Assessment Alley
Welcome to Assessment Alley!
Here, we’ll be sharing insights and information about the world of psychological assessment. We hope to provide a helpful resource for clinicians and to demystify the assessment process for those considering or undergoing assessments. Whether you're a professional looking to deepen your understanding or someone simply curious about how assessments work, this blog is designed to be informative and accessible. We also welcome your input—if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover, feel free to reach out!
Sensory Seeking and Avoidance: What Parents and Caregivers Should Know
Sensory based activities are common in children and teens. Learn to spot when the behavior might signal a bigger problem and how to get help.
On Being Seen: Why Collaborative Psychological Assessment Matters
Collaborative psychological assessment can be transformative. It helps people build a more accurate, compassionate story about who they are, which can lead to real change. It’s not just about checking off a box with a diagnosis. It’s about meeting a fundamental human need—to be seen, to be known, and to be understood.
It’s about going on a journey together. In this process, the client is at the center. It starts by exploring their questions—what they want to learn about themselves. Then, we work together to chart a path that helps them make sense of the results in the context of their life.
Comprehensive ADHD Evaluation: Why Quick Screenings Might Miss the Mark
ADHD is commonly associated with difficulty concentrating, being easily distracted, and impulsivity. However, these symptoms aren’t unique to ADHD; they appear in a variety of psychiatric conditions. For instance, difficulty concentrating is a symptom in 17 different psychiatric diagnoses in the DSM-5-TR (Forbes et al., 2023). In fact, 36.8% of the 628 distinct psychiatric symptoms in the DSM-5-TR overlap across multiple diagnoses. This significant overlap complicates the diagnostic process and increases the risk of misdiagnosis.