SUWS Testing

SUWS offers onsite testing by Dr. Chris Edwards. Many boarding schools and residential treatment centers request test results to ensure that they are accepting students who are most compatible with their program structure. Testing is often an important component of treatment and aftercare planning.

Psychological evaluations include clinical interviews, a write-up of test results, and consultation with parents and (when requested) with possible aftercare placements.

Assessment procedures evaluate a child in three major categories. Following is a summary of the tests most frequently administered. Various combinations of these tests are given in order to obtain the most accurate and helpful information possible about a particular student.

Cognitive: IQ and/or achievement testing to determine the strengths and weaknesses of a person's thinking in eleven domains, including general awareness, attention, memory, verbal comprehension, visual-spatial ability, computation, abstract thought, impulsivity, problem solving, social comprehension, and judgment. Obtain level of academic functioning and compare results to national norms. Rule out learning disabilities, ADHD, or nonverbal learning disability. Rule out thought disorders and screen for organic impairment.

Emotional: Assess emotional functioning and assess for depression, anxiety, deficits in identity formation, obsessive/compulsive disorders, and sleep disorders. Assess personality functioning. Obtain data regarding developmental and emotional age. Obtain data regarding family dynamics. Identify possible causes for presenting behaviors.

Behavioral: Screen for substance abuse. Screen for trauma and abuse. Screen for risk of self-harm, aggression, and treatment compliance or flight. Detect malingering and deceit. Screen for behaviors that are high-risk, illegal, or violate the rights of others or major social values.

Others Additional tests for many other specific cognitive and psychological problems are also available upon request.

SUWS employees are guided by the core values: Respect, Integrity, Accountability, Responsibility, and Excellence.