Finding the Answers

Psychological Testing and Assessment to Help Determine the Best Course of Treatment

What is Psychological Testing?

One unique way in which I can serve my clients is through psychological testing and assessment. Psychological testing and assessment can be critical for determining the best course or treatment or helping my clients access additional services they need. In many ways, psychological testing is similar to ordering a medical test. If you are having medical problems, a doctor might order X-rays or blood tests to understand what’s causing those symptoms. Similarly, I might use psychological evaluations to help guide treatment or arrive at a diagnosis that helps you make sense of yourself or a loved one.

What Do You Offer?

I offer a wide variety of different tests and evaluations to match the needs of my clients, including psychological and neuropsychological evaluations, disability evaluations, pre-surgical evaluations, and guardianship & disability evaluations. I’m also available to provide additional psychological testing to other clinicians in order to develop a more comprehensive treatment plan or guide a diagnosis.

Below are some of the types of tests and assessments I often use within my practice.

ADHD Testing

There’s no single test to diagnose Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Often time, children and adults are diagnosed early in life with ADHD but may actually be experiencing signs of depression, anxiety, or other major health issues which need to be addressed. Misdiagnosing ADHD or not treating the correct issue properly can result in serious consequences for children, adolescents and adults, which makes it critical to consult with a psychologist who can accurately diagnose the condition.

My role within ADHD testing is to provide accurate, comprehensive testing as well as an easy to understand psychological report designed to help you feel confident in your treatment decisions. Within testing I utilize multiple elements to diagnose an individual with ADHD, including: Interviews with the client, relatives, teachers and other individuals, as well as a wide-range of validated testing measures and tests. These assessment tools may include the computerized FDA-cleared TOVA test, self-measures, and other methods which can help identify the signs of ADHD or guide us towards a different diagnosis.

Even if you or a loved one have already been previously diagnosed with ADHD by a physician, a comprehensive evaluation could provide the level of accuracy you need to shift treatment strategies or explore new ways of treating issues with attention and concentration.

Neurocognitive and Dementia Screenings

Oftentimes individuals begin to demonstrate significant problems with memory loss or concentration. Sometimes, it’s forgetting names, dates, or the location of familiar landmarks. Other times individuals cannot remember conversations they just had or are struggling to remember instructions or tasks. Whether you are concerned about problems resulting from a head injury, see signs of age-related cognitive decline or just want to know if memory declines are “normal,” I can help guide you in the right direction with a comprehensive neurocognitive screening and testing.

Social Security or Forensic Evaluations

Dr. Soriano will often attempt to help individuals appeal rejections from Social Security disability or fulfill court-mandated psychological evaluations. These types of evaluations can be complex and may involve multiple interviews, different types of psychological testing and summarization of multiple medical or legal documents.

Gaurdianship Evaluations

Issues of guardianship often carry a great deal of emotional weight. Often times a loved one is no longer capable of taking care of themselves or has reached a point at which dementia or other incapacitating events, such as a stroke, have significantly affected a person’s capacity to meet his or her own needs. An otherwise capable person may no longer be able to keep track of a needed medication regimen, may have difficulty cleaning the home or may even be unable to find one’s own address, for example. A comprehensive psychological evaluation and other forms of testing can help clarify issues of guardianship.

Child and Adolescent Evaluations

Psychological or cognitive evaluations may be requested on children and adolescents for numerous reasons. Below are a few of the main types of testing done by Dr. Soriano:

  • Talented/Gifted IQ evaluations are often necessary for children attempting to enroll into specialized or advanced academic setting
  • Evaluating the possibility of autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability (formerly called mental retardation)
  • Determining the presence of behavioral concerns including ADHD, anxiety, depression or other emotional problems

Bariatric Evaluations and other Medical Evaluations

Often, many medical procedures or treatments require a pre-surgical psychological evaluation or testing to assess the patient’s readiness and preparedness for surgery. In specific cases, such as a Spinal Cord Stimulator implant or Bariatric surgery, a pre-surgical psychological evaluation is often required in order to receive the needed surgery or procedure. Other medical settings which prescribe potentially habit-forming substances such as pain clinics may often mandate psychological testing or substance abuse evaluations in order to pre-screen patients within their clinic.

These evaluations often utilize a comprehensive interview as well as objective measures to measure emotional functioning as well as other needs required by the medical center before your surgery or before being cleared for treatment.

FAQ’s About Testing

How long will psychological testing take?
This is an incredibly difficult question to answer. Some assessments can be relatively short and take around 60-90 minutes. Most Dorsal Colum Stimulator evaluations, ADHD evaluations dementia screenings and pre-bariatric surgery evaluations take around 90 minutes to complete. However, some assessments such as IQ testing, court-mandated evaluations, comprehensive personality evaluations or testing for Social Security Evaluations can take anywhere between 3-5 hours and involve multiple interviews and psychological tests. Dr. Soriano will do his best to prepare you for how much time to allow and how much testing will be necessary for you specific evaluation.
How much will psychological testing cost?
The cost of psychological testing can vary depending on numerous factors. Some types of insurance cover some elements of psychological testing. Other times, psychological testing requires upfront payment of a specific amount before a report can be released to your doctor or other agency. To see specific costs for certain types of assessments, please review the psychological testing list to see the range in assessment costs.
How long will it take to complete a report?
Depending on the type of assessment and the purpose of the report, Dr. Soriano will attempt to complete your assessment within two weeks of the final day of testing. If there are any time constraints for your assessment (i.e. upcoming court dates or school IEP meetings) please let Dr. Soriano know before testing is completed.
I have other questions about psychological assessment, such as specifics about testing, how I will recieve feedback on the report, and other questions.
Dr. Soriano will be happy to go over any questions you may have about your specific assessment. Many questions can also be answered by going over the assessment contract which will need to be signed before testing can commence.
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Phone: 815-520-0927
Fax: 815-345-2162

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973 Featherstone Rd.
Rockford, IL 61107

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You can make an appointment by calling our office at 815-520-0927. If it is an emergency, it is necessary for you to go to an emergency room or call 911 to get immediate help.

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