parents
You've completed a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation for your child. You've attended the feedback meeting with the psychologist, received a detailed report, and now hold a wealth of information about your child's learning profile, strengths, and challenges. Perhaps you finally have a diagnosis that explains years of struggles, or maybe the results surprised you in unexpected ways.
Now comes the important question: What do you do with all this information?
An evaluation report is not meant to sit on a shelf gathering dust. It's a roadmap designed to guide you, your child, and your child's educational team toward more effective support and greater success. But translating that roadmap into real-world action can feel overwhelming, especially when you're processing emotional reactions to the results while simultaneously trying to figure out practical next steps.
This guide will walk you through what to do after receiving your child's evaluation results, from understanding the report to implementing recommendations and advocating effectively for your child's needs.
Processing the Results
Before taking action, give yourself time to process what you've learned. Receiving evaluation results can trigger a range of emotions, from relief at finally having answers to grief about your child's struggles, anxiety about the future, or even guilt about not recognizing the issues sooner.
All of these feelings are normal and valid. Take time to sit with the information. Discuss it with your partner, a trusted friend, or a therapist. Remember that a diagnosis or identification of learning differences doesn't change who your child is. It simply provides a framework for understanding and supporting them more effectively.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the report, don't hesitate to reach out to the psychologist who conducted the evaluation. At Mind Matters, we remain available to answer questions and clarify findings even after the formal feedback meeting. You can also schedule parent follow-up consultations to discuss specific aspects of the report or help with implementation.
Understanding the Report
Evaluation reports can be lengthy and technical. Here's how to approach reading and understanding yours:
Start with the Summary
Most reports include an executive summary or summary of findings that provides a condensed overview of the key results and recommendations. Start here to get the big picture before diving into details.
Focus on Practical Implications
Rather than getting caught up in individual test scores, focus on what the results mean for your child's daily life and learning. How do the findings explain behaviors or struggles you've observed? What specific strategies does the report recommend?
Identify Priorities
Not all recommendations can or should be implemented immediately. Identify which recommendations are most urgent or which would have the greatest impact on your child's current functioning. If you aren't sure, ask your evaluator which recommendations to focus on first.
Note Questions
As you read, jot down questions that arise. You'll want to follow up with the evaluating psychologist to ensure you fully understand the findings and recommendations.
Share Selectively
Decide who needs to see the full report (typically schools and healthcare providers) versus who needs just a summary or specific sections. You don't need to share your child's private information with everyone. At Mind Matters, we start each section of our reports on separate pages, to give parents more flexibility when sharing the report.
Practical Next Steps
Once you understand the evaluation results, it's time to take action. Here are the key steps most families need to follow:
1. Share Results with Your Child
Your child deserves to understand their own learning profile in age-appropriate ways. Many children experience tremendous relief when they learn there's an explanation for their struggles that has nothing to do with being "stupid" or "lazy."
At Mind Matters, we provide child and teen feedback sessions specifically designed to help young people understand their evaluation results in empowering, positive ways. We create illustrated stories for younger children and detailed letters for teens that emphasize strengths while explaining challenges and strategies.
If you received written feedback materials for your child, review them together and answer any questions they have. Use concrete examples to help them understand how their brain works and what strategies can help them succeed.
2. Communicate with Your Child's School
Schedule a meeting with your child's teacher, school counselor, or learning specialist to share relevant evaluation results and discuss recommendations. Bring a copy of the report and be prepared to explain key findings in accessible language.
If the evaluation recommends formal school accommodations, this is the time to initiate that process. This might involve requesting an IEP evaluation if one hasn't been done, requesting a 504 Plan meeting if your child has a documented disability but doesn't require specialized instruction, or working with the school to implement informal accommodations and support.
Our psychologists can attend school meetings to help present evaluation findings, explain recommendations, and advocate for appropriate services. Many families find this professional support invaluable, especially when navigating the IEP process for the first time.
3. Identify and Connect with Service Providers
If the evaluation recommends specific interventions or therapies, begin researching appropriate providers. This might include educational therapists or tutors specializing in your child's area of need (such as Orton-Gillingham trained tutors for dyslexia), occupational therapists for sensory or motor challenges, speech-language pathologists for language or communication difficulties, mental health therapists for anxiety, depression, or other emotional concerns, or executive function coaches for organization and planning skills.
At Mind Matters, evaluation fees include support in finding appropriate providers. We maintain an extensive network of trusted specialists and can provide referrals tailored to your child's specific needs and your family's location.
4. Implement Home-Based Strategies
Many evaluation recommendations can be implemented at home without professional support. These might include environmental modifications (such as creating a quiet homework space or using visual schedules), organizational systems (such as color-coding, checklists, or planning tools), assistive technology (such as text-to-speech, speech-to-text, or organizational apps), or relationship strategies (such as specific ways to communicate expectations or provide feedback).
Start with one or two strategies that seem most manageable and relevant. As those become routine, gradually incorporate others. Remember that change takes time, both for you to adjust your approaches and for your child to adapt to new systems.
5. Consider Medication Evaluation When Appropriate
If the evaluation suggests that ADHD, anxiety, depression, or other conditions might benefit from medication, schedule an evaluation with an appropriate medical provider (typically a pediatrician, child psychiatrist, or developmental-behavioral pediatrician).
Send the evaluation report in advance or bring it to this appointment. The detailed information about your child's functioning can help the medical provider make informed treatment decisions. Remember that medication is just one component of treatment and works best in combination with behavioral strategies, environmental modifications, and appropriate educational support.
6. Prioritize and Create a Timeline
It's easy to feel overwhelmed by a long list of recommendations. Create a realistic timeline for implementation by identifying which recommendations are most urgent, which require immediate action (such as school accommodations for the current school year), which can be phased in over time, and which might be saved for future consideration.
Breaking down the recommendations into a manageable action plan makes the process less daunting and increases the likelihood that you'll actually implement the strategies.
7. Monitor Progress and Adjust as Needed
After implementing recommendations, pay attention to what's working and what isn't. Keep notes about your child's progress, challenges, and responses to different interventions. Schedule regular check-ins with teachers, service providers, and your child to assess whether strategies are effective.
Be prepared to adjust approaches if something isn't working. Not every recommendation will be equally effective for every child, and sometimes you need to try different strategies before finding what works best.
Common Challenges and How to Address Them
"The school says they can't implement the recommendations."
Schools sometimes claim they can't provide recommended services due to budget constraints or lack of staff. However, there are many different ways to meet a child's needs within the classroom. Ask your clinician to meet with school staff and brainstorm ideas of how to implement the recommendations within the constraints of the school. Parents of children in private school may be allowed to fund additional staff or tools that the school can use.
For public school students who qualify for an IEP, schools are legally required to provide a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) regardless of cost. If you're hitting resistance, request clarification in writing about why recommendations can't be implemented, consult with an educational advocate or attorney if necessary, and consider filing a compliance complaint with your state's department of education if the school is violating special education law.
"My child resists the recommended interventions."
It's common for children to resist tutoring, therapy, or accommodations, especially if they feel different from their peers or don't understand why they need extra support. Address this by ensuring your child understands their learning profile and why support helps, involving them in choosing providers or specific strategies when appropriate, starting with interventions that feel less stigmatizing, and celebrating progress and acknowledging the effort they're putting in.
"We can't afford all the recommended services."
Private services can be expensive. Consider prioritizing the most critical recommendations, exploring whether your school district can provide some services through the IEP or 504 process, looking into sliding scale options with providers, utilizing technology or home-based strategies that don't require professional support, and investigating whether insurance might cover certain services (such as occupational therapy or mental health counseling).
Mind Matters offers a limited number of fee adjustments for families who need them, and we're committed to connecting you with resources regardless of financial constraints.
"The evaluation didn't give us the answers we hoped for."
Sometimes evaluations don't result in a clear diagnosis or don't find the specific issue parents expected. This can be frustrating, but the information gathered is still valuable. The evaluation may have ruled out certain conditions, provided baseline data for future comparison, or identified specific strengths and strategies that can support your child even without a formal diagnosis.
If you feel the evaluation missed something important, discuss your concerns with the psychologist. In some cases, additional assessment might be warranted, or you might benefit from a focused evaluation targeting a specific area of concern.
When to Seek Additional Support
After receiving evaluation results, some families benefit from ongoing professional guidance. Consider scheduling follow-up support if you're struggling to implement recommendations, if your child's needs change or new challenges emerge, if you're facing resistance from schools or service providers, if you need help coordinating multiple interventions and providers, or if you have questions about how to adjust strategies as your child develops.
At Mind Matters, we offer several options for ongoing support, including parent follow-up consultations to discuss progress and adjust strategies, school meeting attendance to advocate for appropriate services, and child and teen feedback sessions to help young people understand and take ownership of their learning profiles. Our in-house educational therapist also offers school placement consultations and application support, as well as executive functioning/academic coaching for parents and kids.
Looking Ahead
Receiving an evaluation is a significant milestone in understanding and supporting your child, but it's just the beginning of a journey. The most important work happens in the weeks and months that follow as you implement recommendations, advocate for your child, and help them develop self-understanding and self-advocacy skills.
Remember that progress isn't always linear. There will be setbacks and challenges along the way. But with persistence, appropriate support, and a commitment to understanding your child's unique needs, you can help them thrive.
The evaluation report in your hands is a powerful tool. Use it to build a support system that recognizes your child's strengths, addresses their challenges, and creates pathways to success. And remember that you don't have to navigate this journey alone. We're here to support you every step of the way. Reach out if you need guidance, clarification, or ongoing support as you implement your child's evaluation recommendations.
At Mind Matters, we believe every child deserves to be understood. If you have questions about your child's learning, attention, or development, we're here to help. Contact our Client Care Coordinator at 415-598-8378 or info@sfmindmatters.com to learn more about how we can support your family's journey.
